tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82666386232692343422024-03-13T03:34:11.024-04:00Worldly RiseA blog inspired to teach my children about other countries and cultures through their food. It also includes music, arts, and literature from those countries as well.Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.comBlogger843125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-77599307804786005702021-03-09T21:20:00.001-05:002022-08-02T20:25:21.437-04:00GLOBAL STATES NOT IN THE UN<span style="font-size: large;">When I first started this project, I decided to keep my list limited to just the countries in the United Nations (UN), which is basically most of them. About halfway through the project, I thought there were only three that weren’t included so I added them to the end. But then I realized recently that there are actually a lot more than that. Many of these have been or are in conflict zones and/or disputed areas. Some are recognized by quite a few countries, some by only one or two. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/field/image/un-sunnypanorama-crop2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="800" height="185" src="https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/field/image/un-sunnypanorama-crop2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The UN building in New York City<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The UN is an intergovernmental organization whose mission is international peace and security that was created at the end of WWII. They include several other smaller organizations that have a focus on different aspects of security and preservation; some of these organizations include the WHO (World Health Organization), UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), World Food Programme, World Bank Group, and others. Its main headquarters are located in New York City, but there are other offices around the world, depending on its function. The head of the UN is the Secretary-General, elected to 5-year terms; the current Secretary-General is António Guterres from Portugal (elected in 2017). <br /><br />I want to make a mention of some of these areas that have claimed some autonomy or independence but aren’t really recognized globally. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/1104C/production/_92080796_hillaryshop-35.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/1104C/production/_92080796_hillaryshop-35.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill Clinton statue in Kosovo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>Kosovo </b><br /></span><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia still lays claim to it</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Recognized as a country by 98 UN Members</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - Pristina is the official capital, although Prizren is the historical capital</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Official languages - Albanian, Serbian</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - There’s a statue of Bill Clinton in Kosovo after he visited the country in 1999, and Britain’s Tony Blair is practically considered a national hero after he helped save some of the people during their war in 1998-99. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos.wikimapia.org/p/00/06/81/55/76_big.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="http://photos.wikimapia.org/p/00/06/81/55/76_big.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tskhinvali</td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>South Ossetia</b> </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Broke off of Georgia in 2008, but Georgia doesn’t recognize it.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Recognized as a state by Russia, Venezuela, Syria, Nicaragua, and Nauru. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - Tskhinvali</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Official languages - Ossetian, Russian, Georgian</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - The name of their capital literally translates to “land of the hornbeams,” which is a type of hardwood tree related to birches. The wood is used for a variety of purposes, including tool handles, piano actions, pegs, parquet flooring, shoe lasts, and chess pieces. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi-RO18MFkhfYy93TjV0OFFL2GuQoOaE4Xwr2wbRc7xmEjtvemGQgh9PaVsDtBN7WhpjPqAhfc6EIF0I-pUte06jBPMaTIrKhOkm409eb2BFkBrJrIEZpyD3xuG_yCl4q3cK38GzzS9Om4zlIDjyYAE-pyzfEZXxK1nXO7bdZaneryMx08=s512" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEi-RO18MFkhfYy93TjV0OFFL2GuQoOaE4Xwr2wbRc7xmEjtvemGQgh9PaVsDtBN7WhpjPqAhfc6EIF0I-pUte06jBPMaTIrKhOkm409eb2BFkBrJrIEZpyD3xuG_yCl4q3cK38GzzS9Om4zlIDjyYAE-pyzfEZXxK1nXO7bdZaneryMx08=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bad boy is possibly one of the oldest wine jugs in the world. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Abkhazia </b> </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Declared its independence from Georgia in 1999 but was first recognized internationally in 2008</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Recognized as a state by Russia, Venezuela, Syria, Nauru, and Nicaragua</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - Sukhumi</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Official languages - Abkhaz, Russian</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - Abkhazia is home to the second deepest cave in the world. Discovered in the 1960s, Krubera is 7208 ft deep - that’s about 1 ⅓ miles deep! People have also found giant 8000-year-old jugs used for wine in some of these caves in Abkhazia. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/We_are_our_mountains.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/We_are_our_mountains.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We Are Our Mountains<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Nagorno-Karabakh, or Artsakh Republic</b> </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but both Azerbaijan and Armenia have been discussing the area since 1994. However, they entered a new war in late 2020.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">It’s not recognized by any UN member state, but only by other disputed areas (Transnistria, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - De facto capital is Stepanakert</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Official languages - Main languages are Armenian, Azerbaijani</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - There’s a large sculpture that was created in 1967 called We Are Our Mountains. Made of volcanic tufa rock, it depicts an old man and old woman and is supposed to represent the mountain people of Karabakh. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://deanoworldtravels.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/tiraspol-yuri-gagarin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://deanoworldtravels.files.wordpress.com/2017/12/tiraspol-yuri-gagarin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To check out more of statues of Lenin in Moldova and Transnistria, check out the blog called <a href="https://deanoworldtravels.wordpress.com/2018/01/12/chasing-lenin-the-moldova-edition/" target="_blank">Deano's Travels</a>. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Transnistria, or The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic</b> </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Considered part of Moldova, it lies between the Dniester River and the Ukrainian border.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Not recognized by any UN states, except for other disputed areas (Abkhazia, Artsakh, and South Ossetia)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - Tiraspol</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Official languages - Russisan, Moldovan, Ukrainian</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - Apparently, the largest bust of Lenin is found in the countryside outside of Tiraspol. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/War_Flag_of_Novorussia.svg/1200px-War_Flag_of_Novorussia.svg.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/War_Flag_of_Novorussia.svg/1200px-War_Flag_of_Novorussia.svg.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flag of Novorossiya. Looks somewhat familiar, huh.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>New Russia, or The Union of People’s Republics</b> </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Also called Novorossiya, it’s a group of two pro-Russia republics in Ukraine aiming at creating their own confederation, breaking away in 2014</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Not recognized by any UN states, except for the disputed area of South Ossetia</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - Donetsk</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Official languages - Russian, Ukrainian</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - Their flag looks eerily similar to the Confederate flag (of the US South during the Civil War) but without the stars. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Venetian_walls_and_green_parks_Nicosia_Republic_of_Cyprus_Kypros.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Venetian_walls_and_green_parks_Nicosia_Republic_of_Cyprus_Kypros.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wall in Nicosia<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus</b> </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Also called Northern Cyprus, broke off of the Republic of Cyprus in 1974</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Only recognized by Turkey</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - North Nicosia</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Official languages - Turkish, Cypriot Turkish</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - The capital of Nicosia is the capital of both Cyprus and Northern Cyprus and is the only city in Europe that has a wall running down the middle (since Berlin). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.modernghana.com/story_/1024/728/afp_eu_lawmakers_block_moroccowestern_sahara_fishing_deal.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="527" data-original-width="800" height="211" src="https://cdn.modernghana.com/story_/1024/728/afp_eu_lawmakers_block_moroccowestern_sahara_fishing_deal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing in Western Sahara<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Western Sahara, or The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic</b> </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">It was once a Spanish colony, but also shares disputed areas with Morocco</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">It has diplomatic relationships with 31 UN member states as well as being a full member of the African Union</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - El Aaiún (claimed); Tifariti (de facto); Tindouf (capital-in-exile)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Official languages - Arabic, Spanish</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - Western Sahara is known for its rich fishing grounds off of its coasts and its phosphate reserves, a key ingredient in agricultural fertilizers and detergents. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/images/map-ryukyu-islands.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/japan/images/map-ryukyu-islands.jpg" width="244" /></a></div></span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Taiwan, or The Republic of China</b> </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">China (The People’s Republic of China) claims Taiwan, although there is a lot of tension in how much autonomy China grants to Taiwan in its representation</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Taiwan is recognized and has official diplomatic relationships with 14 UN members and the Holy See</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - Taipei</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">National languages - Formosan (indigenous) languages, Hakka, Hokkien, Mandarin, Matsu, Taiwan Sign Language</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan have historically been part of both Japan and China. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/2016/june/swissguard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/2016/june/swissguard.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to take these guys seriously. But the Vatican is all about super extra costumes. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Vatican City, or The Holy See</b> </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Claiming its independence from Italy in 1929, it’s the only independent country to decline to be a part of the UN. The main reason is that the Pope doesn’t want to interfere with political decisions.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">It’s an observer member to the UN and holds diplomatic relationships with 180 members. </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - Vatican</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Official languages - Italian</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - There are no armed forces in the Vatican City, except that soldiers of the Swiss Guard traditionally have served as its military detail. [I once lost a trivia question on this about 10 years ago because the guy leading the trivia night didn’t know this, and even after I showed him that my answer was correct, he still wouldn’t give me the points, and I’m STILL salty about this.] <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Olive-Trees.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="678" height="215" src="https://www.palestinechronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Olive-Trees.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olive trees in Palestine<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Palestine</b> </span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Claims the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, has historically been a disputed area between Israel and Jordan, declaring themselves independent.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Recognized by 138 UN members and is a non-member observer state of the UN</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Capital - Jerusalem (proclaimed); Ramallah (administrative center)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Official Languages - Arabic</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact - Olives are so important to their culture that nearly 45% of the land is dedicated to growing olive trees. In fact, some olive trees are thousands of years old. </span><br /></li></ul><p><span style="font-size: large;">I’ve also been fascinated by the idea of what happens when countries declare their independence. As we found out by watching the Brexit debacle unfold, it takes a lot of planning and preparation to go out on your own. (Granted, the UK was already independent in this case, but leaving the EU on the basis of maintaining their discriminatory hiring practices was clearly a rash decision.) And there were a few states that put independence to a vote (sometimes, several times) that did not get enough required votes to make it happen. I alphabetized this list; the years correspond to years they voted on this measure. <br /></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: large;">Aruba (from the Netherlands: 1977)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Bermuda (from the United Kingdom: 1995)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Bonaire (from the Netherlands: 1994, 2004)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Cameroon (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Catalonia (from Spain: 2014, 2017)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Central African Republic (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Chad (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Cocos (Keeling) Islands (from Australia: 1984)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Comoros (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Curaçao (from the Netherlands: 1993, 2005)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Dahomey (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Djibouti (from France: 1958, 1967)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Falkland Islands (from the United Kingdom: 1986)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Faroe Islands (from Denmark: 1946)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">French Polynesia (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Gabon (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Guam (from the United States: 1976, 1982)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Ivory Coast (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Kosovo (from Yugoslavia: 1991)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Kurdistan (from Iraq: 2005, 2017)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Madagascar (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Mali (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Marshall Islands (from the United States: 1983)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Mauritania (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Montenegro (from Yugoslavia: 1992)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Nevis (from Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla: 1977, 1998)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">New Caledonia (from France: 1958, 1987, 2018, 2020)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Niger (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Northern Mariana Islands (from the United States: 1969)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Palau (from the United States: 1983, 1984)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Puerto Rico (from the United States: 1967, 1993, 1998, 2012, 2017)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Quebec (from Canada: 1980, 1995)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Republic of the Congo (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Saar (from France: 1955)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Saba (from the Netherlands: 1994, 2004)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Saint Pierre and Miquelon (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Scotland (from the United Kingdom: 2014)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Seborga (from Italy: 1995)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Senegal (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Sint Eustatius (from the Netherlands: 1994, 2005, 2014)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Sint Maarten (from the Netherlands: 1994, 2000)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">South Brazil (from Brazil: 2016, 2017)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Tokelau (from New Zealand: 2006, 2007)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands [Micronesia] (from the United States: 1975)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">United States Virgin Islands (from the United States: 1993)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Upper Volta (from France: 1958)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Veneto (from Italy: 2014)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">Western Australia (from Australia: 1933)</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></li><li><span style="font-size: large;">West Papua (from Indonesia: 1969)</span></li></ul>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-50438694344151833532021-02-21T20:29:00.003-05:002022-08-02T20:34:28.533-04:00 ZIMBABWE: THE FOOD<p><span style="font-size: large;">It’s been a busy week of nonprofit PR work for our upcoming Feijoada (it’ll be carry-out this year). And we got our first major snow last weekend and into this week, the most we’ve gotten in about 7-8 years. I think the total we got was between 10-12”! Not to mention my husband’s birthday was a few days ago and regular work and the kids’ school stuff. So, I’m looking forward to relaxing a bit in the kitchen this afternoon and getting a good meal out of it. <br /><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2jYBfrtj_0NGgsbguu_FOD35KrhxKO0f1nc1gk-MSo5ijd7KBlRWMN24DJP4NLc0KBQywWN7NkTHhaLjVKzz-8Fa3bxhspk-Ev_L7DaM8xq7-O-u-vgiTmnv7V2uWpNuVz1ax6mEMjy7/s640/Mupotohati%252C+Chimodho.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2jYBfrtj_0NGgsbguu_FOD35KrhxKO0f1nc1gk-MSo5ijd7KBlRWMN24DJP4NLc0KBQywWN7NkTHhaLjVKzz-8Fa3bxhspk-Ev_L7DaM8xq7-O-u-vgiTmnv7V2uWpNuVz1ax6mEMjy7/w320-h320/Mupotohati%252C+Chimodho.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My son is obsessed with this bread. He was trying to convince me this bread is a complete meal. