culture in Nigeria

                                               CULTURE IN NIGERIA

     Nigeria has the highest population in the African Continent. It has more than 125 million people. The history of Nigeria shows that it’s named by a British journalist Flora Shaw in the 1890s; she suggested the name which is refers to the Niger. It has more than 250 ethnic groups which means that the country is multicultural.The cultural heritage of Nigeria is woven from many threads of history and diversity, because of its diversity of people and culture.

  The main three largest and most dominant ethnic groups are the Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo, and the other smaller groups include the Fulani, Ijaw, Kanuri, Ibibio, Tiv, and Edo. Some groups stand out for example the Hausa in the north, the Ibo or Igbo in the east and the Yoruba in the west. Religions tend to follow these ethnic lines with Muslims dominating the north, Catholics the east and animists the west. There are also numbers of smaller sects that are a mélange of two or more religions combining, for example, Christianity with local spirits and guardians.  The three main environmental regions, savanna, tropical forests, and coastal wetlands, affect the culture of people who live there. The dry, open grasslands of the savanna make cereal farming and herding a way of life for the Hausa and the Fulani. The wet tropical forests to the south are good for farming fruits and vegetables, the main income producers for the Yoruba, Igbo, and others in this area. The small ethnic groups living along the coast, such as the Ijaw and the Kalahari, are forced to keep their villages small due to lack of dry land. Living among creeks, lagoons, and salt marshes makes fishing and the salt trade part of everyday life in the area.

Art is a very important part of the Nigerian culture. Today art in Nigeria ranges froms culptures, mask, and paintings. Cultural activities, such as music and dance, are also a large part of art in Nigeria. Nigerian art goes back more than 2000 years. Nigerian art work displays their craftsmanship skills with wood, copper and bronze. The art from Nigeria can be seen in their cultural centers, as well as many museums throughout the world. Nigerian art form shows their occult and animist origins. Yoruba masks are carved out of wood, representing the forces of nature and gods, and their use in ceremonies like the annual Gelede masquerades helps keep a connection with the spirit of ancestors. The masks also appear at funerals in order to appease the spirits of the deceased.

The food in Nigeria is nothing to rave about. However, the best food is the roadside stalls, called Buka, where the best cooked local cuisine is found. Peppery stews are common in the southern states, while menus of grains and beef are common in the north. Much of Nigerian food is grain-based. Tuwo, made from maize, corn rice or millet, is popular as is Efo (vegetable soup), Egusi (a hot stew made with meat and red peppers) and Isi-ewu (goat head pepper soup). There's also lots of snack food including fried yam chips, meat pastries and fried plantain. Palm wine, a natural juice from palm trees, is a favoured drink all over Nigeria, especially in the south where these trees grow wild.

 The large population of Nigeria also brings about diversity in the language spoken there. English is the main language of Nigeria; however, there are three other main languages spoken (Yoruba, Iba, Hausa). These languages are named after the people they belong to. People visiting Nigeria will experience many dialects within the three main languages.

Nigeria is a good example of the cultural diversity, with many languages and religions. For example more than 18 million students study at Nigerian schools at all levels; it is the highest number compared with other African countries. The sport also is part of Nigeria culture; Nigeria has made its mark in global sports competitions. Its national soccer team, the Super Eagles, is adjudged the best in Africa and one of the best ten in the world. Nigeria won the first World Cup in the under-16 category in China in 1985 and came second in the same category two years later in Canada. Nigeria is part of the world economy, and is one big important country today in the world.

Done by:

·         Bassam Alnaqbi

·         Yousif alahmed

·         Faris ALhamadi.

Sharjah airport 1937 and Dubai airport nowadays:

              The video shows the diffrence between  Sharjah airport  in 1937 and Dubai air port nowadays. Sharjah airport  includes a lot of information used for communication and transportation uses. There were a lot of Arab local people with few numbers of foreigners where they travelled by walking , by donkey and camels. The total  number of people in Sharjah was about 15,000  compared with over half a million today. Also there were a lot of traders from different places like Iran and India . The aeroplane which was shown in the clip was arriving from England. It was a Hanno H.P.42 made by an English company for Imperial Airways . There's a big diffrence between aeroplanes in the past and nowadays. In the past the airplane was simple with less technolgy.
The second video presents Dubai international airport today. It is  a huge building which receives millions of travelers per week. Many different nationalities are shown in the video in the airport.The interesting thing is the clip dance which shows many nationalities dancing togother . Most of them are working in the airport; Dubai is an example of cultural diversity.

Definitions

1. Affluence = wealthy

Abu Dhabi an example of an affluent society.
The opposite of affluence is poverty

2. Ethnicity is related to culture. race , language.
Malaysians consist of three main ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese and Indians.

3. Ability = skill = aptitude.
He has the ability to get good grades.

4. Diversity = difference.
The UAE nowadays is an example of a culturally diverse society.

5.Assimilation = absorption.
People emigrating to other countries will gradually assimilate into a new culture.

6.Demographics = the study of population.

You can study a country's demographics in many different ways,e.g. race, language, religion, age, gender.

