How People and Culture of the Gambia Is Changing Through Diffusion
Introduction
The Gambia is a country in West Africa that is almost entirely surrounded by Senegal with the exception of its western coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the smallest country within mainland Africa. The Gambia is situated on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia River, the nation’s namesake, which flows through the center of The Gambia and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of 10,689 square kilometers (4,127 sq mi) with a population of 2.101 million as of the April 2017 census. “The Gambia shares historical roots with.” many other West African nations in the slave trade, which was the key factor in the placing and keeping of a colony on the Gambia River, first by the Portuguese, during which era it was known as A Gâmbia. Later, on 25 May 1765, The Gambia was made a part of the British Empire when the government formally assumed control, establishing the Province of Senegambia. In 19/65, The “Economics and Politics in the Gambia” (Sallah 1990).Gambia gained independence under the leadership of Dawda Jawara, who ruled until Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless 1994 coup. Adama Barrow became The Gambia’s third president in January 2017, after defeating Jammeh in the December 2016 elections. Jammeh initially accepted the results, then later refused to step down, which triggered a constitutional crisis and military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States, resulting in his exile. Gambia’s economy is dominated by farming, fishing and, tourism.
The purpose of this project is to demonstrate what Gambian culture is like, and how the concept of Gambia people and culture is changing over time.
This essay will be divided into four sections. In the first section, I will talk about the background information of Gambian culture. In the second section, I will be introducing the history of Gambian people and culture. In the third section, I will be talking about the changes in Gambian people and culture. the fourth section, I will be the conclusion.
Background Information
The Gambia is a multiparty republic. Under the constitution that was ratified 1996 and went into effect in 1997, the president, who is the head of state and government, is elected by universal suffrage to a five-year term(Ford,Harry). Despite its small size, the Gambia “has a rich history, and just as dynamic a people and culture”(Saine 2012). is a diverse multicultural society with many ethnic groups and where most people are as a result multi-lingual. Indeed it is not uncommon to find people being able to speak 3 to 4 local languages (Daun). Its size and the tempering influence of Islam in the Gambia context may indeed explain why it has a reputation for being a peaceful country as compared to that of other countries in Africa there is a minimum of inter-tribal and racial frictions.
Though Gambians themselves talk about belonging to this or that tribe the reality is that with the arrival of the Mandingo, Wollof, Fula (Fulbe), and other migrants into the river valley (circa 1200-1800) a lot of intermarriage and adoption of other cultures and practices has taken place between these different ethnic groups. This has had the effect of blurring what differentiates one group of society from another. Traditionally children will take on the tribal identity of their father.
History Of Gambia People And Culture
The RDD started life as the Cultural Archives and ultimately begot what is now known as the NCAC and its various departments. The cultural archives were established in 1971 as a branch of the Public Records Office under the Office of the President of the Gambia with Bakary Sidibeh as its first Research Officer with the special responsibility of collecting both oral traditions and material items of culture for the beginning of a Gambia National Museum (sanneh).
This was a time when there was growing recognition of the values of oral literature and music by scholars abroad. Gambians realized almost too late that our traditional culture was rapidly changing. For example, the art of the Griot was seriously threatened. Griots Began to lose interest in reciting history and turned more and more to entertainment. According to Momodou Camara “culture constitute the way of life of people”
Changes In Gambian People And Culture
Village elders and storytellers were finding fewer young people interested and having time to listen to them. Old people are not like books that can be stored for generations without too much harm, waiting until someone can get round to read them. Traditional ceremonies, songs, cultural games, and dances were being abandoned. The growing trend of democracy was weakening class lines and the caste system, undermining the traditional role of craftsmen such as weavers, smiths, leatherworkers, etc. just as was the competition for machine manufactured goods. Most of the masters of music, traditions, and handicrafts were aged, between 50-70, and few young men were around to take their places. Since most of our knowledge is transmitted verbally and by demonstration, when these masters were no longer around, their knowledge would die with them.
