Latest news with #CulturalConnection
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- Business
- SBS Australia
Top News: PM Albanese slams Trump's steel tariffs as "economic self-sabotage"
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Hindi-speaking Australians. Ease into the English language and Australian culture. We make learning English convenient, fun and practical.
News24
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Cuisine and human connections lead rhythmic Africa Day ululations
25 May is Africa Day and instrumentalist Pops Mohamed says music is in the DNA of Africans globally Celebrated author Zukiswa Wanner says body language connects Africans beyond vocabulary According to chef Twain Mafoko, climate and colonisation both impact the African diet Half a decade after a gathering that took place in the 1950s to highlight how 'gatvol' Africans were with colonisation, what we know today as the African Union was formed.' To this effect, nations of the world gather annually on 25 May to commemorate Africa day and the threads that weave the 'scatterlings of Africa' together. A few experts shared their professional opinions to unpack some of these common denominators. HUMAN CONNECTION BEYOND WORDS It has been said that African people were able to understand each other across cultures and tribes, and language barriers were never a hindrance. Internationally acclaimed author Zukiswa Wanner explains that while some words are shared across multiple languages, African communication was never rooted solely in vocabulary. The role of body language in the continent has always been critical, with practices such as not looking elders in the eye out of respect, being one of the countless similarities that are observed cross culturally. Respect also means taking off your hat in the presence of family elders and this practice too has never been unique to any one ethnic group. Supplied Ugandan people bend when they greet but the Yoruba tribe in West Africa takes it a step further by even laying down to show respect; something that South Africans would recognise as being entrenched in the Venda culture. Most of the customs that African people undertake to show respect usually have more to do with age than gender as is evident in how a mother, sister and grandmother wouldn't be addressed in the same manner. We also don't have cousins, we have brothers and sisters…which is also across the board. My mother's brother and my father's brother would both be called uncle in English but in African culture they are addressed differently because calling them uncle doesn't nearly depict the dynamics of the relationship. Zukiswa Wanner Through her travels Wanner has observed this practice in various parts of the continent and as an African writer, she often has observed literature accommodating other ethnicities who navigate communication and relationships differently. A cousin sister/brother for example doesn't exist in the African sense or even European for that matter but the word surfaced as a tool to describe how someone whose parents are your parents' siblings is more than just a cousin. 'Africans don't say I ate a lot. They sate I ate and ate and ate…or I walked and walked and walked…we repeat things to highlight having done them for long time periods,' she adds. She explains the absence of the he and she pronouns in spoken language as the African way of recognising human beings as humans whose humanity is revered more than their biological makeup. The practice of addressing elders in the plural or third term can also be observed across various cultures and languages in an African context, cementing the interconnectedness of people in this continent. MUSICAL CONNECTION THROUGH JOY AND SADNESS Revered jazz veteran and South African Music Awards (SAMA) Lifetime Achievement Awardee Pops Mohamed says regardless of geographic location or emotion, African people lead all their gatherings with song and dance. Africans who were enslaved in other parts of the world are connected to their origins in the same way as convening musically appears to also be in their DNA. Mohamed also traces the origins of the Brazilian berimbau back to South Africa, saying it was originally played by Zulu women and made its way across the world through slave trade. An instrument that he says is enjoyed across the continent is the Zimbabwean imbira, which goes by the name kalimba or karimba in other countries. Supplied He talks about the West African kora which he says is a harp older than the one popularly used by orchestras. The instrument is common in Mali, Burkina Faso and some parts of Nigeria, and has found its way across the globe including Mohamed's own collection. 'The Khoi San instrument which is called a mouth bow original, its original name is !xuma. There are different versions of that because its also played by Xhosa women and they attach a calabash to it. The Xhosa people call it uhadi and in Eswatini they call it isitolotolo.' Supplied While Western contemporary music dominates South African radio stations, Mohamed says traditional music takes precedence in countries such as Senegal, Mali, Gambia and others. He concludes: But younger people in South Africa are starting to recognise traditional music and instruments. They are even studying it at university. I've done a few workshops where I've seen more and more the interest is growing in younger generations, even in the urban areas because they are starting to remember their roots. Pops Mohamed EVERY AFRICAN GATHERING ENDS IN A FEAST Gaborone born financial manager turned kitchen whizz chef Twain Mafoko who captains the African, European and African culinary infusion at Felice in Midrand says climate greatly informs the types of foods that are consumed by Africans. Supplied Maize, sorghum, beans, lentils and other types of grains that prevalent on Southern African plates, while ochre and eggplants are more common as one travels further up the continent. Sweet potato however is consumed throughout Africa, as is casava. Mafoko explains that plantain is also popular in a lot of parts of the continent despite not being able to thrive in the climate down south. In chef school we were taught about the impact of colonisation on the African diet. In South Africa for example you'll see that a lot of the common foods such as curries are not necessarily African. Most South African households eat curries at least once a week. They are natively from India but because of colonisation they still influence how we eat today. Twain Mafoko 'Technology and science have made things convenient, for example in restaurants we can get avocados all year round wherever you are in the world. So, people are able to consume whatever they want at any point.' From a business perspective, Mafoko emphasises the importance of curating a menu that resonates with people. A stew in South Africa and one in Europe would be similar by name only because the available ingredients in these areas differ. Mafoko further highlights the importance of adaptability adding that while people being in Rome would necessitate eating like the Romans, from time to time African people will seek out restaurants and markets that cater to familiar tastes from back home.
