February 2006
An enewsletter for CultureGrams™ subscribers
Our monthly Culture Matters enewsletter helps teachers, librarians, administrators, and students stay informed about the world's cultures, while providing classroom resources and giving tips for using CultureGrams™ and World Conflicts Today™. Check out our online archive for access to past issues.
Regional Focus
This month: North Africa
Next month: Western Europe
In this issue:
- Notes for CultureGrams & World Conflicts Today Users
- Did You Know?
- Holiday Focus/Upcoming World Holidays
- Teaching Idea
- Quiz
- Recipes
- In the News
- Email Service Information & Newsletter Forwarding
1. Notes for CultureGrams & World Conflicts Today Users
At 7:39 on the morning of March 11, 2004, four explosions destroyed two trains and killed dozens of commuters in Madrid's busy Atocha station. Minutes later, more bombs killed more people in nearby stations. In all, 191 people lost their lives.
Who carried out Europe's 9/11?
Within hours of the explosions, Spanish prime minister José María Aznar was blaming a domestic terrorist group called ETA. At a press conference, Aznar's interior minister dismissed any suggestion of foreign involvement.
"There is no doubt that ETA is responsible," he said.
But doubts soon emerged. On the afternoon of the bombings, Spanish police found detonators and a tape of Qu‘ranic verses in an abandoned white van. Early the next morning, they found an unexploded bomb. The focus of the investigation shifted—the new suspects were Islamist militants linked to al-Qa‘ida.
Three days after the bombings, Aznar's conservative party, the Popular Party, suffered a shock defeat to the socialists. Spanish voters blamed Aznar both for misleading them over the identity of the bombers and for making them vulnerable by sending Spanish troops into Iraq. A day after becoming Spain's new prime minister, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced that he would bring the troops home.
Three weeks after the election, police found seven North African men hiding out in a suburban apartment. After a two-hour standoff, the men blew themselves up. Hunting through the rubble, police found numerous bags of dynamite and detonators identical to the ones used on March 11.
New Additions: World Conflicts Today
In January, World Conflicts Today added two new reports: Iraq and the Basque country.
The Iraq report examines that country's troubled history, provides context for ongoing violence there, and considers the complex relationship between the Iraq war and al-Qa‘ida-inspired terrorism.
The Basque country report focuses on the contentious relationship between Madrid and ETA, the group wrongly blamed for the March 11 bombings.
Find out more about World Conflicts Today from CultureGrams. Sign up for a 30-day free trial, and review online fact sheets and related solution information at ProQuest.
[ TOP ]
2. Did You Know? Tidbits from CultureGrams
- The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 136°F (58°C) at Al Aziziyah, Libya, on September 13, 1922.
- In traditional Moroccan homes, it is impolite for guests to finish eating before the hosts.
- North African brides often have decorative designs applied to their hands and feet before a wedding. The designs are applied using a paste made from henna leaves; the dried paste is removed after several hours, leaving patterns behind that last for several days.
- In Egypt, a family-reform law enacted in 2000 allows women to initiate divorce on grounds of incompatibility; previously, it was nearly impossible for women to get a divorce on any grounds.
- Before the discovery of oil in 1959, Libya had one of the lowest standards of living in Africa; now it has one of the highest.
[ TOP ]
3. World Holidays
Holiday Focus: Ashura
In 2006, the Muslim holiday of Ashura falls on February 9. For Shi'ite Muslims (who comprise 15 percent of the world's Muslim population), Ashura is one of the most important religious events of the year. It commemorates the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of Muhammad, in A.D. 680. Shi'ite Muslims regard Hussein as the successor to Muhammad, and they mourn his death by dressing in black and holding processions. Some believers reenact his suffering through self-flagellation.
Ashura does not hold the same significance for Sunni Muslims, who comprise the majority of the world's Muslims and do not regard Hussein as Muhammad's successor. However, like all Muslims, Sunnis mark it as the traditional day on which Noah left the ark and God saved Moses from the Egyptians.
Some Upcoming World Holidays
Mexico – Constitution Day – February 5
Celebrates Mexico's 1917 Constitution. Also marks the beginning of Carnaval, the period of parties and parades before Lent.
New Zealand – Waitangi Day – February 6
Marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi by the Maori and British in 1840.
Guyana – Republic Day – February 23
Marks the date Guyana became the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in 1970. The holiday is also known as Mashramani, a word used by indigenous people for the celebration at the end of a cooperative project.
Estonia – Independence Day – February 24
Celebrates freedom from Russia in 1918. Even though August 20 marks Estonia's reestablishment of freedom in 1991, the February 24 holiday remains the primary focus of independence celebrations.
[ TOP ]
4. Teaching Idea
Grade Level(s): 6-8
Objective: Understand the effects of colonization on African countries.
Curriculum standards:
National Standards for Geography (developed by the National Council for Geographic Education)--
Standard 3: The geographically informed person knows and understands how to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface.
Standard 10: The geographically informed person knows and understands the characteristics, distributions, and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics.