This awareness led to a desire among some Gambians, to preserve for posterity at least some record of what that generation of masters and elders had to offer. At the time there was no financial provision or expertise to start a systematic collection. The only ones who seemed to have enough interest and money to work with oral traditions were foreign scholars. Through a Public Records Act that was promulgated in 1969 imposing the deposit of copies of taped material by researchers, there was no one to enforce this law until the appointment of Mr. Sidibeh who was also charged with the supervision of foreign scholars. By this time several universities have taught their students that it is a gesture of scholarly courtesy to deposit such works with one’s host country.
Between 1971-1972 Ms. Winifred Galloway, a Ph.D. scholar from Indiana University worked with Mr. Sidibeh on a series of interviews on the political history of pre-colonial Gambia. This research essentially became a pilot study for the kind of work prepared for the cultural archives. In 1974, the Cultural Archives became the Oral History and Antiquities Division (OHAD) and was detached from the Records Office and moved to the site of the present National Museum. In 1975 Dr. Galloway returned to OHAD under the auspices of the Peace Corps and between 1997 and 1980 other Peace Corps volunteers contributed to editing and organizing publications.
By 1981 the staff was further augmented with the appointment of a Gambian Research Officer and an Antiquities Officer (Carter) . The Research Officer was assigned the study of Jola traditions and the collection of their material culture for the museum, while the Antiquities Officer took on the job of management and preservation of monuments and heritage sites.This, in brief, is the genesis of the oral archives and partially the history of the National Centre for Arts and Culture which is responsible for the archive, as well as museums and heritage sites, and the development of the creative and performing arts in (“The Gambia”).
Today the Research and Documentation Division has a collection of over 5000 audio-visual recordings that are fundamental to understanding the history of the Gambia in particular, and the greater Senegambia in general. The material relates to inter-alia, the empire of Kaabu, a powerful federated kingdom that governed the regions of Gambia, southern Senegal (Casamance) and northern Guinea-Bissau from the late 13th to the mid 19th centuries:
The areas covered include relations with neighboring Fuuta Jalon in present-day Guinea-Conakry (18th-19th centuries); the origins of Kaabu in the 13th century, and the federation’s subsequent social structure; the relationship between various ethnic groups in the region dating back at least to the 18th and 19thcenturies. The recordings were made between the 1960s and 1980s, but as history in Africa is an oral genre, they relate strongly to pre-industrial societies in this part of Africa. These recordings covering Gambian, Senegalese and Bissau-Guinean history mean that the collection is one of the most extensive in the West African sub-region. According to (Sylla) the collection could serve as a research center for the University of The Gambia. If better preserved and publicized, it would certainly attract a greater number of scholars to do research in The Gambia and could help in revitalizing interest in pre-colonial Western African states in the global academy.(barry)
Conclusion
The importance of the collection is accentuated by its breadth. The fact that the material relates to the whole sub-region and not just The Gambia alone make the holdings of great historical value. Moreover, the importance of this region in early Atlantic history means that this importance transcends even the sub-region and relates to the whole global historical process of the last several centuries. Adding to the importance of the collection is the sad loss of the oral history archive in Guinea-Bissau during the civil war there in 1998.
Works Cited
Barry, Bubacarr. “Kaabu.” Wikipedia, 12 Feb. 2020, 03:54, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaabu.
Camara, Momodou. “History and Ethnic Relation.” Gambian Culture, 3 Apr. 2017, doi:
https://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Gambia.html
.
Carter, Tracey L. The Historical Role of Griots in Gambian Politics, University of California, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, 2009. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/304851559?accountid=12598.
Daun, H. Change: Conflict Potential and Politics: Two Gambian Case-Studies. , 01/01/1974,
Ford, Enid R.A., and Harry Gailey A. Gailey. Republic of the Gambia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc, 2019, Encyclopædia Britannica, www.britannica.com/place/The-Gambia.
Saine, Abdoulaye. “Culture and Custom of Gambia.” Culture and Custom of Africa, Greenwood, 2012, pp. x-xi.
Sallah, Tijan M. “Economics and Politics in the Gambia.” Journal of Modern African Studies, 19 Jan. 2020, pp. 621–648., doi:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawda_Jawara
.