CBC
23-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Learning Cree helps this dental hygienist connect with and treat her patients
A non-Indigenous dental hygienist in the northern Quebec community of Waskaganish is learning Cree in an effort to communicate more effectively with the people she serves. For the past six years, Camille Poirier has been filling her notebook with Cree words, sentences, and phrases. "I think that makes a difference because they know that you're there for many reasons, not only for work, but also to connect," said Poirier, who is originally from the Gatineau, Que. and Rockland, Ont. area. Poirier began working in Waskaganish after graduating from university. What was intended to be a temporary position became a new home for Poirier and her family. "I wanted to connect more with the patient like, and I find that with the language you can connect with the person because they understand you better," said Poirier. At the daycare, Poirier found that most children spoke Cree and the same with her teenage patients, leaving her to often rely on translation. "When I asked them a question in English, they always asked their parents in Cree. So I was like, I want to ask them so they can answer me," she said. Communication is not the only goal Poirier had. "So I was like, OK, how could I make them have more trust in me?" said Poirier. "So I started to learn a few key words. First I learned apaa st'uin so to open their mouth, chipaah st'uin, close your mouth and I would say akaawii aahchii, dont move, or brushoo chiitihpit anchiish, did you brush your teeth today?" Learning Cree also helped her connect with those around her. "The staff at the dental clinic were speaking together, laughing, and I wanted to laugh with them, I wanted to know what they were saying," said Poirier. Having learned Cree, Poirier can now understand and participate in her colleagues' conversations and laughter. "So now I'm always saying them. 'Be careful. I understand'," she said. Poirier is not the only one learning to speak Cree, her two-year-old daughter is picking up the language with her peers in daycare. "She speaks to me like ' aashtam, aashtam mommy' and she say ' namui ' when I ask her to do something," said Poirier. Aashtam means come here, which contrasts with the toddler's current favorite word, namui, which means no. Her toddler now recites her daycare snack time prayer at home before supper, among other phrases she has learned. Having lived in Waskaganish for nearly seven years, Poirier now considers it home. She actively engages in community traditions such as goose plucking and fishing, and she crafted her first pair of moose hide moccasins there. "I feel like I'm part of the community, and I feel accepted. I'm really happy about it because I really wanted to be here," said Poirier. She said she is still learning and wishes to continue expanding her knowledge, even beyond the pages of her book. "I cannot say that I'm fluent in Cree, but I would say that I manage," she said. "I want my book to be full."
SBS Australia
21-05-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
호주 뉴스 3분 브리핑: 2025년 5월 21일 수요일
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Korean-speaking Australians. Ease into the English language and Australian culture. We make learning English convenient, fun and practical.
South China Morning Post
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hidden history of Aboriginal-Chinese culture comes alive at National Museum of Australia
In 1989, Zhou Xiaoping was a 29-year-old Chinese artist travelling around Australia pursuing his passion for Aboriginal culture. He had explored the desert town of Alice Springs and the tropical Arnhem Land region before he arrived in the coastal resort of Broome. Here, immersed in an environment that felt completely foreign to him, Zhou was shocked to discover a connection to his home country. 'I met the Aboriginal songwriter Jimmy Chi,' Zhou says. 'Jimmy asked me to say something to him in Chinese. He wanted to hear the sound of spoken Chinese. He then told me that his father was James Joseph Minero Chi, the son of a Chinese gold miner who had come to Australia around 1870.' The conversation sparked Zhou's decades-long fascination with Aboriginal-Chinese history, culture and communities, which are largely unacknowledged in either Australia or China. Dragonserpent (2024), by Gordon Hookey, a work featuring in 'Our Story: Aboriginal-Chinese People in Australia' at the National Museum of Australia, includes images of both the Chinese dragon and Aboriginal rainbow serpent. Photo: Gordon Hookey Zhou was so fascinated by Aboriginal culture – and by Chi's family history – that he relocated from Hefei, in China's Anhui province, to Australia soon after that trip.