7.Religion = a set of beliefs.
Religios people try to live according to the teachings of their religion.

8.Race = a group of people with similarities, particularly physical appearance.
People of Malay, Chinese and Indian race share Malaysian nationality.

9.Multiculturalism = many different cultures.
A multicultural society is one where people of different cultural backgrounds live and work together.

10. personality = individual character.

She has a very nice personality: kind, patient, tolerant and loving.

11. prejudice = bias.

Apartheid in S. Africa was based on racial prejudice against black people.

12. Acculturation = the mixing of different cultures.

It means different cultures borrowing from each other.

13. Bias = prejudice.

Bias is a negative opinion of a person or group based on race, colour, culture or whatever.

14. Discrimination = treating people differently.

Apartheid meant discrimination in favour of whites and against blacks.

15. Fringe = edge, margin.

A fringe group is a small minority, usually expressing an extreme opinion.

16. Population = the number of people.

A census is a count of the number of people in a country.

17.Stereotyping = making assumptions or generalisations about a person or group of people.

Americans are rich, while Mexicans are poor.

18. Gender = sex.

There are two genders, male and female.

19. Resistance = opposition.

There have been many signs of political resistance to established governments in the Arab spring of this year.

20. Advantage = a favoured position.

If you are an expatriate, being able to speak the local language is a big advantage.

21. Racism = hatred of another person or group of different race, often based on colour.

The apartheid system in S. Africa was an example of racism.

22.Ethics = morality, i.e. what is right or wrong.

Ethical behaviour is honest behaviour.

23. Productivity = the ability to produce something.

The company's productivity rates are rising.

24. Behaviour = the manner of acting/conduct.

The students' behaviour is very good.

25. Belief = confidence.

I have great belief in her.

Tibetans believe in re-incarnation.

26. Majority = most.

The vast majority of Arabs are Muslim.

27. Income = salary.

All employees have a monthly income.

28. Adverse = bad, harmful.

We didn't go on a picnic because of the adverse weather conditions.

29. Values = beliefs.

I value honesty very highly.

30. Traditions = customs.

They are handed down from generation to generation.

31. Generation = group of people born at about the same time.

In some societies people talk about a generation gap; each generation has its own ideals & standards.

 32. Sensitivity = empathy, awareness of someone else's feelings.

She's very sensitive. She cares about how other people feel.

33. Slang = slightly improper language.

Have a shufti at my blog.

34. Ethnocentrism = seeing everything from viewpoint of your own culture.

An ethnocentric viewpoint is narrow and limited.

35. Stratification = rigid division of society.

The Indian caste system is an example of social stratification.

36. Socio-cultural = relating to society & culture.

37. Resident = someone living in a particular place.

Khalid, Aziz and Hedley are all Abu Dhabi residents.

38. Poverty = being poor.

The opposite of poverty is affluence or wealth.

39. Nationality = the country you belong to.

You can have different race or ethnicity but the same nationality.

40. Minority = less than half.

Christians are a minority of the UAE's population.

41. Class = group.

You can have upper class, middle class, lower class.

42. Globalization = worldwide connectivity.

Global brands or logos today are recognised worldwide; we all know the logos of Nike, McDonald, Mercedes etc.

43. Virtual = not real, imaginary.

Computer games create a virtual world which is not real.

44. Barriers = obstacles.

To make progress you have to climb over or go round or go through barriers.

Blindsight

  The blind girl with 2 blind brothers and a blind father, whose mother died of a heart attack, leaving her daughter with no effective support.
Erik, the blind American mountaineer who volunteers to guide blind children up Everest.
The blind children have the additional challenge of performing an extreme feat blind.
Types of cultural diversity in the movie: the German woman who sets up a school for the blind in Tibet.
They are from western cultures, based on Christianity, as opposed to the traditional Tibetan culture based on Buddhism.
The bonding & sense of group belonging seemed to promote a greater mutual understanding and a greater sense of cultural diversity.
The greatest conflict within the group which we saw was between the westerners, some of whom wanted to go for the summit and others who wanted to turn back together.

Reflection

REFLECTION

The size of the population today,in the United Arab Emirates is more than what it was  19 years ago and this increase may be the reason to change the culture  which, because the percentage of Emiratis is much less than the foreigners, this increase may erase the culture or make us integrate with them.

Cultural diversity

Cultural diversity

This is having different people from different cultures living with each other and respecting each other. There are differences that exist between people, such as language, dress and traditions; there are also significant variations in the way societies organize themselves, in their shared conception of morality, and in the ways they interact with their environment.

UAE demographics

UAE

Introduction to Diversity

UAE Demographics:

Ethnic Groups Percentage 2,ooo

Arab 48.1%

12.2% UAE Arab

9.4% Bedouin

6.2% Egyptian Arab

4.1% Omani Arab

4% Saudi Arab

South Asian 35.7%

Iranian 5%

Filipino 3.4%

White European 2.4%

Others 5.4%


Religions Percentage 2000

Muslim 62% (80% Sunni)

Hindi 21%

Christian 9%

Buddhist 4%

Others 4%


Source: http://www.worldstatesmen.org/United_Arab_Emirates.html