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Today is my final meal for this blog (in its original concept): Zimbabwean food. I started with a bread called <b>Mupotohayi</b> (also called <b>Chimodho</b>). I preheated my oven to 365ºF before I mixed all of my dry ingredients into one bowl: corn meal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and whisked them until they were combined. Then I mixed all of my wet ingredients in another bowl: vegetable oil, plain yogurt, apple cider vinegar, and water. In a ramekin, I beat my egg first and then stirred it into the wet ingredient bowl. After that, I took my wet ingredient bowl and poured it into the dry ingredient bowl, stirring everything until it came to be a thick batter-like consistency. I poured in my batter into a well-greased loaf pan. I let it bake for about 35 minutes (or at least until I could stick a knife into it and it comes out clean). I thought this was great. Because I used masa flour instead of cornmeal (mostly because I guess I wasn’t paying that close attention), it had the taste of a tamale. (My son called it tamale bread.) I really enjoyed this. I bet it’s really good with a little butter on it. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuVhDlaaLTjx5Ac5_NvHusDWvgBXyuW2m4zD6FnIeVI96GaQQQrWFnJ9wgOZr8G2COM3ExYHjdEdRl1JpZcXEOSRc0oaqNkzHl7Dzssxi7vLAWdevP-ci1EFKXPp-0RmrtZifh7selp7j/s640/Zimbabwean+Beef+Stew.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUuVhDlaaLTjx5Ac5_NvHusDWvgBXyuW2m4zD6FnIeVI96GaQQQrWFnJ9wgOZr8G2COM3ExYHjdEdRl1JpZcXEOSRc0oaqNkzHl7Dzssxi7vLAWdevP-ci1EFKXPp-0RmrtZifh7selp7j/s320/Zimbabwean+Beef+Stew.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure why beef is so expensive, but I think I should've used a different cut of meat. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The main course today is <b>Traditional Zimbabwean Beef Stew</b>. It’s cold out, and I thought this was a fantastic choice. My beef choices were a little limited, and the price of beef isn’t that cheap anymore. I found a thin sliced sirloin cut and sliced it into smaller pieces, sauteing them in a little vegetable oil and salt in the bottom of a large pot. Once it was browned, I added in about a liter of water and only partly covered the pot, letting it cook over medium heat for about 30-45 minutes until it was tender. When the meat was done, I drained the beef broth into a bowl to set aside. In the same pot, I added another couple tablespoons of oil to the meat and fried some onions for a couple minutes and then added about a half can of diced tomatoes and let them cook for another few minutes. While that was cooking, I took the beef broth I set aside and mixed in a little bit of onion soup powder and whisked it together. Then I poured it back into my pot with the meat and vegetables, covering the pot and letting it simmer for another 15 minutes or so. I liked this, although that onion soup mix made it taste a little off. It may have been a bit of an overload on the onions. My beef got a little tough, and the broth was a little oily, but otherwise I kind of liked it. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lblUBAZ-RqWtRBr1Tmt7EBfRV1QoniPETufksUFlhIX_7eOusmeD-4R7guVuBqdpIvN9qT8Y4j7zI3OF8n0TTH_v5dyFSC4B1imlBw588T7011PeRR9gpSlaP120CWVxGk5KpYsjYjS1/s640/Warm+Salad+with+Mustard+Dressing.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8lblUBAZ-RqWtRBr1Tmt7EBfRV1QoniPETufksUFlhIX_7eOusmeD-4R7guVuBqdpIvN9qT8Y4j7zI3OF8n0TTH_v5dyFSC4B1imlBw588T7011PeRR9gpSlaP120CWVxGk5KpYsjYjS1/s320/Warm+Salad+with+Mustard+Dressing.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The vegetables were good, but I think the temperature needed to be higher than what it called for. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />To go with the stew, I made <b>Warm Salad with Mustard Dressing</b>. In a large bowl, I peeled and chopped my vegetables: sweet potatoes, carrots, golden beets, red pepper, small apple, covering it all in a bit of oil. I added some salt, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, and basil, and then I tossed all the vegetables to coat. I put these vegetables in a casserole dish and baked them in a 355ºF oven for about 30 minutes, but the vegetables were far from being soft. This part took forever, probably over an hour, and I finally pushed the temperature up to 400ºF before they finally started to soften up. Then I took them out and set it off to the side. You can either top with this bacon that you cook and crumble yourself or bacon bits that you buy in a store (I opted for the faster, ready-made version but somehow they got lost between the store and being put up. Ugh.). To make the sauce that goes with this, I mixed all the ingredients in a small bowl: mustard, plain yogurt, water, apple cider vinegar, oil, golden syrup (which I used Karo white corn syrup, hoping it’s close), minced garlic, salt, and pepper. When the sauce was well mixed, I drizzled it on top of the vegetables. I really liked the vegetables, but I wasn’t a fan of the mustard sauce. It was a little too tart; I probably could’ve done without the extra vinegar since mustard already has vinegar in it. But otherwise, I liked these vegetables. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTnQYlJ69HzvP3TItGRuQefjzCOyeeK4Wowm1dFhIIHE0-HbgkZpox4M4IBomqXUn5hOx0rhHKhISBmyBRD5ly4CAa5FCArwdBRBSlqQeXPnZx__ziYUWl6f6fy1AreOMjxaBlO6_sZ_9/s640/Food+from+Zimbabwe.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwTnQYlJ69HzvP3TItGRuQefjzCOyeeK4Wowm1dFhIIHE0-HbgkZpox4M4IBomqXUn5hOx0rhHKhISBmyBRD5ly4CAa5FCArwdBRBSlqQeXPnZx__ziYUWl6f6fy1AreOMjxaBlO6_sZ_9/s320/Food+from+Zimbabwe.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overall, I enjoyed this final meal. It was a good way to end this. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Most of these recipes came from zimbokitchen.com, so shout out to her for showcasing recipes from her country. To be honest, I couldn’t have done this blog without people like her putting up these recipes from their country. It helped me out immensely as I dived into cultures, trying to substitute ingredients for ones I could find, aiming at being as authentic as I could be. When I first started this blog, people asked me, “Why don’t you just use a bread machine? It’s so much easier.” But I didn’t want “easier.” I wanted to do things the way people in other countries do it. And it’s not always easier. It wasn’t always like that here either, if you go back just two generations. I sit here in the Midwestern part of the US in my relative comfort (I said “relative”), knowing some of the countries are much worse off than me, but some are better in some ways. My ties with the global polyglot community continues to show me that we all have a few things in common: we all have to eat; we all care for our families and friends in some way; we all have aspirations to do and be something; we’re all just trying to survive this crazy thing called life. Did I find what I was looking for on this journey? Did I accomplish what I set out to do? I think I did. No matter where you’re from, we all just really want the same things in life. Remember: countries are made of people, not governments. Stay global, my friends. <br /><br />Up next: That’s all there is. I’m going to do a post soon on all the global states that are NOT part of the UN to wrap it up, just so they’re not left out of the conversation and get their recognition. Thanks for sticking with me through this. <br /></span><p></p>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-36246345421842222312021-02-20T21:25:00.001-05:002022-08-03T10:08:44.828-04:00ZIMBABWE: MUSIC AND DANCE<p><span style="font-size: large;">Zimbabwe shares many musical traditions with its neighbors. Percussion and rhythms are at the heart of it all, helping to create a musical language vital to their culture. Music plays an important role in ceremonies, in their religion and spirituality, and later on as a catalyst in gaining their independence. A number of genres developed in Zimbabwe and changed over time as they came into contact with Europeans. <br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Zimbabwe-drummers.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="800" height="183" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Zimbabwe-drummers.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Zimbabwe has quite a few musical genres that stemmed from traditional styles. One that got its start during colonial times is a type of vocal music called imbubwe. It’s characterized by male singers singing in an a cappella fashion. Miners working in the caves created this style as a way of passing the time and took advantage of the acoustics of the cave. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O_iOU2JdBno/hqdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O_iOU2JdBno/hqdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Other styles that developed in Zimbabwe, many of them after they gained their independence, include <b>sungura</b> (a style that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s), <b>Afro-jazz</b> (a Zimbabwean version of jazz that mixes American jazz, blues, ragtime, and African styles like kwela and marabi), <b>rumba</b> (related to soukous music from the DRC), <b>Zimdancehall</b> (related to and influenced by Jamaican dancehall), <b>jit</b> (general term for any pop music that uses electric guitars), and <b>chimurenga</b> (a style that transcribed traditional mbira music for modern electronic instruments and was used as a political and social commentary). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://africamusicnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/630px-matepe.jpg?w=300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="285" data-original-width="300" height="304" src="https://africamusicnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/630px-matepe.jpg?w=300" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mbira set inside a calabash resonator<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Like Zambia, the mbira is an important instrument in Zimbabwean music. This thumb piano is made of wood with metal keys fixed to it. There’s a hole in the corner to hold it, and there are usually rattles attached to it as well. The designs can vary from what materials are used for the rattles, and the number of keys that are included. Sometimes, they are placed inside hollowed out calabashes to be used as a resonator (to make it louder). Years ago, I found a place online that makes handcrafted mbiras, and I bought one. I still play it to relax. Drums are also important to their music, and they utilize a number of different kinds of drums of different sizes, materials, and shapes. Other types of percussion instruments like wooden marimbas are also popular. Today, modern instruments are used in their music. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ich.unesco.org/img/photo/thumb/00587-BIG.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://ich.unesco.org/img/photo/thumb/00587-BIG.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerusarema dance<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Likewise, dance is also integral to Zimbabwean culture. It’s tied to spirituality and life events and ceremonies. Dances often vary from region to region and generally serve a purpose; sometimes it’s to tell a story or their history or used as a means of courting rituals. Polyrhythms are often the basis of traditional music, and these dances often incorporate these complex rhythms into their dance steps. The Jerusarema dance is one of their oldest dances and was once outlawed by Christian missionaries because of what they deemed “provocative” dance movements. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://img.discogs.com/TycvokP50KeoVjwMnzak9Qmkl9E=/fit-in/600x602/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-5316949-1390386738-1417.jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://img.discogs.com/TycvokP50KeoVjwMnzak9Qmkl9E=/fit-in/600x602/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-5316949-1390386738-1417.jpeg.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><br />I was able to find several bands on Spotify. The first one is a sungura band called <b>The Sungura Boys</b>. I really liked their sound; you can definitely hear the polyrhythms that create a driving feel to the music. The higher pitched guitars with the bass along with harmonized vocals give it a complex sound. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://img.discogs.com/trqwqqBgHKHdewn__j3M33Sr5Ek=/582x705/smart/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/A-918569-1458470085-7089.jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="582" height="320" src="https://img.discogs.com/trqwqqBgHKHdewn__j3M33Sr5Ek=/582x705/smart/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/A-918569-1458470085-7089.jpeg.jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dumisani Maraire<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Since mbira music is a staple of Zimbabwean music, I found a few mbira musicians who I listened to as well. The first one was <b>Ephat Mujuru</b>. Not only could you hear the mbira (and maybe more than one at times perhaps), but there were also rattles, percussion, maybe a marimba, clapping, and singing. I also found a few songs by <b>Dumisani Maraire</b>. He’s considered one of the greatest mbira players and spent his life performing on mbiras and marimbas and teaching people about Zimbabwean music and culture. <b>Stella Chiweshe</b> is a well-known female mbira player, who learned the instrument at a time when female players were pretty rare. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://img.discogs.com/eaUkdKajWzQtjg5vK9d7MO_Qjd0=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-8614249-1587747905-9849.jpeg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://img.discogs.com/eaUkdKajWzQtjg5vK9d7MO_Qjd0=/fit-in/600x600/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-8614249-1587747905-9849.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>The Bhundu Boys</b> are a band that mixes chimurenga and jit music with rock, pop, country, and other musical influences. Even when they’re covering American classics like Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” they never stray far away from their African polyrhythms that are so ingrained in their music. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Vusa_Mkhaya's_Vocalism_Project_Austrian_World_Music_Awards_2015_08.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Vusa_Mkhaya's_Vocalism_Project_Austrian_World_Music_Awards_2015_08.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vusa Mkhaya<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In the Ndebele-majority region, Bulawayo music is popular. One musician I listened to is <b>Vusa Mkhaya</b>, who specializes in imbube music. He uses this vocal-heavy genre and incorporates it into his music. I thought it was nice to listen to. He’s won several awards in the world music category. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.musicinafrica.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_slider_large/public/images/article/201801/thomas-mapfumo.jpg?itok=xpY7MlFs" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="744" height="192" src="https://www.musicinafrica.net/sites/default/files/styles/article_slider_large/public/images/article/201801/thomas-mapfumo.jpg?itok=xpY7MlFs" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thomas Mapfumo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>Thomas Mapfumo</b>, known as The Lion of Zimbabwe, is a famous chimurenga musician. He’s particularly known for his opposition and criticism of Robert Mugabe. What’s amazing is that he’s been performing for nearly 60 years! His voice is recognizable for many Zimbabweans. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58a471162994cabcb6338b8c/1526967715373-MEGJW6YKYV2NNBB35MFL/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kLjRjroPw6MJE2Du0AUUFGVZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWQUxwkmyExglNqGp0IvTJZUJFbgE-7XRK3dMEBRBhUpx4uXSKzAogW10e8andOXaqMyxJsEEbZ80Su1yYqHWdiZcYXeHWL4XX0EVn5YNKgg8/Killer+t+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="657" data-original-width="657" height="320" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/58a471162994cabcb6338b8c/1526967715373-MEGJW6YKYV2NNBB35MFL/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kLjRjroPw6MJE2Du0AUUFGVZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWQUxwkmyExglNqGp0IvTJZUJFbgE-7XRK3dMEBRBhUpx4uXSKzAogW10e8andOXaqMyxJsEEbZ80Su1yYqHWdiZcYXeHWL4XX0EVn5YNKgg8/Killer+t+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Killer T<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>Killer T</b> is one Zimdancehall musician who I listened to. I’m a fan of dancehall, so I really liked this. Sometimes it’s good to have some upbeat music in your arsenal. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Leonard_Mapfumo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Leonard_Mapfumo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leonard Mapfumo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br />One modern genre that stemmed out of American and European hip-hop is called urban grooves. I listened to a couple musicians in this genre. The first one was <b>Leonard Mapfumo</b>. Although it was heavily influenced by hip-hop, he uses quite a bit of vocal harmony accompaniment that keeps ties to their own Zimbabwean styles. <b>Maskiri</b> is the other one I checked out. Some have called him the African version of Eminem. I liked his style, but I’m not sure I would necessarily compare him to Eminem. Perhaps lyrically, but I don’t know Shona, so the comparison is lost on me. <br /><br />Up next: the food</span><p></p>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-40949986494157175342021-02-17T08:05:00.004-05:002022-08-03T10:18:06.381-04:00ZIMBABWE: ART AND LITERATURE<span style="font-size: large;">Even the earliest people in Zimbabwe saw the value in art. The San people lived in caves, and there are many examples of their drawings they left behind on the walls of the caves they lived in, depicting life as they knew it. There are also some examples of their early pottery as well. I mentioned earlier about the Great Zimbabwe city that was at its peak between 1250-1500AD. While it was being excavated, the workers found many of their pottery objects along with soapstone sculptures and utensils. They also found all kinds of ingots, beads, sculptures, jewelry, and other objects that have been traded from around the world. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i1.wp.com/www.canacreativetravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Zimbabwe_ruins2.jpg?fit=1024%2C686&ssl=1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.canacreativetravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Zimbabwe_ruins2.jpg?fit=1024%2C686&ssl=1" width="320" /></a></div><br />The soapstone sculptures were one of the key parts of early Zimbabwean culture. Soapstone birds are especially known, which came to be known as the Zimbabwe birds. It’s not exactly clear what kind of a bird it is, or if it was tied to a religious purpose or not. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.gulftoday.ae/-/media/gulf-today/images/articles/culture/2020/3/14/birdy2.ashx?h=400&w=750&hash=C3FEF1B73579CE11E2B06379AA9E56DA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="750" height="171" src="https://www.gulftoday.ae/-/media/gulf-today/images/articles/culture/2020/3/14/birdy2.ashx?h=400&w=750&hash=C3FEF1B73579CE11E2B06379AA9E56DA" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zimbabwe soapstone birds<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Art changed as the first peoples here came in contact with Europeans during the 19th century. Missionaries charged that local art and traditions were anti-Christian and set out on a mission to destroy it (particularly wooden masks and other carvings). (How can it be anti-Christian when it was created long before they met them?) By the 20th century, their art began to specifically be produced for white tourists. White artists began to make their way to southern Africa to paint and draw its landscape. For a long time, many of the most famous artists from Zimbabwe were white, and black artists of notoriety were relatively few. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/images/thumb/2/27/Kingsley_Sambo_-_Dance.jpg/300px-Kingsley_Sambo_-_Dance.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="300" height="209" src="https://www.pindula.co.zw/images/thumb/2/27/Kingsley_Sambo_-_Dance.jpg/300px-Kingsley_Sambo_-_Dance.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dance</i> by Kingsley Sambo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />So, here are a few black artists from Zimbabwe you should probably know: <b>Kingsley Sambo</b> (painter, cartoonist), <b>Thomas Mukarobgwa</b> (painter, sculptor), <b>Joseph Ndandarika</b> (sculptor), <b>Dominic Benhura</b> (sculptor), <b>Owen Maseko</b> (visual artist, installation artist), and <b>Tapmufa Gutsa</b> (sculptor). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjanY0vcTntw1qSJyJpnNDh_-DOGZ9Rz3uS0w4PkXAr6sb8A743BFGjOagTbiLKCUMp2fX4ebOoumMB4v6jBcswwdIpBMzdDCuLy9HC2vRVgTsahqIS4-pbDKf8yRSoapp79ZecRvX9v1NNsUDQHKBUZ2IVoMZms9LNLpIR2SSJkeY=s361" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="248" data-original-width="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjanY0vcTntw1qSJyJpnNDh_-DOGZ9Rz3uS0w4PkXAr6sb8A743BFGjOagTbiLKCUMp2fX4ebOoumMB4v6jBcswwdIpBMzdDCuLy9HC2vRVgTsahqIS4-pbDKf8yRSoapp79ZecRvX9v1NNsUDQHKBUZ2IVoMZms9LNLpIR2SSJkeY=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Mudzimu Bull</i> by Joseph Ndandarika<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Literature in Zimbabwe is largely written in English, Shona, or Ndebele, with some other languages being represented as well. There are 16 languages that carry an official status in Zimbabwe. The majority of its early history were oral stories of folklore and local myths and histories that have been passed down from generation to generation. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://readingzimbabwe.com/content/1-books/254-feso/feso2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://readingzimbabwe.com/content/1-books/254-feso/feso2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />The first Shona novel to be published was Solomon Mutswairo’s novel <i>Feso</i> (1956), and the first Ndebele novels were published around this time as well. Many themes also incorporated some of the folklore and myths from oral tales but also included issues around colonialism and independence. In the post-Mugabe period, literature became a key way of dealing with the aftermath of such a regime. These novels, short stories, and poems told accounts of where they had come from and served as the rallying cries moving forward in their protests. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://d1w7fb2mkkr3kw.cloudfront.net/assets/images/book/lrg/9780/4358/9780435895983.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://d1w7fb2mkkr3kw.cloudfront.net/assets/images/book/lrg/9780/4358/9780435895983.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br />Novelists include <b>Shimmer Chinyodya</b> (known for <i>Harvest of Thorns</i>), <b>Chenjerai Hove</b> (known for <i>Bones, Shadows</i>), <b>Farayi Mungoshi </b>(known for <i>Behind the Wall Everywhere</i>), <b>Dambudzo Marechera</b> (known for <i>The House of Hunger</i>), <b>Batsirai Chigama</b> (known for <i>Gather the Children</i>), and <b>Kudakwashe Manjonjo </b>(known for <i>Aluta Continua: The Struggle Continues</i>). <br /><br />Up next: music and dance</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-76531306006185600822021-02-14T17:55:00.001-05:002022-08-03T10:36:47.036-04:00ZIMBABWE: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE<span style="font-size: large;">Well, I did it. I got to the last country in this blog, and I can’t believe I’ve almost completed this entire project. In fact, I’ve run this blog longer than I have been at any job. Years ago, I used to subscribe to TIME magazine as a way to learn more about what’s going on in the world. I remember reading about Robert Mugabe and some of the terrible things that were going on in Zimbabwe because of the way he governed. I haven’t followed it very closely since then, but he was ousted after 37 years running the country (or rather, running it into the ground) and died a couple years ago. I feel like he dominates much of their recent history, so I’m interested in finding out something else about this country (I already mentioned Victoria Falls when I covered Zambia). And how fitting is it that the last two countries are African countries that I’m covering during Black History Month. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f3/e9/4c/f3e94cb8a06ac06489cefc17dbd75c88.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="610" height="200" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f3/e9/4c/f3e94cb8a06ac06489cefc17dbd75c88.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The name Zimbabwe is named after the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe, located in the southeastern corner of the country. There are a few origins in different dialects of Shona, mostly around either “house of stones” or possibly “venerated houses.” Zimbabwe also used to be known by several names that include the term Rhodesia, named after Cecil Rhodes, the British politician who set in place much of the colonization of Southern Africa and proponent of British imperialism. I can certainly see why they were quick to rename themselves. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/94/183794-050-7E7316A6/World-Data-Locator-Map-Zimbabwe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="800" height="307" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/94/183794-050-7E7316A6/World-Data-Locator-Map-Zimbabwe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa, surrounded by Zambia to the north; Mozambique to the east; South Africa to the south; and Botswana to the west. And they’re only about 150 meters from the Namibian border too. The eastern side of the country is quite mountainous while most of the country lies in a central plateau (also called the high veld); however, a small portion lies in the low veld areas. The Zambezi River serves as much of the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia to the north, along with Lake Kariba and including the famous Victoria Falls. Because of its location, there are several areas that have a tropical climate, but it can get quite cool in highlands. They also experience a rainy season between October and March. And although severe storms are fairly rare, they’re not immune to severe droughts though. But these large changes in environment and climate lead to a great biodiversity in Zimbabwe, even though deforestation and poaching have had really negative impacts on their environment. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/n7MjvQAy4KnNwDSP2gm77j-1200-80.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/n7MjvQAy4KnNwDSP2gm77j-1200-80.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient city of Great Zimbabwe<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Humans lived in this area nearly 10,000 years ago, and among the earliest people include the San people, who left behind tools and cave drawings. The Bantu migration brought farmers into this area nearly 2000 years ago. Trade with Arab traders began around the 10th century, and the Shona civilizations thrived between the 13th and 15th centuries, where the Great Zimbabwe city grew out of. As Europeans started trading and moving into various areas of Africa in the 1600s, a new Shona empire emerged as a response, called the Rowzi Empire (“rowzi” meaning “destroyers”). In 1821, a Zulu general named Mzilikazi rebelled against the famous Shaka and created his own clan called Ndebele. They then went on a rampage of destruction known as the Mfecane. By the 1880s, Cecil Rhodes with the British South Africa Company began his campaign aimed at taking mining rights from the Ndebele people. He basically got a charter to be able to do that and started moving into what was Matabeleland and Mashonaland. Of course the Ndebele didn’t like this at all, thus came the First Matabele War. Starting in 1895, the term Rhodesia came into being, referring to present-day Zimbabwe as Southern Rhodesia and present-day Zambia as Northern Rhodesia. The Ndebele revoked against the white rule in their native lands, resulting in the Second Matabele War. In 1923, the UK took Southern Rhodesia as a colony, whose people served on behalf of the UK during both of the world wars. And in 1930, they set in place a land act that essentially restricted the black population from owning key pieces of land so that the white minority population could own the best areas. (This issue will come back later.) After Zambia gained its independence, it set in place for Zimbabwe to gain their own in 1965. Their first years were met with instability as they scrambled to create different political parties and establish themselves. In 1980, Robert Mugabe became the first Prime Minister. The 1980s brought a ton of turmoil, starting with Gukurahundi, which was a genocide against people they thought were dissidents. Some estimates report that up to 80,000 people may have been killed over a period of about four years. This discontent lasted through the 1990s, and many people aimed their anger at Mugabe’s government over issues of salary issues, healthcare problems, and land issues. However, in the early 2000s, the Mugabe administration began a campaign to reverse parts of that 1930 land act and started taking measures to take away land from the white farmers and give it back to black farmers. Utter chaos ensued, and their economy collapsed; Zimbabwe saw millions of its people flee to other countries. Many countries waged economic sanctions against the country. In 2017, Mugabe was forced out in a coup, and he died two years later. Today, many people are still dealing with the fallout of starvation and disease. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh094ayP_J3aIraCiCzAGUuZCeLZbm_Po-j_SiXFjV4L3ADB2P2iVa7W41pHkXcg-JWZrGheeUk_zx1QJolDSd0VaVz1oyOV5WwkYTSIeYN3GxkMiRYBGD3he4ZtEIlTq0KBXH7tdqzbIZySbZaGoFomyQalLXq9Hzh5_EybPHZ-UI=s454" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="454" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEh094ayP_J3aIraCiCzAGUuZCeLZbm_Po-j_SiXFjV4L3ADB2P2iVa7W41pHkXcg-JWZrGheeUk_zx1QJolDSd0VaVz1oyOV5WwkYTSIeYN3GxkMiRYBGD3he4ZtEIlTq0KBXH7tdqzbIZySbZaGoFomyQalLXq9Hzh5_EybPHZ-UI=w320-h190" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harare</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The capital and most populous city is Harare, located in the central/northeast part of the country. With about 2 million people, it’s not only the center of government, commerce, and media, but it’s also a center for culture. There are many restaurants, entertainment, shopping centers, sports venues, museums, and universities throughout the city and its suburbs. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.mining.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/platinum-admin-10003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="800" height="226" src="https://www.mining.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/platinum-admin-10003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Platinum</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Mining and agriculture are the two key areas that drive their economy. They also depend on a certain amount of tourism dollars as well, although that’s been declining in recent years. Ecotourism has been popular in the past, but political instability has led to a huge decline in wildlife and increase in deforestation. Some of their main agricultural products include cereal grains like maize and wheat, coffee, legumes, and cattle production. When it comes to mining, their main exports are gold, diamonds, platinum, and other minerals. Inflation is high in Zimbabwe along with high unemployment. At its worst in ten years time, inflation rose from 32% in 1998 to 11,200,000% in 2008. I can’t even fathom that amount, honestly. In 2009, the Zimbabwean dollar became functionally useless, so they abandoned it in preference for the US Dollar, the South African Rand, and Botswana Pula. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://fsspx.news/sites/sspx/files/styles/dici_image_full_width/public/media/dici/new-news/cathedrale_du_sacre_coeur_harare.jpg?itok=2eLkVizo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://fsspx.news/sites/sspx/files/styles/dici_image_full_width/public/media/dici/new-news/cathedrale_du_sacre_coeur_harare.jpg?itok=2eLkVizo" width="320" /></a></div><br />The vast majority of people in Zimbabwe adhere to Christianity, making up nearly 85% of the population. Of those, the majority are Protestant with only about 8% being Roman Catholic. There is a small percentage who still participate in local religions, and nearly 11% are either unaffiliated with any religion or follow something else. Of other world religions, there are smaller numbers of people following Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1a/8c/af/1a8caf45fc7829481300f8b6a6b4e3ce.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="800" height="178" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1a/8c/af/1a8caf45fc7829481300f8b6a6b4e3ce.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />English is the official language of the government and education. However, Shona is spoken by about 70% of the population with Ndebele at around 20%. There are several other local languages with a significant number of speakers: Tsonga, Venda, Kalanga, Ndau, Nambya, Sotho, and Shangaan. Because it shares a border with Mozambique, Portuguese is sometimes used along the border areas and in some of the larger cities like Harare and Bulawayo. In fact, Portuguese is starting to be taught more as a second language in many areas of Zimbabwe. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.enlightenmentafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Pygmy-1024x681-900x.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://www.enlightenmentafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Pygmy-1024x681-900x.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Since high school biology class, I’ve been fascinated with genetics, especially how traits and defects are passed down from generation to generation. I stumbled upon an article about a hunter-gatherer tribe living near a tributary of the Zambezi River Valley called the VaDoma. This tribe is susceptible to a genetic mutation known as Ectrodactyly, otherwise known as Lobster Claw Syndrome (they’re sometimes called The Ostrich Tribe). For nearly a quarter of this tribe, it causes people to be born missing the middle toes, so that they have two giant toes on their feet. Kind of like lobster claws. The thing is that with this tribe, they’ve made it illegal to marry outside of their tribe, so this genetic mutation keeps getting repeated over and over again. It reminds me of how hemophilia ran through royal families since they only bred among themselves. But anyway, <a href="https://face2faceafrica.com/article/vadoma-the-zimbabwean-ostrich-tribe-with-rare-two-toed-population" target="_blank">here’s an article on the VaDoma</a> if you want to read more on it and see photos. <br /><br />Up next: art and literature</span><br />Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-78974964094840738402021-02-07T20:19:00.009-05:002022-08-03T10:47:20.058-04:00ZAMBIA: THE FOOD<p><span style="font-size: large;">It’s February, and a lot of things are happening. Each of the nonprofit organizations I work with have events happening this month. Next weekend, I’ll be participating in Civic Day, listening in on an all-day webinar of speakers discussing the importance of voting by mail, the environment, veterans issues, and several other topics. And I’m also working on promoting our annual Brazilian feijoada luncheon, which will be carry-out style this year for obvious reasons. Hard to think that we barely got it in last year before everything started to be shut down. <br /><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Apt9a6MK2FMuKuNKqhE8fmMyjuI3AJlRXi8qC8RGVpgYbGMpcUK3KquS7Kbw_g5_nH0TottQrEodcK2xvgqc_g8Dn2vC0psdefh2UYNfq3LaQBFV4NuYcUpECs3FA25H9bl9pGxGrpvr/s640/Zambian+fritter+w+orange+syrup.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Apt9a6MK2FMuKuNKqhE8fmMyjuI3AJlRXi8qC8RGVpgYbGMpcUK3KquS7Kbw_g5_nH0TottQrEodcK2xvgqc_g8Dn2vC0psdefh2UYNfq3LaQBFV4NuYcUpECs3FA25H9bl9pGxGrpvr/s320/Zambian+fritter+w+orange+syrup.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A little messy, but oh so worth it. <br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;"><br />But today is a different kind of meal. While most people in the US are making Super Bowl foods, we’re cooking from Zambia. The bread today is <b>Zambian Fritters with Orange Syrup</b>. I mixed my yeast into the flour, sugar, salt, water, and vegetable oil to make a soft dough before setting it off to the side until it was doubled in volume (about an hour). While the dough was resting, I made the syrup by adding some sugar, the zest from two oranges, and some orange juice in a pan and heating it until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture becomes the consistency of syrup. I skipped making the icing (just powdered sugar and orange juice mixed together) since there was already a syrup. When the dough was ready, I heated some vegetable oil in a skillet and dropped spoonfuls of dough into it and fried it for about five minutes, or until it turned golden brown. I let it drain on some napkins. When it was done, I drizzled the syrup over the fritters. Some of my fritters were too large because my dough was really sticky. I meant to make them the size of doughnut holes. The smaller ones were practically perfect, but some of the larger ones didn’t seem quite as done in the middle. However, the orange syrup was really good on top of them. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sjrOcZStBHLkmwHOMzbsWQd_19ugeqdDgcFPyFY0IFtBeor8n3E7fHpGUvYnyRH1NtCzqL4ojw8vNbtplCyIGuUo-XCOifZJBlfwrkDTakuDOTPnXLc_DoX-ggLuHvObePcahOievGEv/s640/Kapenta.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sjrOcZStBHLkmwHOMzbsWQd_19ugeqdDgcFPyFY0IFtBeor8n3E7fHpGUvYnyRH1NtCzqL4ojw8vNbtplCyIGuUo-XCOifZJBlfwrkDTakuDOTPnXLc_DoX-ggLuHvObePcahOievGEv/s320/Kapenta.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Surprise of the night. This actually was pretty good. Especially if it were spicier. </span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The main dish today is <b>Kapenta</b>. I’m not sure if Kapenta is either another word for sardines or a fish that is very similar to sardines. I opened my sardines up and I poured the oil in a skillet and heated it to fry the sardines. I took them out when they were crispy and set them off to the side. (I drained off some of the oil at this point.) Then I added in some diced bell peppers (I used green, yellow, and red), onions, some jalapeños, and some diced tomatoes. Once I fried the vegetables up a bit, I added the sardines back into the mix for only about a minute or so. I actually liked this dish pretty well. I think it would've been a little better if I had deep fried them like it called for, but it was still good. Probably one of the few ways that I enjoy sardines. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGFjwasBulDar_zAs60Rs546gh-DhTarKihKjDSa1dX3MEaLxnUsCrY1RjrkKFRngFdDLap75QkIcvIaG9PV9JrrqAya3oAQA8h2p_VoRMExg6HFrBRATAViMnW0NFc8bL05s5J1HaqrO3/s640/Red+Brown+Mushrooms.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGFjwasBulDar_zAs60Rs546gh-DhTarKihKjDSa1dX3MEaLxnUsCrY1RjrkKFRngFdDLap75QkIcvIaG9PV9JrrqAya3oAQA8h2p_VoRMExg6HFrBRATAViMnW0NFc8bL05s5J1HaqrO3/s320/Red+Brown+Mushrooms.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I really liked this side dish. I will probably make it again and experiment with it a bit.</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />To go with this I made two similar dishes. The first one is <b>Red Brown Mushrooms</b>, which I knew I couldn’t find the particular red mushrooms that were mentioned in the original recipe, so I used white mushrooms (plus, I was sending my husband to the store). I rinsed off my mushrooms and sliced them, putting them into a pot with a bit of water, salt, and oil. I boiled them for 15 minutes before adding in some tomatoes, onion, and a little bit of ground cayenne pepper (instead of chilies). I let it cook down for a few minutes. I really liked this one. I thought it would make a nice accompaniment to any dish. If I were making this for myself, I would’ve added in some more cayenne to it. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-9Mh4M-0NvaL9vd52nitVO2pfcT2pWp7r07VCGAItizeVlX3E__QLGxkJBw_qBzXAF6poyhpP-9geNibJrUSlGR84v2ghtRdR4OUZCQIfe2j6bcIIc_Ucw_Piy0H_tuPBwN1xNdT3Jyc/s640/Kalembula.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-9Mh4M-0NvaL9vd52nitVO2pfcT2pWp7r07VCGAItizeVlX3E__QLGxkJBw_qBzXAF6poyhpP-9geNibJrUSlGR84v2ghtRdR4OUZCQIfe2j6bcIIc_Ucw_Piy0H_tuPBwN1xNdT3Jyc/s320/Kalembula.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Very healthy for you. I want to experiment with different kinds of greens. </span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The other similar dish is called <b>Kalembula</b>, which is basically sweet potato leaves, but I used spinach leaves since sweet potato leaves are difficult to find this time of year. In a pot, I cooked down some diced tomatoes, onion, and salt and stirred until everything was cooked together and most of the liquid from the tomatoes was evaporated, about 5-10 minutes. Then I added in my fresh spinach and stirred until the leaves looked wilted and everything was mixed consistently. It needed a bit more salt than what I originally added, but I thought this was rather tasty. And really, I think you could probably substitute any greens (or multiple ones) in a recipe like this. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedddXTeb8wWLvxvNc669QcV2-DNr_eQ-cwOhjju2CA8CEUfdwDlE7kY7k63rERXZK1fAT78C7oIXoG0JSlkmEGblCTfJVoPka9ZzL5GcIYE2xv-U7LC55jOMQwqpQklVpx1PrOuU-D203/s640/Food+from+Zambia.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhedddXTeb8wWLvxvNc669QcV2-DNr_eQ-cwOhjju2CA8CEUfdwDlE7kY7k63rERXZK1fAT78C7oIXoG0JSlkmEGblCTfJVoPka9ZzL5GcIYE2xv-U7LC55jOMQwqpQklVpx1PrOuU-D203/s320/Food+from+Zambia.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This was pretty tasty - and an excellent pescatarian meal! </span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I was going to make Nshima, which is another form of pap/ugali/fufu. It’s basically cornmeal and water that’s cooked down as a type of porridge or paste. I ended up not making it because I got tired, and I was hungry. I’ve tried to make it a couple times before, and it didn’t end well. But this meal really needed something to go with it, like rice or couscous. One thing my family noticed was that all of these dishes were fairly similar in their base: tomatoes and onions. Honestly, I don’t think you can go wrong with tomatoes and onions, unless you’re my husband who gets heartburn from tomatoes or my son who thinks onions are out to ruin his life. I've got news for them: I'm basically not going to stop. <br /><br />Up next: Zimbabwe</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span><p></p>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-80963947945643632022021-02-07T00:15:00.001-05:002022-08-03T10:52:43.017-04:00ZAMBIA: MUSIC AND DANCE<span style="font-size: large;">Traditional music in Zambia served a purpose. Well, many purposes. Many times it was to entertain. But music also told stories, taught lessons, healed, and appealed to deities or spirits. Many of these traditional styles, such as call-and-response or polyrhythmic drumming, can still be heard and utilized today. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.asherworldturns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_15571.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="700" height="213" src="http://www.asherworldturns.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/IMG_15571.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the blog <i>As Her World Turns</i>. Check it out -- she has some great photos of her trips around the world. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Percussion instruments are really the central part of Zambian folk music. They use a variety of drums of different sizes, shapes, and materials to create unique and complex tones. Sometimes, certain kinds of drums are used for specific purposes, such as funerals. One of these special drums is known as the lion drum, and it’s actually a friction drum (one that has a stick inserted into the drum that resonates sound as it rubs across the drum head). There are also types of xylophones, like the 17-note silimba. Varieties of flutes and thumb pianos are found throughout Zambia as well. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4xusWO1HFHs/maxresdefault.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4xusWO1HFHs/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />One particular style of folk music from Zambia is called kalindula. It’s actually the name of a type of bass guitar that lent its name to a type of up-beat music that uses this guitar along with other handcrafted guitars called banjos (different from what we know as banjos in Western music, although it has its roots in Africa) and homemade drum sets. Kalindula music is played throughout Zambia and can often be heard on the radio. These bands also participate in music fests too. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgfhS5v3M6YEEJgWY0-h_yegJHdgtebJrEoIqxdXeQ25v-K5zFrbXOdCvyY_i8Aj2gA1Lj65JT8mEAX6gsiZFM3KlbpJpoO3RxxlY0CdQufRtsKmCa9HwskCiBEmjAlwFGPQ0o9sreAA1ovHfO3thteZU9FBi_E7eAVNBD9rVDM28HFlTUL9h-b=s512" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="512" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgfhS5v3M6YEEJgWY0-h_yegJHdgtebJrEoIqxdXeQ25v-K5zFrbXOdCvyY_i8Aj2gA1Lj65JT8mEAX6gsiZFM3KlbpJpoO3RxxlY0CdQufRtsKmCa9HwskCiBEmjAlwFGPQ0o9sreAA1ovHfO3thteZU9FBi_E7eAVNBD9rVDM28HFlTUL9h-b=w320-h262" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laban Kalunga, kalindula musician<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />One dance that is common in Lusaka and throughout the Cobberbelt regions is the Mooba dance of the Lenje ethnic group. It’s been included as part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This dance is performed by both men and women at social events. At the peak of the dance, some dancers are said to be possessed by the BaChooba ancestral spirits. Dancers wear colorful beaded jewelry and headbands, a special skirt called a buyombo, and rattles on their ankles. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://ich.unesco.org/img/photo/thumb/12063-BIG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://ich.unesco.org/img/photo/thumb/12063-BIG.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />In Zambia, reggae, hip-hop, and R&B are particularly popular styles that made its way into their music. I first mentioned <b>Sampa the Great </b>in the first post on Zambia. She uses hip-hop, jazz, and African rhythms and harmonies mixed together with her poetic lyrics to create a complete package. She mainly sings in English. I love her music so much. It’s hard not to just go on and on about her music. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.zedhypemag.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sampa-The-Great.png?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.zedhypemag.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Sampa-The-Great.png?fit=1366%2C768&ssl=1" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sampa the Great<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I also listened to <b>Jordan Katembula</b> (or sometimes known as JK). His music is more Zambian R&B and pop and was one of the leading musicians in Zambia in the late 1990s. It was pretty catchy and definitely has that “African sound” to it that I still can’t describe any better. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://secureservercdn.net/160.153.138.177/02b.3d3.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/15327506_924571464310814_6083656293398350649_n-741x486.jpg?time=1609773536" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="741" height="210" src="https://secureservercdn.net/160.153.138.177/02b.3d3.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/15327506_924571464310814_6083656293398350649_n-741x486.jpg?time=1609773536" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jordan Katembula, aka JK<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The music of <b>Macky 2</b> is more like a cross between hip-hop and dance music. Definitely seems like something you’d hear in the club or at a party. Like Jordan, he tends to sing/rap in both English and his local language. <b>Chef 187</b> is a little more straight hip-hop in my opinion, and he tends to have more guests on his tracks (at least on the album I was listening to). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/eb/Mulaza_Kaira.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="650" height="266" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/eb/Mulaza_Kaira.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macky 2<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I checked out <b>Bobby East</b>’s album <i>Vanilla</i>. I think it has a lot more reggae mixed in with it. I liked it, but I’m also a fan of reggae. He also collaborated with several people on most of his songs. It was kind of fun to listen to. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://s.mxmcdn.net/images-storage/albums4/0/3/1/5/7/1/42175130_350_350.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://s.mxmcdn.net/images-storage/albums4/0/3/1/5/7/1/42175130_350_350.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b>Slap Dee </b>is probably one of the bigger names in Zambian hip-hop, and you can tell why. Some songs seem to have a strong American hip-hop presence to them, but others have a clear ragga or reggae feel. Another popular musician is <b>K’Million</b>. His music seems on the lighter side of things with elements from pop and R&B. Although he has a couple songs in English, most are in his local language. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjEvv8-Jt2-ps-UD1-dAvDUq_en9ZpGzhwTE5As_S7dRxT911bPZhf3eTYABqNL5XW1hfV-bje6jM-6uV_wbgO0lKSTKRlmdvA6KL4ZvefLxRCoO60Jlj13u-SXPR7UKpNqbLTqQZUgHVXnnqeo7aPwCgw7OhE4bjtgA_7JsMaVPnHsbg=s512" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="465" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjEvv8-Jt2-ps-UD1-dAvDUq_en9ZpGzhwTE5As_S7dRxT911bPZhf3eTYABqNL5XW1hfV-bje6jM-6uV_wbgO0lKSTKRlmdvA6KL4ZvefLxRCoO60Jlj13u-SXPR7UKpNqbLTqQZUgHVXnnqeo7aPwCgw7OhE4bjtgA_7JsMaVPnHsbg=w291-h320" width="291" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slap Dee<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Up next: the food</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-87164604526476597212021-02-04T08:05:00.004-05:002022-08-03T10:58:23.184-04:00ZAMBIA: ART AND LITERATURE<span style="font-size: large;">Zambia has a great preservation area of rock drawings at its national monument called Mwela Rock Paintings. There are nearly 700 drawings spread across rock walls and inside caves just east of Kasama. Dating to the Late Stone Age, these are some of the most significant examples of rock drawings in southern Africa. Most of these drawings consist of humans and animals together along with some abstract shapes as well. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://assets.atlasobscura.com/media/W1siZiIsInVwbG9hZHMvcGxhY2VfaW1hZ2VzL2ZlZGJmOTk1LWQ5YzItNDFhMi1iM2NjLWI5M2QwMDIzOGM5NDFlODFjZTFhMGNjZWFkZDAxY19EYWJvdXNfR2lyYWZmZXNfMi5qcGciXSxbInAiLCJjb252ZXJ0IiwiLWF1dG8tb3JpZW50ICJdLFsicCIsInRodW1iIiwiMTE0Nng3NjQrMjUrMjEiXSxbInAiLCJjb252ZXJ0IiwiLXF1YWxpdHkgODEgLWF1dG8tb3JpZW50Il0sWyJwIiwidGh1bWIiLCI2MDB4NDAwIyJdXQ/Dabous_Giraffes_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://assets.atlasobscura.com/media/W1siZiIsInVwbG9hZHMvcGxhY2VfaW1hZ2VzL2ZlZGJmOTk1LWQ5YzItNDFhMi1iM2NjLWI5M2QwMDIzOGM5NDFlODFjZTFhMGNjZWFkZDAxY19EYWJvdXNfR2lyYWZmZXNfMi5qcGciXSxbInAiLCJjb252ZXJ0IiwiLWF1dG8tb3JpZW50ICJdLFsicCIsInRodW1iIiwiMTE0Nng3NjQrMjUrMjEiXSxbInAiLCJjb252ZXJ0IiwiLXF1YWxpdHkgODEgLWF1dG8tb3JpZW50Il0sWyJwIiwidGh1bWIiLCI2MDB4NDAwIyJdXQ/Dabous_Giraffes_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Much of their traditional arts were mainly handicrafts like pottery, basket weaving, and wood carving. They’re also known for carving wooden stools. Although they typically use quite a bit of natural materials (wood, grasses, bones), they also use metal (copper or wire art), fabrics, and even plastic. Recycled or upcycled art is also a popular art form. One particular form of textile art is called chitenge material: fabric with print patterns on it in a batik style. The style is typically seen as a type of women’s dress or sarong. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2c/94/8f/2c948fc291310dbeef52aed6252ade66.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2c/94/8f/2c948fc291310dbeef52aed6252ade66.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Most modern art in Zambia stems from its introduction from Europeans during the colonial years. All mediums of art--painting, sketching, sculpting, and others--reflected not only typical European styles and techniques, but they quickly learned to incorporate their own bits of African and Zambian influences to it. An organization called Lechwe Trust was created in 1986 was designed to promote Zambian art and artists. For many artists in Zambia, they find it difficult to practice their art in their own country due to the lack of classes and ability to get the materials, often having to study abroad and order supplies from other countries. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://arthistoryproject.com/site/assets/files/32426/henry_tayali-busy_town-1970-trivium-art-history.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="800" height="208" src="https://arthistoryproject.com/site/assets/files/32426/henry_tayali-busy_town-1970-trivium-art-history.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Busy Town</i> by Henry Tayali<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />A few artists to take note of include <b>Gladys Kalichini</b> (painter, photographer, drawing), <b>Agnes Buya Yombwe</b> (drawing, sculptor, painter, textile artist, teacher), <b>Henry Tayali</b> (painter, abstract painter), <b>David Daut Makala</b> (sculptor, painter), <b>Milumbe Haimbe</b> (digital illustrator), <b>Nukwase Tembo </b>(surrealist painter), and <b>Stary Mwaba</b> (painter, sculptor, mixed media). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://biennaledakar.org/2014/IMG/jpg/haimbe_page_1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="578" height="320" src="https://biennaledakar.org/2014/IMG/jpg/haimbe_page_1.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Milumbe Haimbe<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Much of what we know about written literature came from the mid-20th century. The vast majority of published works are done in English, but there have been a handful of novels and other works written in local languages, such as Bemba. There’s not an exclusive push for literature; very little has been published on a global scale. The resources just aren’t there. But it is there, and they have a couple publishing houses in Zambia that do produce some works. And there are writers groups consisting of authors and educators coming together to promote Zambian literature and what they can do to increase the interest. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgieX2dW-h4PKXtRGb9hEB6I7Y2Z4pUq5MSrQF_rxq-ghKRYlssXFysBx_jjfwiwxC638RNesp4pumSrlyo6kD6Lbnx83FZCCpeZbPdTenM8aHmvHlVbnBleT4P5qPhzps24aBNomDTBfBedUOKfi1LCwkzd084_HdeLAaUyCpsWLly=s512" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="512" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgieX2dW-h4PKXtRGb9hEB6I7Y2Z4pUq5MSrQF_rxq-ghKRYlssXFysBx_jjfwiwxC638RNesp4pumSrlyo6kD6Lbnx83FZCCpeZbPdTenM8aHmvHlVbnBleT4P5qPhzps24aBNomDTBfBedUOKfi1LCwkzd084_HdeLAaUyCpsWLly=w320-h231" width="320" /></a></div><br />Before the influence of European powers, stories were told aloud and included elements of dance and theatre. Rituals and languages may vary across tribes, but there are many similarities in stories as well. Fables, moral stories, and stories about animals were common, although the stories themselves may have several variations. The Europeans weren’t really fans of this and forced them to stop, but they were basically like, “Nah, man.” The British introduced Western-style theatre in Zambia, and there were also theatre groups which were kept segregated in the beginning. Radio plays and stage plays were not only performed in English but in local languages as well, often merging Western styles with their indigenous traditions. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41XyuOBVH4L.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41XyuOBVH4L.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br />Some Zambian writers you should look for include <b>Binwell Sinyangwe</b> (known for <i>Quills of Desire</i> and <i>A Cowrie of Hope</i>), <b>Namwali Serpell </b>(known for <i>Muzungu</i> and <i>The Old Drift</i>), <b>Kayo Chingonyi</b> (known for <i>KuMukanda</i>), <b>Wilbur Smith</b> (known for <i>When the Lion Feeds</i>), <b>Dambisa Moyo</b> (known for <i>Dead Aid: How the West was Lost</i>), <b>Mali Kambandu</b> (known for “A Hand to Hold”), <b>Ellen Banda-Aaku </b>(known for <i>Wandi’s Little Voice</i> and <i>Patchwork</i>), and <b>Efemia Chela</b> (known for <i>Chicken</i>). <br /><br />Up next: music and dance</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-11446797702439858212021-02-01T08:09:00.002-05:002022-08-03T11:07:46.276-04:00 ZAMBIA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE<span style="font-size: large;">A few years ago, I was exploring some different playlists in Spotify while I was working on some other things, and a song popped up in the mix that stopped me. It was the song “Blue Boss” by Sampa the Great. I hadn’t even heard of her before, but I had to find this song. She had a couple singles and a mixtape album out at that time. I absolutely fell in love with her style and promptly downloaded the album from iTunes. I listened to it over and over. In fact, I had even thought about getting a tattoo of the lyrics from her song “Jamal”: “I’m obliged to be a friend, not an enemy.” Although she was born in Zambia and moved to Australia, she’s never forgotten her Zambian roots. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3942507572_5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a3942507572_5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my all-time favorite albums<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The name Zambia comes from the Zambezi River, one of the prominent rivers in this part of Africa. Zambezi itself means “great river,” and they aren’t lying. In 1911, this area was renamed Northern Rhodesia by the British, after Cecil Rhodes (he was basically a British capitalist, and what Wikipedia refers to as an “empire-builder,” I will refer to as a “chief colonizer”). But they renamed themselves Zambia upon gaining independence in 1964. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/images/zambia-on-map.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="800" height="260" src="https://www.victoriafalls-guide.net/images/zambia-on-map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Zambia is sometimes included as part of southern Africa and sometimes eastern Africa. I tend to think of it as more southern than anything. This land-locked country is surrounded by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north; Tanzania to the northeast; Malawi to the east; Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and an extremely small border with Botswana to the south; and Angola to the west. The country consists of high plateaus, hills, some mountains, and lies in the river basins of both the Zambezi/Kafue Rivers and the Congo Rivers. Victoria Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the world because of its width (over a mile wide!) and is on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Because of the country’s elevation, it has more of a moderate climate, although there are some areas that experience a more tropical and subtropical climate. They have rainy and dry seasons, which also supports their biodiversity and ecosystems.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://aaregistry.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/zambia-independence-.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="350" src="https://aaregistry.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/zambia-independence-.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zambia gained its independence from Britain.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Carbon dating shows people have been in this area between 300,000 and 125,000 years BC. The Khoisan and Batwe people arrived from Eastern African lands, and the Bantu migration brought tribes from northern and western lands. Tribes merged and created new tribes, cultures, and languages. They joined in with trading across Africa, India, and the Arabian Peninsula and later, the Portuguese. The Bemba joined with several other tribes to create the Luba Kingdom, which was mostly farmers and iron workers and eventually grew to be quite large and advanced. It was also the parent state of the Lunda empire. However, they were no match to the slave trade. Immigrants started settling around Lake Mweru and Lake Malawi and later became known as the Maravi Empire. They had problems with the Portuguese (who didn’t?), who were moving in on their trading and iron export business. As the Portuguese and British established themselves as part of trading in both goods and people, the indigenous tribes started rising up, and conflicts lasted for quite a while. One of the most famous of these leaders was Shaka from the Zulus. Many Europeans started exploring Africa around this time, and one of the most prominent in this area was David Livingstone, a Scottish physician and explorer. He was not a fan of the slave trade and wanted to end it (the city of Livingstone is named after him). Cecil Rhodes was a British mining businessman who also served as the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. The Rhodesian colonies are named after him. In 1911, this area was renamed as a British protectorate called Northern Rhodesia (as opposed to Southern Rhodesia, which was Zimbabwe). In 1964, they finally gained their independence, renaming themselves as Zambia. There was a lot of tension during those early years as conflicts in nearby countries took place, namely Zimbabwe. During the 1970s and 1980s, Zambia struggled as the price of copper, their main export, went down. The 1990s brought a coup, and multiparty democracy was established. Zambia’s economy finally stabilized during the 2000s, and things started to look up as foreign investment in mining, especially copper, began to help create stability in the country. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e6/a2/64/e6a264d67a94e63e133e23a065584042.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="800" height="259" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e6/a2/64/e6a264d67a94e63e133e23a065584042.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lusaka</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Located in the central southern part of the country, the capital city is Lusaka. It’s the center of both government, commerce, and education. There are a number of theatres, shopping centers, sporting venues, museums, parks and gardens, and restaurants for people to enjoy. The metro area has around 2.2 million people who live in this area. What’s interesting is that although there is bus service within the neighborhoods and city, many of the public transports are privately owned. But then I found out that there isn't even a bus map (or at least not until recently)! <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://miningforzambia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/cathode_copper3-1068x686.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="800" height="206" src="https://miningforzambia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/cathode_copper3-1068x686.