Zahara Totto is drawing a firm line when it comes to relationships: she says she has no plans to change her character or lifestyle simply to satisfy a man’s cultural expectations.
Speaking on Shalom 256, the media personality said she would not be comfortable with a partner who expects her to take on traditional responsibilities such as cooking for him, returning home at a specific time or marrying into his family.
Her position was blunt.
“If you expect me to come and cook for you, be home by a specific time, go and marry your relatives and leave me alone.”
The conversation also touched on whether Zahara would kneel when greeting a partner — a practice associated with some Buganda cultural traditions.
Her answer came with a joke about her knees.
Zahara said whether she would kneel depends on the circumstances, adding that she prefers dating white men partly because she does not want to deal with the expectation of kneeling.
“It depends. That’s why I prefer dating white people because my knees can’t kneel.”
However, Zahara said there is one situation in which she would be willing to do it: when a partner visits her parents to make the relationship official.
“The only time I’ll do it is when they have to visit my parents and make it official,” she added.
Zahara also addressed her personality during the conversation, describing herself as “very arrogant.”
She insisted, however, that she does not simply behave that way without reason. According to Zahara, she mirrors the energy she receives from other people.
That attitude also influences the kind of men she says she would consider dating. Zahara said she would rather not date Banyankore men, whom she also described as arrogant, although she made it clear she has no issue with being friends with them.
Her comments underline Zahara’s preference for maintaining her independence in relationships rather than adapting herself to expectations she does not personally embrace.
And when it comes to kneeling, at least, she has already made her position — and the condition for making an exception — pretty clear.