McRel Geography Standards--
Level III [Grade: 6-8]:
5. Understands the factors that affect the cohesiveness and integration of countries (e.g., language and religion in Belgium, the religious differences between Hindus and Muslims in India, the ethnic differences in some African countries that have been independent for only a few decades, the elongated shapes of Italy and Chile)
Materials:
- CultureGrams World Edition
- Reports for African countries
- Printable map of Africa
Instructions:
- Throughout history, powerful nations and empires have set out to explore and settle in new parts of the world. Some of the most notable exploration and colonization were carried out by the Roman and Ottoman empires, whose territory covered much of Europe and parts of Asia and North Africa. Beginning in the 1500s, European nations began exploring and claiming parts of Africa. In the late 1800s, the colonization became a "scramble for Africa" as the European powers hastened to secure African territory ahead of their rivals. Lead a discussion on why countries seek to colonize others.
- Distribute to each student a CultureGrams printable map (PDF in upper right-hand corner) of Africa. Ask students to color the former colonies of France (using the list below).
Algeria
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Comoros
Gabon
Guinea
Ivory Coast
Madagascar
Mali
Morocco
Niger
Senegal
Togo
Tunisia
- As a class, discuss what the completed maps reveal about French influence in Africa.
- Ask students to read a CultureGrams report from one of these countries. Discuss the effects of colonization on the countries. Are effects still felt today?
How do you use CultureGrams? Submit your teaching ideas to our editors today, and your activity might show up in a future issue of this newsletter!
[ TOP ]
5. Quiz
- Egypt's Suez Canal connects what two bodies of water?
- In 2003, the United Nations lifted economic sanctions from what North African country?
- What country lies across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain?
- Which hand do North Africans traditionally avoid using to shake hands, pass objects, and eat?
- The Sinai Peninsula was returned to Egypt in 1979 by its treaty with what country?
Answers
1) The Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. 2) Libya.
3) Morocco. 4) The left hand. 5) Israel.
[ TOP ]
6. Recipes
Here are two easy-to-make dishes selected from our Recipe Collection, which contains five recipes from each country in the CultureGrams series--more than 900 altogether.
Recipes are a great way to introduce students to the culture of a country or region. You may want to create dishes as a class or hold a culture fair with foods from different countries.
Side Dish from Morocco
Cucumber Salad with Za'atar & Black Olives
Note: This dish is served on special occasions, especially religious holidays.
Ingredients:
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and grated
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon za'atar (a Mediterranean herb similar to marjoram, which may be substituted for it. Or use thyme, oregano, or a mixture of all three.)
Cured black olives
Directions:
1. Drain off excess water from the cucumbers and combine with the sugar, vinegar, oil, and salt.
2. Crush the za'atar between your fingertips and sprinkle over the cucumbers.
3. Mix well with two forks and then chill. Decorate with olives before serving.
Yields: 4 servings
Side Dish from Tunisia
Mechouia
Grilled Vegetable Salad
Ingredients:
2 large sweet red peppers
2 large onions
4 medium tomatoes
1 small hot pepper
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon oregano
1, 7-ounce can tuna
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Grill the peppers, tomatoes, and onions in a hot oven at approximately 400°F. Turn them once during this process. Grill them until they are soft. Remove from oven and cool.
2. Remove the seeds from the peppers. Dice all of the cooked vegetables into small pieces. Place the vegetables on a flat serving platter. Gently stir in the lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, and the salt and pepper.
3. Spread the tuna, feta cheese, and hard-boiled eggs over the top.
[ TOP ]
7. In the News
Late last month, the Egyptian government announced it would not deport any of the Sudanese refugees arrested in a violent police operation one month earlier. As many as three thousand Sudanese refugees had been camped for three months outside the offices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cairo to protest discrimination by the Egyptian authorities and to demand asylum in Western countries. On December 30, Egyptian police launched an early morning raid on the camp, making arrests and dispersing the group with nightsticks and water cannons. At least 27 people were killed in the operation.
Several hundred Sudanese, including children, remained in detention until the UNHCR could interview them and determine their refugee status. The Egyptian government had suggested that many of them were illegal immigrants, not legitimate refugees, and would be deported to Sudan. However, following talks with the UNHCR, Egypt reversed that position and stated that no deportations would take place.
Between two and five million Sudanese live in Egypt. Tens of thousands fled the civil war in southern Sudan. Though the war ended one year ago, many argue that it is still unsafe for them to return. Other refugees fled the conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, where violence continues.
Access their CultureGrams reports to learn more about
Egypt and Sudan.
[ TOP ]
8. Email Service Information & Forwarding Tool
Increase the usage of CultureGrams and World Conflicts Today!
Our forward to a friend service makes it easy to instantly send this product bulletin -- and all the great ideas and information it contains -- to others with a click of your mouse.
Also, be sure to encourage them to sign up for our SIRS, CultureGrams, ProQuest, ProQuest Historical Newspapers, eLibrary, eLibrary Curriculum Edition, and additional enewsletters as appropriate.
To change your email address, sign up for additional newsletter titles, or modify your subscription settings, click here.
Cordially,
Your ProQuest & CultureGrams Teams
|