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copper mining and production<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Poverty remains to be a problem in both rural and urban areas, but more so in the rural areas where the main form of earning money comes from subsistence farming. Copper mining has traditionally been their key export, but for many years, the price of copper has fallen globally. They also mine for other materials like tin, uranium, and nickel. Some of the main crops they grow include chili peppers, wheat, tobacco, and corn. Tourism, especially ecotourism, is also an important part of their economy. There are several nature preserves and protected parks, like Victoria Falls, spread across the country. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Catholic_church_in_mansa.jpg/300px-Catholic_church_in_mansa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Catholic_church_in_mansa.jpg/300px-Catholic_church_in_mansa.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Officially, Zambia is a Christian organization, clearly introduced by the Europeans who settled (I mean, colonized) the area. The vast majority of Christians are Protestant, followed by Roman Catholics. Denominations like Lutheran, Pentecostal, Anglican, Jehovah’s Witnesses and others can be found throughout the cities and some rural areas. However, there are other religions represented in Zambia as well, including Bahá’í, Islam, and Judaism. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/17/bf/c5/17bfc57f318b432a4fe1b419ee3128fb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="552" height="178" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/17/bf/c5/17bfc57f318b432a4fe1b419ee3128fb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />English is the official language because of its status as a British protectorate. It’s used as the official language for government and education. In the capital of Lusaka, Nyanja (or Chewa) is the main local language spoken there. Bemba is the main local language spoken throughout much of the rust belt. Other local languages that are spoken and supported through the media include Tonga, Lozi, Kaonde, Lunda, and Luvale. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://wild-wings-safaris.com/uploads/files/vic_falls_aerial_zimbabwe_zambia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="800" height="174" src="https://wild-wings-safaris.com/uploads/files/vic_falls_aerial_zimbabwe_zambia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I am fascinated with large natural structures. It always leaves me in awe. And Victoria Falls is one of those. As a kid, I would stare at photos of this. I didn’t fully realize it was located between Zambia and Zimbabwe, though. I missed the opportunity to see Iguaçu Falls when I was in Brazil, and I haven’t been to Niagara Falls (yet). But Victoria Falls is definitely on my bucket list of things to see. <br /><br />Up next: art and literature</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-58076919499289030812021-01-24T20:36:00.000-05:002021-01-24T20:36:11.594-05:00YEMEN: THE FOOD<span style="font-size: large;">Man, what an anxiety-ridden last couple of weeks. Between the attempted coup at the Capitol and the inauguration of our new presidential administration, it should’ve been enough. On top of all that, I had to take the cat to the vet twice and my husband broke a tooth. However, the “cold Bernie” memes have been giving me life, so there’s always that. Everything in balance, right? <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KtbtNvz1Id9A5rFwiJRCp_ok4Ji0eMoU7JQBYGxU0T1YHAj_EfGYS6327cod_rUDIiv-APicqZcG3LcbDEja6Vy9Ch5VtYX8_xZSBrAk5HpMENBDAfgyCXcBBAMRruGSYHsPc-4its8A/s640/Kubaneh.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KtbtNvz1Id9A5rFwiJRCp_ok4Ji0eMoU7JQBYGxU0T1YHAj_EfGYS6327cod_rUDIiv-APicqZcG3LcbDEja6Vy9Ch5VtYX8_xZSBrAk5HpMENBDAfgyCXcBBAMRruGSYHsPc-4its8A/s320/Kubaneh.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, these are good. I've already come up with a few variations of these in my head. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />But today, I’m making food from Yemen. I started out making <b>Kubaneh</b>, or Yemeni pull-apart rolls. In a bowl, I mixed together 1 c of water, a yeast packet, ½ c sugar, 1 Tbsp salt, 3 ⅓ c flour, and 1 egg and mixed it all together until everything was combined well. I kneaded it for several minutes before adding in 2 Tbsp of softened butter, just a bit at a time and kneading it again. Covering the dough with some plastic wrap, I let it rest in the bowl for about 20 minutes. After flouring my hands a little, I turned the dough out onto a floured workspace and kept cutting it in half until I had 16 even pieces and covered them with some plastic wrap. Meanwhile, I took a piece of butter and buttered my workspace as well as my hands, taking one of my dough pieces and flattened it out with my hands. The shape doesn’t matter so much. Then I sprinkled a bit of poppy seeds (in lieu of nigella seeds) and rolled it up like a long skinny log. Then I took my log and rolled it like a snail. I took out a springform pan and buttered it well and put my dough snails in my buttered pan. I did the same thing for the rest of the dough pieces, placing them in my pan like I was making cinnamon rolls. When I finished all of them, I covered the whole pan with plastic wrap and let it rise for about an hour (they didn’t rise all that much). When that time was done, I preheated my oven to 350ºF. Before I put them into the oven, I whisked together an egg with a bit of water and brushed the top of the rolls with it. I baked these for 30 minutes until the tops were golden. While that was baking, I took a can of diced tomatoes and crushed them by hand, drained off some of the liquid, seasoned it with a little olive oil and some salt and pepper (I added in some green chilies too). Once I took it out, I served the sauce on the side. I thought these were really good. Some of the egg wash dripped down to the bottom, so the bottoms of the rolls were kind of crispy and stuck to the pan. But otherwise, they were really good. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOCU7oFXPbQSHSQtk8tdb-D0LjFquNSTN_gQBV8jGWYgB12ZMvZrXhWP4LavTPRmooiIfVgwzTAo9o2TotUNEiw3FbnILNULOoKcS6nOxN9xpCPu_RwgDMedu-pu8TAU5dKCXVUpGD7Zp/s640/Yemeni+Chicken+Mandi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOCU7oFXPbQSHSQtk8tdb-D0LjFquNSTN_gQBV8jGWYgB12ZMvZrXhWP4LavTPRmooiIfVgwzTAo9o2TotUNEiw3FbnILNULOoKcS6nOxN9xpCPu_RwgDMedu-pu8TAU5dKCXVUpGD7Zp/s320/Yemeni+Chicken+Mandi.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very good, indeed. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The main meal I made was <b>Yemeni Chicken Mandi</b>. First, I assembled my Yemeni spice mix and set it off to the side: ground cumin, ground coriander, black pepper, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground turmeric, and a touch of red chili powder (it’s optional, but I used a touch of cayenne pepper anyway). I couldn’t find a half chicken, so I went with some chicken thighs with the skin on. I seasoned it with some salt, and then I mixed a bit of softened butter in with 2 Tbsp of the spice mix and brushed it on the chicken and set the chicken off to the side for about 10 minutes. I put my chicken pieces on a baking sheet and covered them with aluminum foil. I baked them for about 20 minutes and then removed the top foil and baked it for another 15 minutes. I did wipe off some of the spices before serving it since it looked caked on there. For the rice part, I fried some chopped onion with a bit of olive oil, followed by some diced tomatoes and diced green chilies. Then I added in about 1 ½ tsp of the spice mix and stirred before adding in 2 cups of water with a little salt. Once the water came to a boil, I added in my rice, covered the pot, and turned down the heat. After about 10-15 minutes, I stirred my rice (especially stirring up from the bottom to keep it from sticking) and turned the heat off and put the lid back on until the rice was completely done. To serve, I put some rice on the plate and topped it with a piece of chicken and garnished it with some raisins and almonds. I really liked this. And even though I’m not much of a fan of raisins, I thought the raisins and almonds were a nice addition to it to the complexity of this dish. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftUg5pmwUaaeYoX0QeXW23S3q531Rd6bT49Xcd7Pc0tZ3hepwMA8ZfQ3L1wgSYE3hvjZ-U5YRcs4rF0FAx0bJC1y3Qz1WGVzNkNX7Y3c12I0mgvVxngptn702gJYWpPsl59nFT8FBQh2q/s640/Yemeni+Red+Lentil+Soup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftUg5pmwUaaeYoX0QeXW23S3q531Rd6bT49Xcd7Pc0tZ3hepwMA8ZfQ3L1wgSYE3hvjZ-U5YRcs4rF0FAx0bJC1y3Qz1WGVzNkNX7Y3c12I0mgvVxngptn702gJYWpPsl59nFT8FBQh2q/s320/Yemeni+Red+Lentil+Soup.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a good comfort food. Especially with the bread. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />To go with this (because it’s cold and I thought it would go well with the bread), I made <b>Yemeni Red Lentil Soup</b>. I washed and drained my red lentils and set it off to the side. In a large saucepan, I cooked some diced onion and cumin together in some oil until the onions were starting to turn brown, about 5-10 minutes. Then I added in some minced garlic and stirred together before adding some tomato sauce, the lentils, water, salt, and a touch of turmeric and brought everything to a boil. Then I lowered my heat and let it cook down for about 30 minutes until the lentils were soft. Some people throw their soup in a blender to puree it, but I didn’t want to dirty up the blender. But regardless, this was amazing. I topped mine with a bit of fresh cilantro, although I wish I had some parsley instead. It did go well with the bread and was practically perfect. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoptufrtjS8FImef9xMNL15zqnCnv7zB_nLS38rmzr0dhJ7aBHd_g597BcVw_IHyoeBvnmovjwlf_fGr91vvjuiAc4LZItZtzNRpfODTpUFTMyQyLQ_2Es4LfaaiymH7wogDfLQajkO30/s640/Food+from+Yemen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoptufrtjS8FImef9xMNL15zqnCnv7zB_nLS38rmzr0dhJ7aBHd_g597BcVw_IHyoeBvnmovjwlf_fGr91vvjuiAc4LZItZtzNRpfODTpUFTMyQyLQ_2Es4LfaaiymH7wogDfLQajkO30/s320/Food+from+Yemen.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd say this was a great meal. My son wouldn't touch it at all, but everyone else liked it. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />During these last few weeks, I’ve been seeing Yemen in the news quite a bit. Things are getting worse there, I fear. Admittedly, I haven’t been following what’s going on there too closely. But what I’ve gathered was that one of the last things Trump did was declare the Houthi regime a terrorist organization, but it’s also complicating the efforts of aid organizations getting food and medical supplies to people in need, which is nearly 80% of the country. Organizations like the WHO, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, and the UN Security Council have all warned it’s a very dire situation for most Yemenis living in the country. The country may be on the brink of collapse. It puts things in perspective sitting here in the US when I watch people here act like wearing a mask is an infringement on their life. <br /><br />Up next: Zambia</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-32928965736257363612021-01-23T22:39:00.000-05:002021-01-23T22:39:38.181-05:00YEMEN: MUSIC AND DANCE<span style="font-size: large;">The music of Yemen shares many similarities with the music of the Arabian peninsula, but it has its own versions. Many of their Jewish musicians have also been successful in Israel as well. There’s a type of folk music that is essentially poetic songs called <i>al-Ghina al-San’ani</i>. In 2003, it was added as part of the UNESCO Oral and Intangible Heritage list. Folk music is traditionally performed in the home with the performers chewing on khat (it’s a kind of leaf that has a moderate psychoactive stimulant effect when it’s chewed, so of course musicians would chew it). Another type of sung poetry is called <i>homayni</i>, which dates back to the 14th century. However, there’s a kind of urban style of homayni that’s performed now. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTNeEZU0poHIjAyBTi0Wtd3Y8dwj19m2VdOGA&usqp=CAU" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="213" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTNeEZU0poHIjAyBTi0Wtd3Y8dwj19m2VdOGA&usqp=CAU" width="320" /></a></div><br />Because of Yemen’s location, their folk music and folk dance are influenced from Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Arabian Peninsula. However, dances that are purely Yemeni mainly fall into two categories: Afro-Yemeni dances and Asian-Yemeni dances. Each region of the country has its own versions of folk dances and folk music. Percussion and other instruments often accompany many of these dances. There are tribal dances and war dances where dancers hold daggers (hope they don’t fall!), and some dances that are men-only, women-only, and some for both. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiJEKOGW9LSMGtkMp-o5LGNBxVxWp-9AL8yqDs1MitDUhOFBqTMGpHw9Ng_gv5RNpobnuWu59CAqEPkgfyUWCpNcW-hprRNFAY0GNWHPrr_FuJX1bRhoZ1xZzjGkwn-H0d9e94GNBUGDsZJ7BxNbU1wXxzXC8MKZi_Rs3OlqteT5SiLxylvaQ=s512" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="512" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiJEKOGW9LSMGtkMp-o5LGNBxVxWp-9AL8yqDs1MitDUhOFBqTMGpHw9Ng_gv5RNpobnuWu59CAqEPkgfyUWCpNcW-hprRNFAY0GNWHPrr_FuJX1bRhoZ1xZzjGkwn-H0d9e94GNBUGDsZJ7BxNbU1wXxzXC8MKZi_Rs3OlqteT5SiLxylvaQ=w320-h180" width="320" /></a></div><br />In recent decades, hip-hop has become quite the popular genre among young urban musicians. Gravitating toward its history of using hip-hop as a means of socio-political expression, it’s no wonder why some young Yemeni rappers have used it as a means to rap about the ongoing war, anti-terrorism, and the state of life in general. Drawing from American and European styles, they bring their own versions of songs to their Yemeni audiences. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Ch6tslrnL._SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Ch6tslrnL._SS500_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />So, it was a little difficult to find some current Yemeni musicians (admittedly, I also didn't do an extensive search because of time). Because hip-hip is so popular in Yemen, even in diaspora, I managed to find a few. I listened to one artist who calls himself <b>YungYem</b>. I believe he grew up in Detroit, Michigan, so he mixes a lot of American rap styles in with Yemeni Arabic. There were some references to another rapper named <b>Hagage “AJ” Masaed</b> who grew up in Ohio, but I had trouble finding examples of his work on Spotify. I liked what I heard from YungYem, though; it was fairly chill, which I find myself gravitating toward as I get older. Can’t go hard all the time, right? <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1598578125_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a1598578125_5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I also found an American DJ named Erez Safar, whose mother is from Yemen. Professionally, he’s produced albums under two names. Under his name <b>Diwon</b>, I listened to some of the album called <i>New Game</i>. I really enjoyed this; it was very well put together. It’s a little bit hip-hop, a little bit techno, a little bit club mix, a little bit lo-fi. I thought it was fantastic. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://h2the.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AOLFM-final-4SPOTIFY-scaled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://h2the.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AOLFM-final-4SPOTIFY-scaled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Under his other name, <b>h2the</b>, I sampled through his album <i>An Album of Lo-Fi Songs That Will Never Trend</i>. I have increasingly been drawn to lo-fi beats (especially since the pandemic forced us into quarantine), so I immediately gravitated toward this. This is the type of album you can listen to while you’re working. And trust me, I will definitely add this into my mix. This dude definitely has some skills. <br /><br />Up next: the food </span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-82816185647987690472021-01-21T20:49:00.000-05:002021-01-21T20:49:13.844-05:00 YEMEN: ART AND LITERATURE<p><span style="font-size: large;">Early art of the South Arabian region reflected much of what you saw in the classical era of art. Inscriptions and geometric designs were found on sculptures and architecture. Pre-Islamic art depicted scenes from daily life, battles, musicians, hunting, animals, and even meeting deities. Like other countries where the dominant religion is Islam, their art has been highly influenced by this religion, namely not being allowed to depict people anymore. Handicrafts include jewelry making, embroidery and textile art, and Islam-inspired architecture characterized by geometric designs and arches. They also did quite a bit of metalwork and created their own coins. <br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://media.wsimag.com/attachments/9fd1a6ecbfa51ba4a59418394f06aa5fe586368e/store/fill/1090/613/50b4ca9de638d30fc7e1d104250e61a58c809820acbb04bd49871e0c6871/Anna-Garner-Antique-silver-bracelet-from-Yemen-2002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://media.wsimag.com/attachments/9fd1a6ecbfa51ba4a59418394f06aa5fe586368e/store/fill/1090/613/50b4ca9de638d30fc7e1d104250e61a58c809820acbb04bd49871e0c6871/Anna-Garner-Antique-silver-bracelet-from-Yemen-2002.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />While Yemen was under British rule, they introduced many Western painting techniques and artistic styles. Many British artists also traveled to Yemen to paint its cities and landscape, but there are also a number of Yemeni artists who create in a number of mediums. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://muradsubay.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/img_1201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="625" height="320" src="https://muradsubay.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/img_1201.jpg" width="250" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Murad Subay<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Some Yemeni artists of note include <b>Murad Subay</b> (contemporary street artist and political activist), <b>Boushra Almutawakel</b> (female photographer focusing on gender representation), <b>Abdul Jabbar Numan</b> (realism painter), <b>Fuad Al-Futaih</b> (painter, one of the first to promote graphic arts in Yemen), <b>Saba Jallas</b> (female artist, known for manipulating photos of smoke), <b>Hashem Ali</b> (plastic artist), <b>Haider Galib </b>(surrealism painter), and <b>Sabri Al-Haiki</b> (painter and art critic).<br /> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.takepart.com/sites/default/files/styles/tp_gallery_slide/public/yemen-bombings-8-itok=-Rl4BYks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" height="213" src="https://www.takepart.com/sites/default/files/styles/tp_gallery_slide/public/yemen-bombings-8-itok=-Rl4BYks.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">by Saba Jallas<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />For some reason, it was difficult to find an extensive history on Yemeni literature. With its influential kingdoms spreading South Arabian languages across that region during its early history, it’s reasonable to assume that there must have at least been written accounts from the royal courts and histories. I did find a book published by the British-Yemeni Society called <i>From the Land of Sheba: Yemeni Folk Tales</i>, although some of the stories originated from other areas. But the vast majority of literature from Yemen jumps to the 20th century. Perhaps the centuries of civil war and socio-political turmoil affected their ability to produce their own literature until then. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348389665i/1290224._UY400_SS400_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348389665i/1290224._UY400_SS400_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Poetry has been a dominant form of literature in the Arab world for many centuries with Yemen among them. There are quite a few poets from Yemen, include <b>Abu Bakr al-Aydorus</b> (sufism scholar and patron saint of Aden), <b>Abdullah Al-Baradouri</b> (considered Yemen’s most famous poet), <b>Abd al-Rahman Fakhri</b> (known as a modernist poet), <b>Abdulnasser Mugali</b> (writer and poet, known for his poems of Yemeni immigrants living in the US), and <b>Shalom Shabazi</b> (Jewish poet, considered the Poet of Yemen). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/1bc8e205-6337-4f33-a905-93584b95493d/d7cqkpv-461da53d-609b-4e79-a204-ffe2f2e0fd56.jpg/v1/fill/w_567,h_790,q_75,strp/abdullah_al_baradouni_by_artsufan_d7cqkpv-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD03OTAiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC8xYmM4ZTIwNS02MzM3LTRmMzMtYTkwNS05MzU4NGI5NTQ5M2RcL2Q3Y3FrcHYtNDYxZGE1M2QtNjA5Yi00ZTc5LWEyMDQtZmZlMmYyZTBmZDU2LmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD01NjcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.zEdtyBVZ6YQo6yXFv4fpcZwOCzEAoc5zGoeZti3ieuE" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/1bc8e205-6337-4f33-a905-93584b95493d/d7cqkpv-461da53d-609b-4e79-a204-ffe2f2e0fd56.jpg/v1/fill/w_567,h_790,q_75,strp/abdullah_al_baradouni_by_artsufan_d7cqkpv-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD03OTAiLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC8xYmM4ZTIwNS02MzM3LTRmMzMtYTkwNS05MzU4NGI5NTQ5M2RcL2Q3Y3FrcHYtNDYxZGE1M2QtNjA5Yi00ZTc5LWEyMDQtZmZlMmYyZTBmZDU2LmpwZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD01NjcifV1dLCJhdWQiOlsidXJuOnNlcnZpY2U6aW1hZ2Uub3BlcmF0aW9ucyJdfQ.zEdtyBVZ6YQo6yXFv4fpcZwOCzEAoc5zGoeZti3ieuE" width="230" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">I love this painting of <b>Abdullah Al-Baradouri</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />There are a number of novelists from Yemen who have produced a number of works as well. Many of them have had translations of their works published in a London-based literary magazine called <i>Banipal</i>, which aims to promote Arab literature. Authors of note include <b>Ali al-Muqri</b> (several of his novels were listed for the Arab Booker Prize), <b>Zayd Mutee’ Dammaj</b> (his novel <i>The Hostage</i> was included in the Top 100 Arabic novels of the 20th century), <b>Abdallah Salim Bawazir </b>(renowned short story writer, novelist, and columnist), <b>Wajdi al-Ahdal</b> (laureate of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2008), and <b>Samir Abdel Fattah </b>(novelist, short story writer, playright). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/static/images/uploads/wajdi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/static/images/uploads/wajdi1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wajdi al-Ahdal</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Yemen also has a strong history of the theatre starting in the early part of the 20th century. Both amatuer and government-sponsored professional theatre troops entertained people in cities and towns across Yemen. Several of the poets and novelists mentioned above (and others) also wrote plays as well as had their works adapted for the stage. And although they celebrate their own Yemeni stageplays, they also perform other Western works by William Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, Luigi Pirandello, and Bertolt Brecht. Sana’a is famous for holding theatre festivals including participating in World Theatre Day. <br /><br />Up next: music and dance</span><p></p>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-44321672697930808412021-01-18T20:50:00.000-05:002021-01-18T20:50:16.379-05:00YEMEN: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE<span style="font-size: large;">I wasn’t always a coffee drinker. I’d say I started drinking coffee around age 16 or so. I loved the ideas of coffee shops. Sitting around and drinking coffee with friends talking about anything and everything, our plans for the future, and solving all the world’s problems. I spent many nights at my local coffee shop in college studying until it closed. It was one of my favorite places, and it still is. When my kids were young, it became a place to escape to in order to read in peace for a couple of hours. But the history of coffee is interesting: making its way from modern coffee shops, its influence in the industrial revolution, all the way to its roots in Africa and the first documentation of people drinking the brewed version in Yemen. I mean, the caffe mocha is named after the city of Mocha, Yemen. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/irrNpn7No_KI/v1/360x-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="360" height="213" src="https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/irrNpn7No_KI/v1/360x-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The name Yemen is thought to be related to the word Yamnat, which probably referred to historical Yemen, which was much larger than what it is today. It may derive from the word ymnt, meaning “south,” or from the word yamn/yumn meaning “felicity” or “blessed” due to the fertile lands. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://iranprimer.usip.org/sites/default/files/Yemen%20KSA%20Iran%20map%20border_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="513" height="320" src="https://iranprimer.usip.org/sites/default/files/Yemen%20KSA%20Iran%20map%20border_0.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br />Yemen is located on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It’s bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east. It also has a coastline along the Gulf of Aden to the south and the Red Sea to the east. It’s directly across the water from Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia on the Horn of Africa. There are also several islands that belong to Yemen as well, many of which are volcanic. The areas close to the Saudi border are largely desert but the interior is quite mountainous. However, the western highlands are ideal for agriculture. Because of its elevation, much of the country enjoys cooler temperatures than the rest of the peninsula. The western coastal plains are more of a tropical climate, and there’s more rainfall there and many areas of the country except in the desert areas, especially the northeast corner. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/84/4c/6d/844c6d6acdc571a086dcb86751605b13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="473" height="227" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/84/4c/6d/844c6d6acdc571a086dcb86751605b13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Queen of Sheba<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Yemen has a strategic location right in between eastern and western civilizations, and people have been living in this area for thousands and thousands of years. The Sabaean Kingdom was one of the first main kingdoms, making its entrance around the 11th century BCE. Saba was one of a few other kingdoms that were in this area; it was also thought to be Sheba (with its famous queen) that was mentioned in the Bible. The Sabaeans set up the foundations for key trade routes. The Romans explored the area, named it, and then left it in pieces. Much of the early centuries AD were spent fighting over borders and the spreading of Christianity and Judaism. But by the mid-600s, Islam became the major religion of this region. Several dynasties ruled Yemen during the period of around 1000-1500, each with its own battles, revolutions, and advancements. By the 1600s, the Ottomans began to really act on their interest in Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula: namely, their interest in Mecca and Medina (in current-day Saudi Arabia) and the key trade routes established from Yemeni ports. There was a lot of resistance as they moved into some areas (especially the highlands areas), which seems to last a long time. However, they were finally ran out of Yemen in the 1630s, right around the time that Yemen was the sole producer of coffee in the world. As the British were busy transporting Asian spices back to Europe, they became interested in Yemeni ports since the British had a strong naval background. They butted themselves into an incident that allowed them to take over the port of Aden, which really ticked off the Ottomans. The Ottomans tried to retake Sana’a but failed, and the opening of the Suez Canal made them determined to stay. The Ottomans were still hellbent on controlling the tribal regions of the highlands and failed again at trying to accomplish colonialism, this time leaving for good in 1918. The British controlled several colonies and protectorates in this area, including Aden. The North Yemen Civil War that took place during most of the 1960s convinced many to rise up against the British, but it also divided the country into two. By 1990, they came to an agreement and joined the two countries together again. But it didn’t take long before another civil war broke out in 1994. In 2000, an attack on the USS Cole in Aden set tensions on edge (claimed to be launched by al-Qaeda), although Yemen assured the US they were with us in the fight against global terror. Even as of a few years ago, al-Qaeda has been strong in Yemen (no doubt taking advantage of the political instability), and the country is once again in the midst of a civil war. The country is now plagued with lack of infrastructure, cholera, and starvation. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nationsonline.org/gallery/Yemen/Sana'a-Yemen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://www.nationsonline.org/gallery/Yemen/Sana'a-Yemen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sana'a</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In a lot of resources, the capital of Yemen is Sana’a (sometimes spelled as Sana). However, after Sana’a was occupied by the Houthis, the capital was temporarily moved to Aden in 2015. The old sections of Sana’a was declared one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and home to the Al Saleh Mosque. It’s the largest city in the country with a population of around 2.5 million people and also one of the highest in elevation. The port city of Aden is located on the southeastern shore, and although it’s smaller than Sana’a, they still have a population of around 863,000 people. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgQdGry1p6f-Cc1AQfEUqzl2YUi2VpSqcEauyPl1bTYsdfdqtqKY-b5SFYePofW9WwYtAlN4JL4XOkwxwYMQum2oPi0M_aFoq5JNSdA-oVGNE-K6nq13IARZkbA19qwORjNetcsUGuEw2VFNOfXBJcvMGXaim4J71GPwAOMPBAEKflzX6LETsS0bA=s512" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="512" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEgQdGry1p6f-Cc1AQfEUqzl2YUi2VpSqcEauyPl1bTYsdfdqtqKY-b5SFYePofW9WwYtAlN4JL4XOkwxwYMQum2oPi0M_aFoq5JNSdA-oVGNE-K6nq13IARZkbA19qwORjNetcsUGuEw2VFNOfXBJcvMGXaim4J71GPwAOMPBAEKflzX6LETsS0bA=w320-h214" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port city of Aden<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Yemen highly depends on the services sector to bolster its economy. They also have strong footholds in food processing, textiles, oil refining, commercial ship repair, and natural gas production. Because of its landscape, agriculture is limited, but it’s there. Crops like sorghum, cotton, mangoes and other fruits, and khat are grown in Yemen but generally go back to supporting its own people. However, rising food costs are a growing concern. Their biggest exports tend to be coffee, natural gas, crude oil, and dried/salted fish. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.gpsmycity.com/img/gd_attr/45961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://www.gpsmycity.com/img/gd_attr/45961.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Al Saleh Mosque, Sana'a<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Not surprising, Islam is the state religion of Yemen, with slightly more Sunni than Shia (55% to 45%), but other sects/denominations are included as well. There are also a small number of Christians in Yemen still and very few Jews are left in the country. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://westmeathwhiskeyworld.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/welcome_to_yemen.jpg?w=1038&h=576&crop=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="800" height="178" src="https://westmeathwhiskeyworld.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/welcome_to_yemen.jpg?w=1038&h=576&crop=1" width="320" /></a></div><br />Officially, Modern Standard Arabic is the language used in Yemen, but it’s only used for written materials mainly. Yemeni Arabic is the variety that is spoken there. Mehri is a South Semitic language that’s also spoken in Yemen, and the Soqotri language is spoken on the island of Socotra. Other old languages originated here that had its influences throughout the Arab world. English is one of the more important foreign languages studied and used here because of its ties to Britain, but there are also pockets of Russian speakers. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ED5mReWXsAEOSR7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="403" height="320" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ED5mReWXsAEOSR7.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yemeni-brewed Seera Beer (the label says this is brewed in Aden)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />For most countries that declare Islam a state religion, there’s also a ban on alcohol. And that’s mainly true for Yemen, except that I read it’s not quite true about Aden and Sana’a, where people apparently drink like a fish. Or sailors. Beer is the main thing drunk there, but they do have a zero tolerance on drunk driving and public intox. They also smoke a lot too: I read the average adult smokes 34 cigarettes a month (considering that there are probably many people who don’t smoke at all, those who do must smoke like chimneys to keep the average up). Nearly one-third of the population suffers from malnutrition, and heart disease is a major killer. The statistics can be staggering, so it’ll be key to remember that it doesn’t quite paint the picture of this country, and I’m determined to see this country in a different light, from a cultural point of view. <br /><br />Up next: art and literature</span><br />Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-1040003280631815602021-01-10T22:07:00.002-05:002021-01-10T22:07:41.560-05:00 VIETNAM: THE FOOD<span style="font-size: large;">Man, what a week. First of all, it was the first week back to work and school after the holidays, so it was already gonna be a struggle. Then halfway through it, we had to deal with an attempted coup. And the stores were out of a few of the ingredients I needed, so I was forced to improvise. To top it all off, my daughter decided she wanted to bake her best friend a chocolate cake for her birthday but wanted to get all fancy with it (even though this is her first cake she’s baked [eye roll]). We tried, and it was just too crumbly, so I ended up having to go buy one. This sets the scene for my second baking fail of the day when I tried to make Vietnamese Banh Mi. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXjYgkyBCNX02Bt1lMNujZMSonY9TrWkTe7Pso3Wu0WotGCGNc8J_dzE4haUciAVT6smbql88H7_Ij6NZYLUXrpy6xTl5U07irUl_dnMIFABTIxzXHXSC0Cp92kzSr0_uhxA59aOyoT-c/s640/Banh+mi+breadsticks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXjYgkyBCNX02Bt1lMNujZMSonY9TrWkTe7Pso3Wu0WotGCGNc8J_dzE4haUciAVT6smbql88H7_Ij6NZYLUXrpy6xTl5U07irUl_dnMIFABTIxzXHXSC0Cp92kzSr0_uhxA59aOyoT-c/w320-h320/Banh+mi+breadsticks.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Definitely too small for sandwiches, but they make fantastic baguette breadsticks.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><b>Banh mi</b> can refer to the bread as well as the whole sandwich (a type of word called a synecdoche). I tried to make the bread, but I think my yeast was dead because it turned out to be baguettes the size of breadsticks. Here’s what I did: In a bowl, I mixed in the flour, yeast, dough improver (which I Googled and came across a blog that said adding ¼ tsp of ground ginger is one old substitute), salt, and sugar and whisked them together. Then I poured in my water and stirred until it all came together as a smooth dough. I poured in a small amount of oil in the bottom of the bowl and rolled the dough to coat, kneading it for several minutes. Then I formed it into a rectangle that was about an inch thick and divided it into 12 equal pieces. I took each piece and flattened them out, folded them lengthwise, flattened them again, then rolled each piece like a worm, trying to taper the ends. Once I placed these on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, I set them in the cold oven with a pan of boiling water and let them rise for 30-60 minutes (mine did jack squat). When that time was up, I took the baking sheets out of the oven but left the pan of water. I set the oven at 500ºF, and when it was ready, I baked them for about 20 minutes until they were golden brown. They never rose, even during baking, but they certainly tasted like a baguette. They’d be good dipped in some melted chocolate or something, but definitely not large enough to make a sandwich out of. I made an Aldi run, and they were also out of baguettes, so I had to opt for top-cut brioche hot dog buns.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2p2qRl4R5zi6tXpZBKS9hDr0yeD2GgBTlRrZ2E9QW12iuRKV73pshtp5rME7MVI5MNIbvaPr90ceinqfgKHg7QY5RSTawgHIyBDddDpnvKDTvptD-5X976O_kLLiQFpNIbdbtL8_PRGmc/s640/Banh+mi+sandwich.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2p2qRl4R5zi6tXpZBKS9hDr0yeD2GgBTlRrZ2E9QW12iuRKV73pshtp5rME7MVI5MNIbvaPr90ceinqfgKHg7QY5RSTawgHIyBDddDpnvKDTvptD-5X976O_kLLiQFpNIbdbtL8_PRGmc/s320/Banh+mi+sandwich.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first time eating a banh mi, although I've heard so much about them. 10/10, would recommend. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Now it came time to make the sandwich. There are tons of options on what goes into a banh mi, but I chose to make <b>Grilled Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi</b>, which was neither grilled nor used lemongrass. The first thing I did was make the pickled vegetables: I cut a couple carrots and part of a daikon (Japanese white radish) into matchsticks, soaked them in salted water for about a half hour. Then I drained them, added a bit of sugar and some vinegar to them, and put it in the fridge. Then I prepared my pork by cutting it into bite-sized pieces and soaking it in a marinade of soy sauce, worcestershire sauce (in place of fish sauce), sugar, white wine, and black pepper. I let that sit for about an hour. Because I couldn’t find lemongrass, I sauteed some onions with a quarter of an actual lemon (minus the rind). Once the onions started to turn brown, I removed the onions and lemon pieces to a bowl. I took my pork out of the fridge and sauteed it in the same skillet as the onions. When the pork was done, I added the onions back in and let everything cook down together for a few minutes. To make the sandwich, I took my brioche hot dog bun I bought and spread it open. On one side, I spread some mayonnaise (I always use the fake stuff since I hate real mayo. The real recipe called for it to spread pâté on the mayo, but I’m not a fan of pâté, so I left it out.) Then I added the pork mixture and topped it with some sliced cucumber, sliced onions, jalapeñoes, the pickled vegetables, and some cilantro. There was so much stuff packed into that sandwich, it reminded me of a Brazilian hot dog. I thought it was fantastic. The rest of the family didn’t like the pork, but I thought the pork was amazing. I had two sandwiches and the rest of my son’s. Despite all my troubles with the bread and finding ingredients, it was really good in the end. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE7jTyigrOkgb8PjfurgG2C1VDcO9JL_lnsyKoNUmssyK48UsMkeikHET3q_FzUEnVJIMZzmXxncZesSZ8whwhUMmWpa9ZFrtFpgMMmG8Up1ncqsbQWwDyNgWymXxEKOfNbEHioJEe-Xq/s640/Phantom+staring+at+baloons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXE7jTyigrOkgb8PjfurgG2C1VDcO9JL_lnsyKoNUmssyK48UsMkeikHET3q_FzUEnVJIMZzmXxncZesSZ8whwhUMmWpa9ZFrtFpgMMmG8Up1ncqsbQWwDyNgWymXxEKOfNbEHioJEe-Xq/s320/Phantom+staring+at+baloons.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Basically the sandwich was my whole meal, so here's a picture of Phantom seeing mylar balloons for the first time today (they were on the ceiling). She stood like that for five minutes just staring.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I was also going to try making some Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls with shrimp, but I also couldn’t find any of the rice wrappers, only eggroll and wonton wraps. Traditionally, I suck at making any kind of dish that requires wrapping food in other food. This includes almost every kind of dumpling, cabbage rolls, burritos, eggrolls, and anything that is similarly put together. Perhaps I will try the recipe later. (I did buy eggroll wrappers, so maybe I’ll amend my recipe and make some for dinner one night this week.) It’s been a day of patience to be sure. As I told my daughter earlier tonight: you can’t cry if you’re eating breadsticks.<br /><br />Up next: Yemen </span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-4894237425143214482021-01-10T00:16:00.003-05:002021-01-10T00:16:53.980-05:00VIETNAM: MUSIC AND DANCE<span style="font-size: large;">Vietnamese music is closely tied to the musical styles of China, but also influenced by the music of other areas in Asia, namely Japan, Korea, and Mongolia. There were a few styles of court music, with <i>Nha nhac</i> being the most common one. It was a popular music style from the 13th century to the end of the 20th century. It has been performed at official ceremonies as well as at birthdays, weddings, coronations, etc. To go along with the music, there are also dances that accompany this. Outside of <i>Nha nhac</i> (ceremonial music), two other types of chamber music also exist: <i>Dai nhac</i> (great music) and <i>Tieu nhac</i> (small music), both of which are used as entertainment pieces for the ruling class. Another type of chamber music is called dilettante music, or <i>Nhac tai tu</i>. It’s more representative of southern Vietnamese style and tied to the ca Hue style. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://holidaytoindochina.com/webroot/img/images/post_categories/nha-nhac.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://holidaytoindochina.com/webroot/img/images/post_categories/nha-nhac.