July 2005
An enewsletter for CultureGrams™ subscribers
This month's Culture Matters enewsletter will help teachers, librarians, administrators, and students stay informed about the world's cultures, while providing classroom resources and giving tips for using CultureGrams. Check out our online archive for access to past issues.
Regional Focus
This month: North Africa
Next month: Southern Europe
In this issue:
- Notes for CultureGrams Users: New World Edition
- Did You Know?
- Holiday Focus/Upcoming World Holidays
- Teaching Idea: Health Education and Service
- North Africa Quiz
- Recipes from Central and Eastern Europe
- In the News:
Meeting of North African Nations Cancelled After Dispute
- Email Service Information
1. Notes for CultureGrams Users
This year, the CultureGrams World Edition will have many new features. Not only do we have updated reports for all our countries, we've also added five new country reports. The new countries (Angola, Ivory Coast, Libya, Suriname, and Myanmar) bring our total number of reports up to 187.
Meanwhile, the Kids Edition has added two new countries--Ireland and Saudi Arabia--bring the total to 68. You'll also notice that the online version now has at least five short biographies of famous people for every country. Make sure to check out the new content when it becomes available in August!
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2. Did You Know? Tidbits from CultureGrams
- Morocco is one country where saffron crocuses grow. These flowers supply saffron, an expensive, orange-colored spice.
- Mauritania was the last country in the Sahara region to abolish slavery (1980).
- In Mali, one may show special respect by touching one's own right elbow with the fingertips of the left hand while shaking hands.
- After giving birth, Sudanese women customarily do not leave the house for 40 days.
- On Women's Day (March 8) in Chad, women play soccer, dress as men, and are served meals by men dressed as women.
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3. World Holidays
Holiday Focus:
Anniversary of the Revolution in Egypt
On July 23 of every year, Egyptians commemorate the 1952 revolution, which overthrew the British-supported monarchy and brought to power a group that included future president Abdel Nasser. Although Egypt had gained official independence in 1922, the Anniversary of the Revolution is the country's national day.
Some Upcoming World Holidays
Cape Verde – Independence Day – July 5
Although an official holiday, it is celebrated only once every five years to cut down on the cost of celebrations.
Northern Ireland – Battle of the Boyne – July 12
Protestants in Northern Ireland celebrate the defeat of Irish Catholics by Protestant English King William of Orange as part of Orange Day festivities. The celebrations can last a full week and consist of parades, speeches, and other events. The Protestant parades that march through Catholic neighborhoods on this day have often been sources of contention and violence.
France – Bastille Day – July 14
This is France's national day, during which the French remember the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 during the French Revolution. The Bastille was home to political prisoners and was a symbol of the monarchy's absolute powers.
Venezuela – Simón Bolivar's Birthday– July 24
Venezuela's liberator and national hero is celebrated.
Mongolia – Nadaam (Games Day) – July 11–13
Celebrates the Mongolian People's Revolution. It is celebrated with horse races, wrestling, archery, and other events.
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4. Teaching Idea
Summary: Students learn about communicable and non-communicable diseases around the world and try to come up with possible ways to help.
Curriculum standards:
Conforms to health education curriculum standards set by the Joint Committee for National School Health Education Standards.
- Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks.
- Students will analyze the influence of culture, media, technology, and other factors on health.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health.
Materials:
- CultureGrams World Edition
Instructions:
- Teach the students the difference between communicable and non-communicable diseases.
- Divide the classroom into six groups. Assign each group to a different area of the world: North America and the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
- Have the students analyze the health aspects of the countries in their region using the CultureGrams World Edition.
- Have the students create a list of the biggest health challenges in their areas; decide which areas are more prone to communicable diseases and which areas have mostly non-communicable diseases.
- As a class, discuss the ways that both communicable and non-communicable diseases could be prevented. Also discuss challenges that hold people back from implementing these changes.
- As a class, decide on one way students might be able to help fight disease in another country. Ideas might include researching charities and donating money as a class to one of them, collecting medical supplies that may be hard to come by and sending them to a hospital in the class's county of choice, etc.
Follow-up:
For a subsequent assignment, have students write a research paper on a communicable disease, such as HIV-AIDS or malaria. Have the students briefly explain the disease, prevention tips, and how the world community could do more to help stop the spread of these diseases.
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!
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5. Quiz
- Of the two main Muslim sects (Shiite and Sunni), which branch does most of the population of North Africa belong to?
- Which color is featured prominently in the flags of many North African countries because it is a symbol of Islam?
- Which countries in North Africa did France colonize?
- Many people in North Africa use henna during celebrations. What for?
- What is the most populous country in North Africa?
Answers: 1) Sunni. 2) Green. 3) Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Chad; Italy was in Libya, and the United Kingdom in Egypt and Sudan 4) This dye, made of plants, is often used to create decorative designs on women's hands and feet in the days before a wedding. 5) Egypt is most populous with about 75 million people.
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6. Recipes
Note: You could try to create these dishes as a class, or the kids might want to try them at home and bring in the results.
Main dish from Sudan
Shorba (Lamb Soup)
Ingredients:
3 pounds lamb bones
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 pound whole onions, peeled
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
1/2 pound cabbage, cut in small wedges
1/2 pound string beans, trimmed
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
4 tablespoons peanut butter
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup cooked rice
Directions:
1. Simmer lamb bones in salted water for 1 hour.
2. Add carrots, cabbage, string beans, and garlic and simmer for 1 hour, until vegetables are thoroughly cooked.
3. Remove lamb bones and put the mixture through a sieve or food mill. Add peanut butter, lemon juice, and cooked rice.
4. Serve in soup bowls, about 1 cup per portion.
Beverage from Morocco
Mint Tea
Ingredients:
Hot water
2 to 3 teaspoons green tea
Sugar, to taste
1 bunch fresh mint
Directions:
1. Place green tea in the pot and add boiling
water.
2. Cover and steep 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Wash mint and add to teapot.
4. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Add sugar to taste.
6. Serve in glasses.
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7. In the News
In May 2004, a summit between the leaders of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Libya, and Tunisia was cancelled after a longstanding dispute between Morocco and Algeria flared up. The five countries are part of a coalition known as the Arab Maghreb Union, which was formed in 1989 with the intention of coordinating political and economic policies in the region.
However, Morocco and Algeria disagree over who should have control over an area known as Western Sahara: Morocco claims sovereignty of the area just south of Morocco, but Algeria has repeatedly stated its support for an independence movement there. Because Morocco and Algeria's leaders could not agree to set aside the dispute in order to concentrate on other matters, the AMU's meeting was postponed indefinitely.
To read more about Morocco and Algeria, access their CultureGrams reports today.
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8. Email Service Information
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Cordially,
Your ProQuest K-12 Team
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