Sanneh, Alieu B. “Culture, Religion, & Democracy in The Gambia: Perspectives from Before and After the 2016 Gambian Presidential Election.” Juniata Voices; Huntingdon, vol. 17, 2017, pp. 124–136., doi:
http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/docview/2235640778?accountid=12598
.
Sylla, M., and Stein. “Spatial Variability of Soil Actual and Potential Acidity in the Mangrove Agroecosystem of West Africa.” Soil Science Society of America Journal, vol. 60, no. 1, 02/01/1996, pp. 219,
“The Gambia.” The Culture of the Gambia, 3 Feb. 2020,
doi:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gambia.
The Past and Present of the Education System in the UAE
Introduction
The education system is a critical part of any government or country. The future of a country is really decided on how good the education system is, with a really good education system you create human beings who are ready for the future. Countries should mostly invest on its citizens, educating, and giving knowledge to the people. The people should be the first priority, with satisfying the people, you will be gaining a strong bonding between the people and the country. The main purpose of this essay is to cover the importance of the education system and how it changed over time in the UAE.
This essay will be divided into six parts. First, I will start with the importance of the education system and why I chose the education system as my artifact. The second part will be about the past of the education system in the UAE. Third, I will speak about the current education system and how it works. Fourth, I will talk about the current issues with the education system. Fifth I will speak about the solutions to fix these issues. In the end I will conclude the essay with a summary about the whole essay.
How Important is the Education System (Background Information)
The reason I chose this essay is because I think that the education system is the most important part of someone’s life. The way of thinking as a child comes through the education system. I believe that important cultural ideas and cultural ways are taught through the education system. Understanding your own culture and knowing your culture is a crucial part of your identity. The majority of the people are shaped through their high school or even through their university life, and that makes the education system one of the most important things that a country should develop and invest in the most. The future of a country depends on the thinking of its people before anything. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the past ruler of the UAE, once said, “Education is like a lantern which lights your way in a dark alley.”
How the Education System Began in the UAE (History)
The UAE was united under one ruler (The Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan) in the year of 1971, Six of the seven Emirates were united: AbuDhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ajman. In 1972 Ras Al Khaimah joined the alliance (Gaad et al. 2006). Education Services were accessible before the collusion of the UAE, anyway the framework depended on an alternate type of training. Self-considering was one of the genuine methods for training. The instructive framework frequently set a solid accentuation on strict guidance and the comprehension of information through association with others. Apprenticeships were a typical method for showing aptitude based information. A great deal of data was passed down from age to age through oral and composed settings. Conventional instructive structures, for example, instructor understudy connections were likewise obvious(Alhebsi et al. 2015).
The Current Education System (Present)
In the UAE, education is compulsory for all Emiratis children aged five and above, including expat residents. Primary and secondary education in state institutions is provided free for every UAE national up to the age of 18 (“The Education System in UAE – School Structure and Admissions”). The UAE has a wide range of both public and private universities. UAE citizens can attend government institutions free of charge, UAE University, Zayed University, and other public schools. The UAE has one of the highest application participation rates in the world (“Education in the UAE”). Continuing the technology-in-education focus is the
Vision 2021 National Agenda
, through which the UAE seeks to develop an excellent education system by completely transforming the current education system and teaching methods. The National Agenda aims for all schools and tertiary institutions as well as students to be equipped with Smart systems as a basis for all teaching methods, projects and research (“The Education System in UAE – School Structure and Admissions”).
The Issues With the Education System (Issues)
The issue isn’t so much the fact that students don’t have the ability or aptitude to learn, they do, what the school curriculum lacks is the use of a strategic approach to teaching, a holistic approach works better than just forcing content, boring and unfamiliar complex content at students who have yet to master and understand the basics of reading and writing correctly before they begin to run (Bollag 2016). I believe that there should be more critical thinking courses in highschool. With more critical thinking classes it will help teenage students be more ready in real life situations. The system should force students to work socially and increase their interaction with hands on work (Cameron 2006).