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Folk music is far more diverse in its styles since it can vary from region to region. A few of these artforms include <i>Cheo</i> (a type of satirical musical theatre performed by peasants), <i>Quan ho</i> (a type of improvised singing used in courting rituals), <i>Nhac dan toc cai bien</i> (a type of modern folk song developed in the 1950s and criticized by purists), <i>Cai luong</i> (a type of theatre popular during the French colonial days), <i>Xam</i> (a dying northern regional folk music commonly performed by blind musicians), <i>Hat chau van</i> (rhythmic type of music used to call spirits and put people in a trance), and <i>Ca tru</i> (a type of folk song sung mainly by women as an almost geisha-like entertainment). <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.hanoilocaltour.com/wp-content/uploads/Ca-Tru-Singing-Traditional-Vietnamese-Art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://www.hanoilocaltour.com/wp-content/uploads/Ca-Tru-Singing-Traditional-Vietnamese-Art.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Vietnam borrowed many of their instruments from China and other areas in Asia. They use a variety of stringed instruments like fiddles (<i>dan gao, dan nhi, dan k’ni</i>), lutes (<i>dan nguyet, dan sen, dan tam, dan ty ba</i>), and zithers and dulcimers (<i>dan bau, dan tam thap luc, dan tranh</i>). There are also a number of percussion instruments like different sizes of drums as well as a type of bamboo xylophone called the <i>t’rung</i>. A few woodwinds are played that include different kinds of flutes and an oboe called a <i>ken bau</i>. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg_DKECHOukNwO21uTsVDUzV8qoGqw2lGPnUiN0U3-YYcwGqLLgj1GtvkVWnx_POiFjBNqjUAY2dFXYiQA-9Ir9uM2KkycTwyEXjlVxoA-NE_TllKZBazA1pmmfsgVrmoAVGHEE40IVXbtwngc2H1OMEkbyvT_kk3Cu2nqbxmBlPPvGgJs=s500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEg_DKECHOukNwO21uTsVDUzV8qoGqw2lGPnUiN0U3-YYcwGqLLgj1GtvkVWnx_POiFjBNqjUAY2dFXYiQA-9Ir9uM2KkycTwyEXjlVxoA-NE_TllKZBazA1pmmfsgVrmoAVGHEE40IVXbtwngc2H1OMEkbyvT_kk3Cu2nqbxmBlPPvGgJs=w320-h213" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman playing the dan bau.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Dance is highly integrated with music and theatre. Many of their dances are related to several similar Chinese dances. Some of these theatrical dances include the <i>cai luong, hat tuong</i>, and the <i>hat cheo</i>. Other dances were performed in the court and others at ceremonies, festivals, and family or community events. One such dance is the Lion Dance, which is often performed at the Lunar New Year (<i>Tet</i>) and the Mid-Autumn Festival (<i>Tet Trung Thu</i>). It must be a sight to see because it’s usually followed by acrobatics and showcases of martial arts. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.sondoongexplore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/The-lion-dance-on-the-street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="800" height="184" src="https://www.sondoongexplore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/The-lion-dance-on-the-street.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I found quite a few Vietnamese musicians on Spotify, many of them being pop musicians. The first one I listened to was <b>Ho Quynh Huong</b>. It was on the slower side of pop, seemingly more mellow and emotional. I next listened to <b>My Tam</b>. One song was a little more upbeat, but the rest of the album was also slower and more introspective. Another musician who put out a whole album of love songs is <b>Ho Ngac Ha</b>. Using very much of a synthesized sound, I also listened to some songs by <b>Lam Truong</b>. Although some songs were slower, there were a few more upbeat songs. It has a very retro sound to it. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://popnable.com/images/singers/temp/son_tung_m_tp_vietnam_top_50_241.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://popnable.com/images/singers/temp/son_tung_m_tp_vietnam_top_50_241.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Son Tung M-TP<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In a shift to a more modern style of pop, I checked out <b>Son Tung M-TP</b>. He uses some sound effects and some electronica beats behind some of the songs. <b>Bau Thy</b> does have some songs that seemed upbeat and catchy, some with acoustic guitar, but there were also a lot of slower songs mixed in. Slow songs must really be a favored style in Vietnamese music. I thought that the two pop musicians <b>Thuy Chi</b> and <b>Khong Tu Quynh</b> both fall in this category as well: modern, utilizing some Western styles at times, but still mixes these songs in between slower, more traditional sounding pop songs. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://avatar-ex-swe.nixcdn.com/singer/avatar/2014/04/11/6/4/4/b/1397189773819_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://avatar-ex-swe.nixcdn.com/singer/avatar/2014/04/11/6/4/4/b/1397189773819_600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buc Tuong<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I also listened to a couple rock bands. The first one was <b>Buc Tuong</b>. They have a very strong alternative rock sound. I kinda liked what I heard. Some songs were harder than others, which I liked. <b>Ngu Cung</b> was the other rock band I listened to. They were definitely more metal, so you know I really liked them. But they’re also not afraid of dropping it back and getting soft and melodic in the middle either. I enjoyed what I heard quite a bit. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z4cQcpOLjxE/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z4cQcpOLjxE/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />And lastly, I didn’t find many, but I did come across one hip-hop artist who I sampled. This artist is also known as the Vietnamese rap queen: <b>Suboi</b>. She’s known for her song "Doi," which was pretty catchy. I have no idea what she’s rapping about, but it was interesting to listen to her songs. I believe this is the first time I’ve ever heard rap in Vietnamese. <br /><br />Up next the food</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-62198077119799178222021-01-06T07:59:00.000-05:002021-01-06T07:59:03.392-05:00VIETNAM: ART AND LITERATURE<span style="font-size: large;">The earliest examples of Vietnamese art dates back to the Stone Age, and during the Bronze Age, the Dong Son culture were known for their metal work in creating elaborate metal drums. These drums were decorated with geometric shapes and depicted scenes of everyday life that gave insight to how these early Vietnamese lived. Ceramics and cloth weaving were also common artforms during these early eras, and many of these were aligned with Chinese traditions. Much of their cultural influences were drawn from Chinese arts. As they moved away from Chinese influence, Vietnamese artists were highly skilled in their own styles of porcelain and ceramic art, which were coveted and traded all over Asia. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Tambour-song-da2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="800" height="287" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Tambour-song-da2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />When the French moved in, they also introduced their arts to the Vietnamese. As one of the art centers of Europe, they also thought it prudent to set up art schools in Vietnam as well. The Ecole des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine in Hanoi was one of the main art schools established during the early 20th century. Oil painting being one of the main skills taught, this was something completely new to the Vietnamese in this fashion. It wasn’t long before the shift of art for functionality and art for pleasure began to take place. They even taught the students the tradition of painting en plein air, or taking your easel out into nature and painting the landscape before you. Through all these changes, certain ancient art forms remained, like lacquer painting and silk painting. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://catalogue-raisonne-aap.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vu-Cao-Dam-va-cac-SV-dong-khoa-tai-truong-My-thuat-Dong-duong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="650" height="215" src="https://catalogue-raisonne-aap.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Vu-Cao-Dam-va-cac-SV-dong-khoa-tai-truong-My-thuat-Dong-duong.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The decades of war changed how artists worked. Many used art as a way of dealing with it, utilizing modern realism as their basis. Some made their living painting propaganda posters and the like. Some artists of note include <b>To Ngoc Van</b> (known for resistance art), <b>Nguyen Gia Tri</b> (known for lacquer painting), <b>Nguyen Phan Chan</b> (known for blending calligraphy styles with brush painting), <b>Nguyen Sang</b> (oil painter and lacquer painter), <b>Nam Son</b> (known for national art), and <b>Ta Ty </b>(painter and poet). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nguyenartgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/Nguyen-Gia-Tri-The-King-of-Vietnamese-Lacquer-Painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://www.nguyenartgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/Nguyen-Gia-Tri-The-King-of-Vietnamese-Lacquer-Painting.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lacquer painting of Nguyen Gia Tri<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The vast majority of literature is written in Vietnamese, although there are some French- and English-language works included. The earliest works were written using Chinese characters, known as <i>chu nom</i>. As Portuguese Jesuits moved into the area, they created the quoc ngu script in 1631, which is the Latin-based script we see today with sets of diacritical marks to represent the tones and sounds of the Vietnamese language. However, it wasn’t consistently used (except by missionaries) until the 20th century when French Indochina established its use. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhw7CJ7QM6dBU53bIricReglzmh_fZGaeIxTsfATir9ffQ6hblNjP4e6UznM5R2OPanGNJJY7XahzrYFN9vybH9qgUE68jHFhAXK_WKZoqM7o7lkdSCMbsRPxMAQFFjjSeF__szoWvNbNxihKB5Des5YdKCDeT5MstZxfjDHhnRcF6eis8-vyVde6R26LHt1Hs=s485" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="485" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhw7CJ7QM6dBU53bIricReglzmh_fZGaeIxTsfATir9ffQ6hblNjP4e6UznM5R2OPanGNJJY7XahzrYFN9vybH9qgUE68jHFhAXK_WKZoqM7o7lkdSCMbsRPxMAQFFjjSeF__szoWvNbNxihKB5Des5YdKCDeT5MstZxfjDHhnRcF6eis8-vyVde6R26LHt1Hs=w320-h243" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The story of Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />There was also a strong history of folk literature, where some of the stories were passed down from generation to generation. Thankfully, many of these were also written down. Many of these stories were myths about magical creatures, ancient life, or heroes like Son Tinh (The Mountain Spirit) and Thuy Tinh (The Water Spirit), with multiple versions of stories. Many of the poems and accounts written in Classical Chinese have to be transcribed and translated into Modern Vietnamese for anyone to understand them. But there are a couple poems that have stood the test of time: <b>Nguyen Du</b>’s poem “The Tale of Kieu” (Truyen Kieu) and <b>Doan Thi Diem</b>’s translation of the Classical Chinese poem “Chinh Phu Ngam Khuc.” <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/So-do-vu-trong-phung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="479" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/So-do-vu-trong-phung.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also under the English title of <i>Dumb Luck</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />After Vietnam declared its independence from France in 1945, the government continued to push the use of the chu quoc ngu script, which turned out to be key in raising the literacy rate in the country and standardizing spelling and grammar. However, the first novels and literary works began to be pushed in the early 20th century, including the first history text to be published using the new script: <i>Viet Nam su luoc</i> by <b>Tran Trong Kim</b> (1921). One of the first novels was called <i>So Do</i> by <b>Vu Trong Phung</b> (1936). This novel was a satire on the Vietnamese middle class during the late colonial period; it was unsurprisingly banned by the North Vietnamese communist government. This is an <a href="https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/dispatches/article/eight-writers-share-their-must-read-books-from-vietnam-and-the-diaspora" target="_blank">excellent list</a> of contemporary (mostly) Vietnamese authors recommended by Vietnamese authors if you’re looking for something new to read (and I think there are some English-language translations of these available too).<br /><br />Up next: music and dance</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-16288568362604901392020-12-31T21:40:00.001-05:002020-12-31T21:40:17.930-05:00 VIETNAM: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE<span style="font-size: large;">When I was in 8th grade (around 1993), my cousin talked me into doing summer marching band. She conveniently left out the “marching” part of that conversation; I wanted to quit so bad. I was sore and hated every minute of it. Until the end of the season, and I loved it. I ended up marching for five years in middle/high school and two years in college. That first year, we performed the music of the 1989 musical <i>Miss Saigon</i>, which was also my introduction to Broadway musicals (and I found out it was loosely based on <i>Madame Butterfly</i>). I listened to it over and over, and since I was only vaguely familiar with the conflict in Vietnam, this was my only tie to any kind of history of it. I didn’t even study about it in high school (don’t get me started), so for decades, this musical was all I knew about Vietnam. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170606122114-vietnam---travel-destination--shutterstock-168342398.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170606122114-vietnam---travel-destination--shutterstock-168342398.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The name comes from the word Nam Viet (apologies for not being able to use the correct diacritical marks in the Vietnamese language), which means “Southern Viet” and was in use around the 2nd century BC. The Viet part comes from the name Bach Viet, the people who were living in southern China and Vietnam. The name Vietnam was first seen in a 16th century poem by Sam Trang Trinh. During the 19th century, in an effort to separate the traditional name Bach Viet into its Chinese and Vietnamese counterparts, Vietnam was used to recognize the people on the southern end. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/asia/vietnam/map_of_vietnam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="466" height="240" src="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/asia/vietnam/map_of_vietnam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Vietnam lies on the eastern shore of the Indochinese Peninsula. It’s surrounded by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, and Cambodia to the southwest. It’s southern edge has a coast along the Gulf of Thailand and a long eastern coast along the South China Sea. Its narrowest point is only 31 mi across. Most of the land is mountainous, hilly, and covered in forests. The Mekong River Delta in the south is much more populated than some of the other river deltas in the north. There are also a number of coastal islands that dot the coast along the way. The climate can vary depending on which region you’re in. It can be quite hot and humid in the rainforest areas of the south and more temperate the higher in the mountains you go. They do have a rainy and dry season and are affected by the monsoon winds that blow from the northeastern Chinese coast. The country is also affected by tropical storms and typhoons and many of the effects of climate change. But this wide range of climate types help them have a mega biodiversity. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/95/Saigon-hubert-van-es.jpg/350px-Saigon-hubert-van-es.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="350" height="221" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/95/Saigon-hubert-van-es.jpg/350px-Saigon-hubert-van-es.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fall of Saigon<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Evidence shows that humans have been living in this area of the world since 500,000 BC and even learned how to cultivate rice around 1000 BC. The Hong Bang Dynasty is often considered the first Vietnamese state, and they were quite connected to Chinese dynasties. In fact the northern part of Vietnam for all intents and purposes was considered part of Chinese territory. They eventually won their independence from under Chinese rule and even warded off Mongol invasions three times. Between the 11th and 18th centuries, Vietnam expanded its territory south. This set things off internally, and there were many civil wars happening across this region for many years. Emperor Nguyen Anh was able to smooth over some of the conflicts (with the help of the French) and reunify them in the 1800s. In the meantime, Europeans have been trading along the Vietnamese coast since the 1500s. Or at least, tried to. The Portuguese were the first to try off and on, and Dutch traders did some trading there too along with the British and Spanish. During the mid-1800s, there were a lot of conflicts between the Vietnamese and the Catholic missionaries who were basically making the Vietnamese upset over their push of Christianity. France stepped in and ended up taking over the lower third of the country, creating a colony called Cochinchina. This brought quite a bit of changes and western influence over this region, including setting up plantation crops in tea, coffee, tobacco, and indigo. However, the continued fighting inspired a few Vietnamese leaders to call for their independence from French rule. It wouldn’t happen yet, and France ruled over it. That is, until the Japanese invaded during WWII and stripped the country of its resources, leaving many Vietnamese to starve to death. The place was a mess after the war, and the Allies divided the country in half; the French still tried to hold rule, but the Viet Minh had other plans (which included guerilla attacks). French Indochina was finally broken into three countries in the 1950s: Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The Vietnam War gets a little complicated, but essentially North Vietnam tried to take over the South’s government. Russia backed the North, and the US (and France) backed the South. It was years of bloody battles, which finally culminated with the Fall of Saigon in April 1975. The two halves eventually reunited, but still dealt with a transitioning government in the midst of other regional conflicts (like the Khmer Rouge). Since the 1980s, Vietnam has made quite a few changes in its policies and socio-political sphere so that some political-economists think that Vietnam may be part of the next group to watch as up-and-coming developing countries. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://sprudge.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AdobeStock_134800403.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://sprudge.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AdobeStock_134800403.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanoi</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The capital city is Hanoi, the country’s second largest city (after Ho Chi Minh City [formerly Saigon]). Located in the northern part of Vietnam along the Red River Delta, it also served as the capital of French Indochina and then North Vietnam. It’s a city of old buildings highlighting its ancient past mixed with French colonial-style buildings of a more modern European style. Today, the city has several shopping districts, theatres, sporting venues, restaurants, and several universities and colleges. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdnimgen.vietnamplus.vn/uploaded/wbxx/2020_08_25/digital_technology_companies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" height="213" src="https://cdnimgen.vietnamplus.vn/uploaded/wbxx/2020_08_25/digital_technology_companies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />For most of Vietnam’s history, it was an agricultural-based economy, mainly in rice cultivation. They also did quite a bit of bauxite mining as well (bauxite is a key mineral used in making aluminum). For many years, farms and factories worked as a collective under state control. But the quality and conditions were poor and improperly run, to say the least. Their main trading partner was the Soviet Union, and when they broke up, Vietnam had to change up its plans a bit. They allowed for more private ownership and restructured their economy to fit in with the global market. Their deep poverty rate fell by a ton, and in the early 2000s, they discovered oil. Today, it’s one of the larger oil producers in Asia and has focused on science and tech-based industries (in fact, the creator of the famous Flappy Bird app was a Vietnamese developer). Tourism still plays a driving factor in their economy with millions of people all over the world visiting Vietnam each year. