)
)
Rina Hagai Nabatanzi, a Ugandan-Japanese singer, dancer, and model known professionally as Tanzi, recently opened up about her struggles with racism while growing up in Japan.
In an interview on the Goldnrush Podcast, Rina, who is now based in Tokyo, recounted the challenges she endured being a mixed-race child in a largely homogeneous society.
She recalled her time at elementary school in Nagoya as a "peaceful place" where she had friends and felt she belonged.
Read: Byanyima furious as “racist” guard calls police on her for walking in park
)
)
)
However, this sense of normalcy was disrupted when she attended a cram school in Tokyo for the summer holiday.
Singer Rina Hagai Nabatanzi
Cram schools in Japan are specialised educational institutions which focus on intensive training to help students achieve specific academic goals, most commonly to pass high school or university entrance exams.
She noted that while her regular school had allowed her to feel she looked no different from other children, the cram school was a place where she "stood out a lot," as there were very few mixed-race children, and even fewer with Black heritage.
Bullying and a Change in Path
At the cram school, Rina not only found herself struggling with the rigorous academic curriculum but also became a target for bullying.
She described being "treated so badly" by other children, a painful experience for her at such a young age.
She recalled confronting one student whom she caught imitating her.
Singer Rina Hagai Nabatanzi
“When I told my mom about what happened to me, she cried. That was the hardest thing for me,” she narrated.
Despite her initial determination to be strong and "push on and finish the cram school," the emotional toll was too much.
She eventually left and made a deliberate decision to pursue dancing, a path she felt would allow her to "stand out more" on her own terms, in a way that the people who had bullied her would have to take notice.
Singer Rina Hagai Nabatanzi
Finding a Sense of Belonging in Uganda
Rinan visited Uganda for the first time at the age of 22. She went alone and was initially shocked to be perceived as white by some locals, who called her a "Muzungu."
She says she found the people to be "so kind and happy," and she felt that they were treating her "like a human being," a stark contrast to her experiences in Tokyo.
She now views being of two races as a special part of who she is, and she is committed to showcasing this dual heritage through her artistic work as a singer, dancer, and model.