Select three different countries (from Africa, East Asia, and Europe Regions). Read the details about those selected countries (religions, Ethnicity, family life, and food habits).
Nigeria, Mongolia, and Austria are the three countries I selected from Africa, East Asia, and Europe regions respectively. I have learned about the diversified culture of these countries. Nigeria is a country in Africa and the giant of Africa. The country has the three most popular tribes are the Igbos, the Hausa, and the Yoruba. The colonial master of Nigeria is the British, and that explains why English is the official language in Nigeria. There are different religions in Nigeria, but the most popular ones are Christianity, Islam, traditional worshippers, and atheist. The country has a strong ethnic background because of her different ethnic languages. The social and moral life of each culture resembles one another, as they believe in adapting to the norms of society. Their family life is an extended one, a man can marry many wives he can support. Each tribe has a typical staple food. Most of their foods come from the same family group but prepared in different forms. The Igbo’s use cassava to prepare fufu, which is their major staple food while the Yoruba use cassava to prepare brown fufu or black amala. The Hausa’s prepare their fufu with rice and have a strict code of conduct. It is a taboo in the Hausa land to eat pig meat, while the Igbo’s will not kill or eat snake meat.
The people of Mongolia are decedents of Tibetan and their official language is the Khalkha. The Mongolians are known for their nomadic lifestyle. They are great tea drinkers and eat rice. Mongolians practice Buddhism, this explains the popularity of monasteries in Mongolia. The nuclear family system is the characteristic family life of a Mongolian. They trade mostly cotton, rice, and dairy products due to the climate in Mongolia. Austria is made up of Germans, and other migrants. The dominant religion in Austria is the Roman Catholic and the Protestant. The official language spoken in Austria is German, although in some schools Slovak and Croatian are used for learning. The nuclear family is the most common family structure in Austria and there is a balance in the share of power and control in the family. The husband respects the wife and it is taboo for men to beat their wives.
What surprised you most?
The Igbo culture of Nigeria strikes me with amazement because unlike other cultures, their traditions worship the snake god. The tradition forbids anyone who kills a snake, and such a person is thrown into the evil forest as capital punishment.
What particular information you would be able to tell your friends and family for all those three different countries?
The information has revealed the cultural diversity in Nigeria, Mongolia, and Austria. I will be able to explain the ethnic, religious, and family backgrounds of the three countries. I can also explain the mode of living and their traditions in the three countries I studied.
What are the countries that are having civil war/unrest globally and had international attention recently?
Nigeria is plagued by internal terrorism from different ethnic groups. These terrorist groups include The Boko haram, the Niger Delta militants to mention a few. These groups have unleashed terror and violence of huge magnitude (David 4). The Boko haram believes that Western culture is a curse and vows to suppress Western culture in the land. However, the Niger Delta militants are agitating for resource control and would stop at nothing to actualize their dreams (Esther 6). They bomb the entire country and proclaim their independence at any possible opportunity. They claimed to be marginalized for years though they produce control of the oil in the country (Roland 9).
Works Cited
David, Cook 2011, Boko Haram: A Prognosis. PDF file. Web.
Esther, Cesarz 2003, Alienation and Militancy in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. Web.
Roland, Marchal 2012, Boko Haram and the resilience of militant Islam in northern Nigeria. PDF file.