The Future Vision of the Education System (Solutions)
In order to achieve Vision 2021, Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum
, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, announced eight pillars of development: to be among the top 20 countries with the highest performance in the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) test 2; to be among the top 15 countries with the highest performance in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS); to ensure that all schools (public and private) in the UAE have high-quality teachers; to ensure that all schools (public and private) have highly effective leadership; to ensure that 90 per cent of students in the ninth grade of public and private schools have a high proficiency in Arabic; to increase the high school graduation rate to 98 per cent; to provide early years education to 95 per cent of children aged between four and five through public and private preschool provisions; to eliminate the need for Emirati students to complete a foundation course to qualify for university entry (“The UAE Reforms Education System as Part of Vision 2021” 2020). Also, the AMEInfo states that:
We are living in a global society. The world is fast shrinking due to the expansion of technology parameters that have invaded our lives on every level. Research has proved that students who are exposed to diversity and inclusion in the classroom are better able to improve their critical thinking skills; a crucial element needed for the workforce of the future. Such students gain experiences from intercultural interactions that enable them to compete in the 21st-century global economy. Universities are increasingly implementing strategies that introduce a diverse curriculum for learning, based on the development of new technological skills and soft skills needed in today’s dynamic labor market. (AMEinfo 2019)
Conclusion and Future Direction
To conclude this paper I want to summarize the whole paper. In the start of the essay I began with some background information and why I am choosing the education system as my artifact. I chose it because I believe that it is an important part of someone’s life. Then I spoke about the history to give an idea about where the education system of the UAE came from. Later, I transitioned to the present education system of the UAE. Later on, I spoke about some issues about the current education system. In the end, I finished the paper by speaking about the vision and the future of the education system of the UAE.
Works Cited
Alhebsi, Ali, Pettaway, Lincoln, Waller, Lee “A History of Education in the United Arab Emirates and Trucial Sheikdoms.” THE GLOBAL ELEARNING JOURNAL, vol. 4, no. 1, 2015, pp. 1–6.
Al Nahyan, Zayed. Order to the Chancellor of UAE University. 1987, UAE University
AMEinfo. “UAE Education Systems Gearing for Future Workforce.” AMEinfo, 7 Mar. 2019,
www.ameinfo.com/industry/education/uae-education-future-workforce
Bollag, Burton. “UAE Higher Education: The Struggle for Quality.” Al-Fanar Media, 22 Sept. 2016,
www.al-fanarmedia.org/2016/09/unflattering-view-uae-higher-education/
.
Cameron, John. “Educational Failure in the United Arab Emirates and the Potential for Growing Discontent in a Geo-Politically Important Country.” Education-Line, 17 Sept. 2006.
“Education in the UAE.” Embassy of the United Arab Emirates,
www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/education-uae
.
Gaad, Eman, Scott, Fentey, Arif, Mohammed “Systems Analysis of the UAE Education System.” Emerald Insight, 1 June 2006,
www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09513540610665405/full/html
.
“The Education System in UAE – School Structure and Admissions.” Myprivatetutor,
www.myprivatetutor.ae/blog/education-system-uae-school-structure-admissions
.
“The UAE Reforms Education System as Part of Vision 2021.” Fanack, 6 Jan. 2020, fanack.com/education/uae-reforms-education-system/.
Cultural Artifact Literacies
Introduction
Every country and nation has their own uniqueness. For example, festival days, musical instruments, historical artifacts, valuable people, and such. The most interesting thing about that is, those things are all had been made up by human beings. Mother Nature hadn’t created any artificial documents, or statues and even celebration days for people. Only history and civilization had created those things by the time beings.
In this essay, I will write about how people in my country Mongolia have been celebrating a festival called “Naadam” (Naadam Festival by Nomads) since 1206. The whole point of this celebration is to promote our country’s declaration. Mongolian people also have been applying our national sports such as horse racing, wrestling and archery in those days. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate what this festival is, and how the meaning of these days are shifting over time.
