Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway: A Reflection on Cultural Differences

As I watched Mrs Chatterjee vs. Norway, it had my blood boil. Beyond that, it got me thinking a whole lot. Hundreds of thousands of people move annually for one reason or another. All in search of greener pasture, or as my people say, “Japa”.

I reckon a good percentage of these people are parents with kids or young adults reaching that phase of life. They get settled in this new space far away from home and loved ones. The only things keeping them are the desire to do better and improve the lives of generations to come and their culture, which serves as their identity to remind them of home.

Of course, it can be very easy to say, when in Rome, behave like the Romans. This is true for most cases, such as keeping the law and learning the traditions of the land. What happens when acting like the Romans doesn’t stop there, and you are required to become exactly like the Romans? Imagine telling Nigerian parents to eat crepe for dinner. Just imagine!

You might be wondering why I’m writing this concerning a movie. After all, it is merely fiction. I wish that were the case. Someone’s reality inspired this movie. In this movie, Mrs. Chatterjee has her children taken away from her for reasons she thought to be staying true to her culture, such as feeding children with her hands and force-feeding.

The Norwegian government did not feel the same and thought this was bad parenting. I grew up in a house where there were consequences for not finishing one’s food, and acting up was responded to in a timely manner.

Several other cases exist beyond the one that inspired the movie mentioned above. It is clear that language barriers, plus cultural and religious differences, played a role in these cases. This is in no way to ignore the trauma immigrant parents carry and pass on to children (topic for another article). However, we need to wake up and start thinking about how inclusive child laws are for immigrant parents. To that immigrant child, take a moment to applaud your parents, who struggled but didn’t let that deter them.

I’m glad that Mrs. ChatterJee’s story ended well after being put on national and international display. She got a nice ending with her kids being returned after several years. The same goes for the family that inspired this movie.

I’m sure there are several stories like these that we haven’t heard of, or probably not to this level. As you go about your day, ponder on situations you’ve observed that were regarded as prejudiced instead of breaking the law and vice versa. You can take it a step further by thinking of ways to help make life more inclusive for immigrant parents.