I will divide this paper into # sections. Firstly, I will talk about the background of myself being associated with “Naadam”. Secondly, I will mention the history of this festival. Thirdly, I will discuss why this is enormously important to our people in terms of nationality. Fourth, I will state the problems and conflicts which are known to my observations. And lastly, I will put down the ideas which can solve those issues from my perspective
Background information
I never knew that I would be deeply associated with “Naadam” (WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NAADAM FESTIVAL BEFORE YOU ATTEND?) during my childhood. My family always used to take advantage of this holiday, such as taking trips to the countryside to explore our nation’s attractions, or travel to different countries which were unknown to us. Then one day, my father received a racing horse as a gift from his friend. This present has changed our family’s attitude towards the festival completely. At the beginning, we did not know how wonderful this is and how we can share it generously with our surroundings. I only watched other people racing their horses (The Mongol Derby) until then. After having our competitors, the actual horse racing thing has become our blessing.
The Sacrifice People Make and Its Prizes
It takes a lot of time, wealth and unimaginable effort to be able to participate with the owned horses. We nourish our animals, we take care of those precious beings, cheer them to success, and the successful run comes with prizes. There are various types of race competitions depending on where it is being held, the age matter, and what time of a year. Therefore, the prizes could range from a small amount of money to even luxury SUVs, such as LC200, LX570, G-class. People might wonder about why only SUV cars are gifted, that’s because our country’s enormous challenge is harsh tracks and heavy roads. Thus, the horse owners appreciate off-roading vehicles in order to visit their animals and observe natural fascinations.
History of Naadam
The history of our cultural festival started from 1206 AD. The most remarkable and widely known king of our “The Great Chinggis Khaan” (Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan) has declared Mongolia after uniting nomadic tribes and clans during his rise. He has conquered the majority parts of Asia, the whole east side of Europe, and even Arabian territories were under his control. Historically after his conquest, “Chinggis Khan” have realized that our nation needs to have our unique and admirable festival which will help our people to feel more proud of our country and of our ancestors’ creations. Therefore, people have started spending some days of summer abnormally. So, the idea was to show our military power, such as archery, wrestling, horse riding, and to make more appearances of Mongolian traditions. It was not just about Mongolian cultural events, but whole nomadic lifestyles were shown. Then, our king decided to celebrate “Three Games of Men” (Naadam, Three Games of Men in Mongolia.), and after we named “Naadam” which means “Happy Festival”.
Here is the picture of “Chinggis Khan”
Issues/problems
The festivals are great and fun, but they all seem to have some conflicts. The reasons can be described by its crowded attendants and messy participants throughout the nation. There are several problems that appeared in my sight and how to solve those conflicts without interfering people’s movements. These are three main issues which are related to the festival. First is the use of victuals. Second is secret bribes which leads certain competitors to overpower. Third is people’s behavior towards the festival.
Unsafety of Food
When it comes to celebrating any national ceremony or festivals, we eat specific kinds of food which represent the meaning of those days. As I have mentioned before, during “Naadam” we eat “Huushuur” (Shelly) and drink “Airag” (Airag – Айраг.). The “Huushuur” is a very delicious dish that people dine mostly. It is meat based meal covered with white flour and gets fried in a deep oil to be cooked. Therefore, civilians tend to eat so much “Huushuur” and the result of absorbing too much fried food possibly leads to food poisoning.
There are some pictures of “Huushuur”.
Overdrinking of Alcohol
Why I mentioned the beverage is because the drinks we mostly use during “Naadam” contain alcohol. Our nation drinks the “Airag” and pure vodkas to celebrate the national declaration. “Airag ” is a national alcoholic drink which is made by shaking horse milk. I think it is clear to see the problem I have come up with, the overdrinking. We usually have problematic situations just because of drunk people’s behavior. Even normal people lose their modesty after drinking too much alcohol. These conflicts are all about the human behavioral tasks which are difficult to solve.
Here are pictures of “Airag” and its container we use traditionally.
Another problem with these is people who run food markets or dining places. The life in my country is very varied, thus, some people use celebration days for business purposes such as selling “Huushuur” they make. Why is this a conflict is because usually the meals they prepare don’t necessarily qualify the standard of cleanness and/or food healthiness. Those places are mainly placed around the events’ areas and are considered as a street food type. It is very famous around the nation however, the outcomes are not favorable.
Birbes Behind the Curtain
The bribe occurs in every country and every field. People use it to solve their problems and/or make the tables turn to their sides. As I mentioned, during “Naadam” the main event consists of “Three Games of Men”. Bribes especially happen between wrestling competitions and horse racing tournaments. This is getting so much more popular now, and the fact that how it is realizable to people makes them outrageous. The reason is, these sports are meant for the men and require their pure skill and agility to take down the opponent. It is not all about the strength that matters, but actually intelligence which leads people to success. Even in Mongolian Derby, the more you know about horses and more competitors have connections with their rides have a superior chance of winning. However, these meaningful and valuable traditions are becoming even less fair for average to poor people, as the riches are playing with their ways.
The Political Impact Towards Naadam
These conflicts are various depending on the situation and which year is currently residing. What I mean by year is, the Mongolian Government (Politics of Mongolia) and politicians play a big part in “Naadam”, which is not a very pleasant thing. Therefore, the ongoing political party gets to plan and make schedules. In my opinion, any civil organizations or festivals that are associated with politics can never be as traditional and as genuine as it could possibly be.
Mongolian Government House.
Potential Solutions
Speaking about solutions, I need my whole country to have the same thought. These problems that I mentioned above are fundamentally behavioral issues which are too late to be changed for some certain people. What I have in my mind is, we need to switch the understanding about Naadam, to become a very traditional and honest festival where every person is on a similar level of living without any trouble. The idea of my solutions should start even from the bottom of the elementary educational system, with a proper strategy of teaching the way citizens must behave towards our valuable artifacts. Our “Naadam” possibly will be changed in the next few decades and centuries, and the most concerning thing to me is if this precious festival will still preserve its meaning and national tradition.
Conclusion
To conclude my essay, every nation has their own exclusive and uncommon festivals. So for our nation ’“Naadam” is one of the true delights and blessings. It was a pleasure to state my country’s most unique festival and how it means for our history accordingly. Any person is welcome to visit our country and experience our cultural artifact through our “Naadam”. People can have great meals and can watch fun activities of “Three Games of Men”. This Declarational celebration will be a huge part of our country forever.
Works Cited
Mongolia 2020 | Grandes Viajes a Mongolia 2020 | Viajes De Lujo Por Mongolia“Airag – Айраг.” Airag – Fermented Mare’s Milk – Mongolian Beverage, www.mongolfood.info/en/recipes/airag.html.
Composer, Keith O’ Sullivan, director. Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan. YouTube, YouTube, 15 Sept. 2016,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGfGs2DKFnA
.
“Naadam Festival by Nomads.” The Travel Magazine, 8 Dec. 2016. Gale General OneFile, https://link-gale-com-proxy2-cl-msu-edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/apps/doc/A473198075/ITOF?u=msu_main&sid=ITOF&xid=6c29ece7. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.
“Naadam, Three Games of Men in Mongolia.” Diplomat Magazine, 5 Aug. 2016, www.diplomatmagazine.eu/2014/07/07/naadam-three-games-men-mongolia/.
“Politics of Mongolia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Mongolia.
“The Mongol Derby.” The Adventurists, www.theadventurists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/#1.
Why Different Parts of Saudi Arabia have Different Cultural Conventions
Introduction
The cultural differences in Saudi Arabia are greatly influenced by the Islamic and Arab culture, and the whole society is generally traditional, religious, conservative, and family-oriented. Most of the traditions and attitudes in different parts of Saudi Arabia are centuries-old and have been derived from both the Islamic heritage and Arab civilization. However, cultural differences in different parts in Saudi Arabia has greatly been affected by the rapid change, as the country was transforming from being an impoverished nomadic society to being a rich community producer within a short period of time. The purpose of this project is how Sasudi Arabia is like different culture conventions. When describing why different parts of Saudi Arabia have different cultural conventions, it is important to describe the different causes of the local cultural differences.
This essay is divided into five parts. First, I will introduce my artifact. Second, I will give background information of Third, history, background information describing why the topic is important, literature review, the preside sites, the problems that are still existing, potential solutions, and finally, a conclusion on future directions.
Background Information
Saudi Arabia has been facing complex cultural differences in different parts. The Saudi government has been making attempts to bridge the already existing cultural differences within the country. Despite the fact that the country has implemented some educational reforms, the change process has been taking place slower than anticipated. Cultural differences are an issue that the government has been trying a lot to address over the last decade. Cultural differences are an issue that needs more research for it to be understood better and will as well give the researcher insight into the different cultural practices that are present in Saudi Arabia.
History of Different Cultural Conventions (Literature Review)
Saudi Arabia considers Islam as the correct belief and a principle, a constitution, and an integrated way of living. The Islamic law that governs all the parts of the country is used as a way of bridging the cultural differences within the country. Despite the fact that the place of women in most of the cultures within the country has been discussed in different publications, the social status of the women in the different parts of the country is not mentioned (Al-Asfour et al. 2017). One of the key causes of such cultural difference between different parts in Saudi Arabia is because of the number of challenges peculiar to Saudi society. The different challenges that the women face in different parts in Saudi Arabia could be attributed to their gender, while in other parts, the challenges could be attributed to the education levels of the women.
The Wahhabi Islamic movement that arose around the 18th century can sometimes be described as an austerely puritanical, and it is now predominating most parts of the country. Based on the principle of “enjoying good and forbidding wrong”, there are several prohibitions and limitations on both the behavior and dressing that are some of the cultural differences instilled both legally and socially in different parts of the country (Malas & Bruce 2017). However, most of the cultural restrictions in different parts of Saudi Arabia have been lifted recently, especially the female-related issues.
Present Sites of different Cultural Conventions
The different social constraints that are placed on women in different parts in Saudi Arabia have been acting as barriers in cross-gender communication is some parts, while in other parts, acting as a barrier to cross-gender interaction. That issue can be described as gender segregation where a man and a woman are expected not to be alone, not unless they are related in one way or another. Both the conventional and Islamic individuals in Saudi Arabia try to confront the philosophical foundation by harmonization of sexes in different parts of the country and excluding the natural interactions that can take place between the unmarried and the unrelated males and females (Al-Bakr et al. 2017). Traditionally, different religions within the country used to have different dresses, but that is an issue that has already been addressed through the re-establishment of Saudi rule. Most of the women today wear an abaya, which is a long black cloak that usually covers all the parts of their body except the face and the hands in public, although that is not required. Whatever the social status and the job of Saudi men and boys, they are now required to wear a traditional dress which has been described as the “Arabic dress.”
Problems Still Present of different convention
Religious influences have still been found in many parts of Saudi Arabia. To start with, the religious police in some parts of Saudi Arabia monitor social institutions to make sure that they are properly enforcing the value of Islamic law. Hence, the academic institutions in such parts are expected to implement and develop policies that strongly align with Islamic law (Al-Bakr et al. 2017). There are some instances when religious authorities are usually ignored in such parts. People living in such areas in Saudi Arabia are therefore expected not to engage themselves in any form of argument or appeal on the decisions that have already been made since the religious authority has the final judgment in the whole process of making decisions.
Potential Solution
To avoid humiliation by the religious police, most of the institutions should base their work on the four different Sunni’s schools of jurisprudence: Hanbali, Maliki, Hanafi, and Shafiai.
Conclusion
In Saudi Arabia, differences in the cultural conventions in different parts of the country are usually influenced by both religious and social factors. It is, therefore, important to describe the different causes of cultural differences in Saudi Arabia. The role of women in society is one of the significant causes of the cultural differences that need to be addressed.
Works cited
Al-Asfour, Ahmed, Tlaiss, Andrew, Khan, Ali, Saudi women’s work challenges and barriers to career advancement. Career Development International. 2017
Al-Bakr, Bruce, Davidson, Schlaffer, Kropiunigg, Empowered but not equal: Challenging the traditional gender roles as seen by university students in Saudi Arabia. In FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education (Vol. 4, No. 1, p. 3). 2017.
Malas, Jamel, Bruce, Seraj. Wahhabism in Disguise: A Radical Islam Master Thesis on the Global Spread of Wahhabism by Saudi Arabia. (2017)
PROJECT 3 OUTLINE
1. Introduction
1. Introduce your title
2. Thesis statement
3. Outline
2. Summary of peers’ essays (in-text citations)
1. Peer 1
2. Peer 2
3. Peer 3
4. Peer 4
3. Analyses of peers’ essays (examples) (in-text citations)
1. Strength and weakness of the papers
1. Peer 1 (strength and weakness)
2. Peer 2 (strength and weakness)
3. Peer 3 (strength and weakness)
4. What I learned from my peers’ artifacts/essays (in-text citations and/or quote peers or peers’ essays)
1. What you learned/new thoughts ideas
2. New writing strategies
5. Conclusion
6. Works Cited
1. Regular essays
2. Other sources that you and your peers have in their essay (teamwork)
**** MLA format and 4 pages****
Works Cited Dunor, Khalid. “How People and Culture of the Gambia Is Changing Through Diffusion ” Google Drive., Web. 26 Jan. 2020. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SyxEUM0LLyPgsFGNrDHjPlYGu-xbrVCtIYNztERpXnY/edit# Alshakhs, Mohammed. “Why Different Parts of Saudi Arabia have Different Cultural Conventions ” Google Drive., Web. 26 Jan. 2020. https://docs.google.com/document/d/14IfO-L-QeRjUdXVy5fmV7YGmFyB2-QI4lgnWyUEKOdg/edit Sodbaatar , Tugs-Ochir. “N/A ” Google Drive., Web. 26 Jan. 2020. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PV3UxC0gM4_CMjBby4Int_fQWWlMn4qowC8sTV3F6tU/edit |
Further Reading Materials
Al-Asfour, Ahmed, Tlaiss, Andrew, Khan, Ali, Saudi women’s work challenges and barriers to career advancement. Career Development International. 2017 Al-Bakr, Bruce, Davidson, Schlaffer, Kropiunigg, Empowered but not equal: Challenging the traditional gender roles as seen by university students in Saudi Arabia. In FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education (Vol. 4, No. 1, p. 3). 2017. Barry, Bubacarr. “Kaabu.” Wikipedia, 12 Feb. 2020, 03:54, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaabu. Camara, Momodou. “History and Ethnic Relation.” Gambian Culture, 3 Apr. 2017, doi:https://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Gambia.html. Carter, Tracey L. The Historical Role of Griots in Gambian Politics, University of California, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, 2009. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.msu.edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/docview/304851559?accountid=12598. Daun, H. Change: Conflict Potential and Politics: Two Gambian Case-Studies. , 01/01/1974, Ford, Enid R.A., and Harry Gailey A. Gailey. Republic of the Gambia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc, 2019, Encyclopædia Britannica, www.britannica.com/place/The-Gambia. Mongolia 2020 | Grandes Viajes a Mongolia 2020 | Viajes De Lujo Por Mongolia“Airag – Айраг.” Airag – Fermented Mare’s Milk – Mongolian Beverage, www.mongolfood.info/en/recipes/airag.html. Composer, Keith O’ Sullivan, director. Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan. YouTube, YouTube, 15 Sept. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGfGs2DKFnA. “Naadam Festival by Nomads.” The Travel Magazine, 8 Dec. 2016. Gale General OneFile, https://link-gale-com-proxy2-cl-msu-edu.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/apps/doc/A473198075/ITOF?u=msu_main&sid=ITOF&xid=6c29ece7. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020. “Naadam, Three Games of Men in Mongolia.” Diplomat Magazine, 5 Aug. 2016, www.diplomatmagazine.eu/2014/07/07/naadam-three-games-men-mongolia/. “Politics of Mongolia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Mongolia. “The Mongol Derby.” The Adventurists, www.theadventurists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/#1. “WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT NAADAM FESTIVAL BEFORE YOU ATTEND?” Toursmongolia.com, www.toursmongolia.com/mongolia_travel_news/what-to-know-about-naadam-festival-before-you-attend. Wiseman, Shelley. “Mongolian Fried Meat Pies (Huushuur).” Epicurious, Gourmet, 9 Oct. 2008, www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/mongolian-fried-meat-pies-em-huushuur-em-243277.
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