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Thich_Nhat_Hanh_12_(cropped).jpg/1200px-Thich_Nhat_Hanh_12_(cropped).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="697" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Thich_Nhat_Hanh_12_(cropped).jpg/1200px-Thich_Nhat_Hanh_12_(cropped).jpg" width="174" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thich Nhat Hanh<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Although their constitution declares that people have the freedom to practice and choose whatever religion they want, the bottom line is that nearly 80-85% of the people don’t really believe in any god or adhere to any religion at all. Of the few who do, about 5% are Buddhist, and the rest are followers of Christianity, native/folk religions, and Islam. This actually surprises me a bit because when I was interested in Buddhism several years ago, I bought a book by the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hahn. One statement he made was that someone once asked him if he was from North Vietnam or South Vietnam, and his answer was “The middle.” (I thought it was metaphorical, but he was born in Hue, which is actually, almost right in the middle.) <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://grantourismotravels.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Vietnam-Language-Phrase-Hello.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://grantourismotravels.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Vietnam-Language-Phrase-Hello.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />Not surprising, the national language is Vietnamese. It’s a tonal language in the Mon-Khmer language group. Because of its close ties to China, early Vietnamese used Chinese characters. But after the Portuguese Jesuits arrived, they romanized their writing system and used sets of diacritical marks to indicate the different tones. The French language is still spoken by many of the highly educated Vietnamese as a second language, and many of the older generation can still speak some French as well (Vietnam is still included in the Francophonie countries). Some areas and families who had ties to the Eastern Bloc countries still utilize languages like Russian, Polish, German, and Czech. Today, English, Japanese, and Korean are popular second languages, especially in terms of strengthening global ties. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://luxurytravelvietnam.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/GoldenBridgeDNGSGRb-e1539053719299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="750" height="213" src="https://luxurytravelvietnam.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/GoldenBridgeDNGSGRb-e1539053719299.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the coolest bridges I've seen is in Vietnam!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Years ago, I went to take a part-time job grading standardized tests. I actually really liked that job. In my little group, there was a woman whose last name was Nguyen (pronounced something like “wen”). But I looked at her, and she was as pale as I was with red hair. We got to talking, and her husband was Vietnamese. She told me that after they got married, they flew to Vietnam to visit his parents and family who were still there. Naturally, I asked what she thought. The first words that came out of her mouth were, “I hated it.” I stared at her in disbelief. She corrected herself a bit: “It’s a beautiful country, it really is. But it’s also soooooooooo humid, and I just don’t do well in high humidity. So, I was basically miserable the entire time.” So, there’s also that, haha.<br /><br />Up next: art and literature</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-37636870429559006072020-12-31T21:20:00.003-05:002020-12-31T21:20:30.393-05:00Worldly Rise Year End Stats -- 2020 Edition<span style="font-size: large;">If 2019 felt like a decade long, then 2020 was a half century. But we’ve made it through, I suppose, for what it was. I’m sure we all picked up a new quarantine hobby or interest and learned something along the way. But even if you just watched Family Guy or South Park and spaced out, that’s ok too (because I also did that). But I did keep cooking, and now I only have a handful of countries to get through until I can say “mission accomplished.” <br /><br />— In 2020, I started with Syria and ended with Venezuela.<br /><br />— At the end of 2020, I completed the 189th country for this blog. This now makes me 96.4% finished with this project.<br /><br />— Of all the countries I have completed so far<br />52 (27.51%) have been in Africa<br />47 (24.87%) have been in Europe<br />26 (13.76%) have been in Asia<br />15 (7.94%) have been in the Middle East<br />15 (7.94%) have been in Oceania<br />13 (6.88%) have been in the Caribbean<br />12 (6.35%) have been in South America<br />7 (3.70%) have been in Central America<br />2 (1.06%) has been in North America<br /><br />— Of the 189 countries I have completed so far, 510 languages are represented in some capacity, either as an official language or at some kind of national/regional/vernacular level. Here are the ones who hold some level of status in three or more countries:<br />English: 70<br />French: 41<br />Arabic: 28<br />Spanish: 24<br />German: 14<br />Russian: 14<br />Portuguese: 11<br />Romany/Romani: 10<br />Armenian: 9<br />Croatian: 9<br />Italian: 9<br />Ukrainian: 9<br />Greek: 8<br />Hungarian: 8<br />Albanian: 7<br />Bulgarian: 7<br />Serbian: 7<br />Swahili: 7<br />Slovak: 6<br />Turkish: 6<br />Azerbaijani: 5<br />Romanian: 5<br />Rusyn: 5<br />Chinese (Mandarin): 4<br />Belarusian: 4<br />Berber (Tamazight): 4<br />Garifuna: 4<br />Occitan: 4<br />Polish: 4<br />Slovene/Slovenian: 4<br />Tatar: 4<br />Yiddish: 4<br />Afrikaans: 3<br />Bosnian: 3<br />Carib: 3<br />Catalan: 3<br />Chechen: 3<br />Circassian: 3<br />Crimean Tatar: 3<br />Danish: 3<br />Dutch: 3<br />Fula: 3<br />Kurdish: 3<br />Kyrgyz: 3<br />Malay (Bahasa Malaya): 3<br />Mandinka: 3<br />Sami: 3<br />Somali: 3<br />Swedish: 3<br />Tamil: 3<br />Tigrinya: 3<br />Urdu: 3<br />Uyghur: 3<br />Uzbek: 3<br />Wolof: 3<br /><br />— As of December 31, 2020 at 9:15 p.m. EST, I have had a total of pageviews 828,088 (an increase of 72,234 from this time last year). I have posted 827 blog posts (an increase of 85 posts) since I started in February 2012 and now have 28 followers (I didn’t gain any more followers this year on the blog site, but I do have 145 people who follow it on Facebook).<br /><br />— Here are the top ten countries based on the number of pageviews (of all time). Every country on this list is still in the same position as last year:<br />1. United States<br />3. Russia<br />2. Philippines<br />4. Canada<br />5. United Kingdom<br />6. Germany<br />7. France<br />8. Australia<br />9. Ukraine<br />10. Other [probably people using a VPN where Google can’t track them, perhaps]<br /><br />— I will finally finish this blog in April 2021, starting with Vietnam. My list originally ended with Zimbabwe, only counting the countries that were part of the UN. But then I realized there were three countries that are not part of the UN (Kosovo, Taiwan, and Vatican City), so I added those at the end. It’s weird to think that I’ll update this list again in a few months when everything is complete. </span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-60168744019609875152020-12-21T20:32:00.000-05:002020-12-21T20:32:30.912-05:00 VENEZUELA: THE FOOD<span style="font-size: large;">The final country of 2020. I’m not sorry to see this year become the past. It’s been challenging to be sure, and I think 2021 will be largely the same. But doing this blog has been a nice distraction, even if it’s been difficult at times to find some of the ingredients along the way. I’m really grateful right now to still be doing this. I’ll admit, there have been times when I’ve just been too mentally tired to write or cook, but I’m glad I’ve pushed through it. In a few short months, I’ll be working on compiling all my recipes to put into a book when I’m finished. But for today, it’s Venezuelan food. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmAy2ss7Hfb7n1kDP338Z2z6am2elRviO16QPBi6AR1qQ2H3R7exCbzRVSJ04q6wQmy-54rHPGkS9ZmtIEEoGLzMdBvSnD1XD_UNbOGc88k8z9_VFC9MqALT5ssyThAGLRLGkfW0uOLsJK/s640/Pan+de+Jamo%25CC%2581n.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmAy2ss7Hfb7n1kDP338Z2z6am2elRviO16QPBi6AR1qQ2H3R7exCbzRVSJ04q6wQmy-54rHPGkS9ZmtIEEoGLzMdBvSnD1XD_UNbOGc88k8z9_VFC9MqALT5ssyThAGLRLGkfW0uOLsJK/w320-h320/Pan+de+Jamo%25CC%2581n.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These surprised me quite a bit. I just wish I put more fillings in it. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The first thing I made was a dish that’s served around Christmastime, so I thought it the right season for this: <b>Pan de Jamón</b>. In a large bowl, I put a ½ c of warm water in a bowl and sprinkled the yeast over it and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then I added a cup of flour and an egg. I mixed all of that together. Then I added a stick of softened butter (that I cut into Tbsps) and another cup of flour and mixed again. After that, I added in another 1 ½ c of flour, ½ c of milk, 3 Tbsp of sugar, and ½ tsp salt and mixed everything until it was smooth. (You may need to adjust with more flour or water, depending on if it’s too dry or too sticky.) I placed my dough in an oiled bowl and covered it with plastic wrap for about a half hour to let it rise. After it had risen, I divided the dough into two pieces and rolled one out into a rectangle, about 10”x12” (and I realized after I rolled it that I forgot to brush it with melted butter first). I placed thin-sliced ham over the dough, leaving about an inch around the edges. I sprinkled raisins and some of the sliced green olives over the ham. Starting with the long edge, I rolled up the bread as tightly as I could get it, and using some of the juice from the jar of olives on the dough, sealed up the edge of the seam. I made sure to lay them seam-side down on a baking sheet that I covered with parchment paper. Then I tried to tuck in the ends when I was done. I did the same thing with the other piece of dough. I mixed an egg yolk with a tsp of sugar and brushed the top of the rolls with it before covering it with oiled plastic wrap and letting it rest for another hour. I baked this at 350ºF for about 35 minutes until it was golden brown on top. This was really good. To be honest, I was quite skeptical about the green olives and raising in it, but amazingly, it turned out really good. It wasn’t overpowering at all. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPo0CaQQ90MLP_L6I_qptkAnOL5OqIAD7dAqZyWc4vo9ZGC9zXlbVdTbEbZRr6WcYckfjCNPVkI_si1A7K5cGvgPSmEj794ZsAQvdOEpwjCxc7Wsk8_qqYUCiRi0uQo-2jVrf8fLaHHSIw/s640/Hen+Chupe+Soup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPo0CaQQ90MLP_L6I_qptkAnOL5OqIAD7dAqZyWc4vo9ZGC9zXlbVdTbEbZRr6WcYckfjCNPVkI_si1A7K5cGvgPSmEj794ZsAQvdOEpwjCxc7Wsk8_qqYUCiRi0uQo-2jVrf8fLaHHSIw/s320/Hen+Chupe+Soup.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A good soup for cold nights. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The next thing I made was <b>Venezuelan Hen Chupe Soup</b>. To begin with, I browned some diced chicken breasts (we couldn’t find cornish game hens) and set it off to the side when it was done. In a large pot, I added about 8 c of chicken stock, some onions, and some minced garlic. After I brought that to a boil, I added in some diced potato and some corn on the cob that I had cut into small pieces (my knives must really suck because that was way harder than I imagined it would be). I let it cook down covered for about 15 minutes until the potatoes were soft. Then I added in a can of creamed corn and a can of sweet corn and cooked covered for another 10 minutes. Now is the time I finally added my cooked chicken pieces into the soup along with some cilantro and let it cook for another 5 minutes, adding in a little salt, too. I lowered my heat a bit and added in a bit of table cream (I just used some heavy whipping cream). As I added it in, I made sure I kept stirring continuously until it was all mixed in well. Then I turned off the heat and let it rest for about 5 minutes. To serve this, I added some queso fresco crumbles and cilantro on top. I really enjoyed this. It was kind of like a chicken corn chowder but with more broth to it. My husband was a little skeptical about it, and the kids weren’t really sure how to eat the corn on the cob pieces. But I really liked this. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FIOfeD4Oim5x0nMq4NQ-WPFCMVbTAzcB3rYZ1fmMD7VlKWt3RvpUuK3e-Dauuo0NnPDH6_2eDw_Fpvq8upUHkTpMK9Mi6dMPVg4yagtHbT_shyema9oXWQDGLF7WQSnSLPqu6HrxTXMO/s640/Guasacaca.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FIOfeD4Oim5x0nMq4NQ-WPFCMVbTAzcB3rYZ1fmMD7VlKWt3RvpUuK3e-Dauuo0NnPDH6_2eDw_Fpvq8upUHkTpMK9Mi6dMPVg4yagtHbT_shyema9oXWQDGLF7WQSnSLPqu6HrxTXMO/s320/Guasacaca.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really liked this, although I struggled not to add in some cumin. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />One recipe I couldn’t resist making was <b>Guasacaca</b>, only because I knew this Venezuelan version of guacamole would go over well with the family. I took one avocado and mashed it, while I chopped the other two. I mixed the chopped avocados with the mashed one in a bowl. Then I stirred in a bit of vinegar and olive oil. To that, I added in a bit of finely chopped green and red bell pepper, tomato, onion, and minced garlic. I seasoned it with a bit of salt, pepper, and hot sauce. It’s different from how I normally make it (I use cumin in mine), but it was still really good. I liked the vinegar in it. We ate it with some tortillas, but I also spread it on my sandwich, too. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxKhS45Cyu5FkSDNwJnpqNZUCvAy_QvEaQgntYf0Nc1CnmmmTXQTttYf2Kb5AYf_fwWui-6z1FOoZFFlsp_d76wic0jGIEvewMtZ19m8UvjF2rMncDQNv3-aodcUZn0P1gBnTTY-6tnJ2/s640/Arepas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtxKhS45Cyu5FkSDNwJnpqNZUCvAy_QvEaQgntYf0Nc1CnmmmTXQTttYf2Kb5AYf_fwWui-6z1FOoZFFlsp_d76wic0jGIEvewMtZ19m8UvjF2rMncDQNv3-aodcUZn0P1gBnTTY-6tnJ2/s320/Arepas.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like this. I mean, I really, really like this. Really. Like. This. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Because I ran out of time but thought these were too important to pass up, I made <b>Venezuelan Arepas</b> the next day for brunch since I took the day off. In a medium-sized bowl, I added in 2 c of water and 1 tsp of salt. After the salt had dissolved, I slowly added in 1 ½ c of maize meal. I think it technically calls for white maize meal, but I was also trying to guide my husband through the grocery store by phone to find this, so I was basically just getting whatever they had. I mixed the meal really well to prevent any kind of clumps and then let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken up. It was still too liquidy to hold together, so I added in another ½ c of maize to it, and then it was pretty close. After this rest time, I stirred in a tsp of vegetable oil to the mixture. I divided the dough into four balls and then flattened them until they were about a ½” thick. In a hot skillet, I put just a little oil in the bottom and pan-fried these for 5-7 minutes on either side until they were browned. When these are done, you’re supposed to split them open and fill them. But I got lazy and didn’t feel like fussing with it, so I ate them like a pupusa. You can really fill these with whatever you like, but I cooked some scrambled eggs with a bit of salsa and chopped green onions and topped them with that. It was actually really good as a brunch meal, and I think the kids liked it this way too. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydaFVytBGmskH9MtL5VroXHzsOjOY1OMkfCgyOpXM7SHZzpetIO-4q80ggqGCWgrRBgVC63getS9i5mhMscJIR7a_Kgyu1UmoWrjGkHNFd2oiQyErlJctdOs3VbcGt0J4p0tz2uf5DZBf/s640/Food+from+Venezuela.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydaFVytBGmskH9MtL5VroXHzsOjOY1OMkfCgyOpXM7SHZzpetIO-4q80ggqGCWgrRBgVC63getS9i5mhMscJIR7a_Kgyu1UmoWrjGkHNFd2oiQyErlJctdOs3VbcGt0J4p0tz2uf5DZBf/s320/Food+from+Venezuela.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overall, this was a fantastic meal. A+. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I thought this meal was really good. Definitely the kind of comfort food I can get with during this time of year. I admit, it’s a little awkward to write about how great Venezuelan food is knowing that I’ve watched a couple of documentaries and news stories over the last couple years about the conditions in Venezuela, namely a 2018 segment on <i>Last Week Tonight with John Oliver</i>. The incredible inflation has caused food shortages, and many people just aren’t getting enough to eat, while the leadership is eating well. It’s a story of utter mismanagement and corruption in its leadership. But despite this, the people are resilient (I mean, what choice do they have really?). But I’m glad that I’ve learned so much more to this country than what’s just in the news. I keep telling myself that the government is different from its people. I see it in a different light, and I only hope for the best for the people there. <br /><br />Up next: Vietnam</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-53502515854787935072020-12-19T19:24:00.001-05:002020-12-19T19:24:42.502-05:00VENEZUELA: MUSIC AND DANCE<span style="font-size: large;">The music of Venezuela has taken in some of the musical flavors of the Caribbean and Latin America. Some of the most iconic and representative styles in Venezuela come from musicians living in the grasslands plains, or llanos. One of the styles that is widely known is called <i>joropo</i>. It has similarities to the fandango, and shares roots with African, indigenous, and European music. It's also popular in Colombia. The accompanying dance is just as popular as the music. Depending on your region and style of joropo, the instrumentalists can vary but generally can include a harp, guitar, mandolin, violin, cuatro (like a small guitar), bandola (related to a mandolin), maracas, and a vocalist. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://worldmusiccentral.org/wp-content/uploads/Cimarron_by_Noelle_Polkington-500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="369" data-original-width="500" height="236" src="https://worldmusiccentral.org/wp-content/uploads/Cimarron_by_Noelle_Polkington-500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Other types of folk music are played here as well. Genres like jazz, salsa, malagueña, bambuco, waltz, rumba, calypso, and bossa nova have made their way into Venezuelan music. In many cases, they’ve merged with other local styles, like joropo. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://danceask.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/JOROPO-VENEZUELA-900x450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" height="160" src="https://danceask.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/JOROPO-VENEZUELA-900x450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />One of the biggest dance crazes was the Venezuelan <i>merengue rucaneao</i> that was popular during the 1920s. Compared with the more popular Dominican merengue, the rhythms are different, although it’s still a partner dance. The rhythms in Venezuelan merengue are characterized by a triplet followed by a duplet, as in ⅝ time, or a three-against-two rhythm. This may have been part of the African musical influence. The dance was particularly popular in dance halls called mabiles in Caracas. Couples would dance together with exaggerated hip movements, which was partly the cause for the controversy around this dance. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7O46AMTTueA/sddefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7O46AMTTueA/sddefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I found quite a few Venezuelan bands and musicians on Spotify, and I started with a few pop musicians. I say pop, but it’s really a Latin pop. I first listened to Ricardo Montaner, and I also listened to José Luis Rodríguez who also goes by the nickname “El Puma.” <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6f3742d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/800x800+0+0/resize/1200x1200!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2F57%2F0a%2F6e44ddfb40cc9c197ebc3f8da862%2F800x800-ricardo-montaner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6f3742d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/800x800+0+0/resize/1200x1200!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2F57%2F0a%2F6e44ddfb40cc9c197ebc3f8da862%2F800x800-ricardo-montaner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ricardo Montaner<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />There are quite a few rock bands of all kinds. Here are a few that I listened to that I liked: Los Chamos (boy band/rock), Franco de Vita (Latin pop/rock), Los Amigos Invisibles (kind of a jazz-influenced rock), Desorden Publico (ska/pop/rock), King Chango (Latin ska), Culto Oculto (experimental rock), Caramelos de Cianuro (rock/punk), Mikel Erentxun (pop/rock), Candy66 (nu metal), and La Vida Bohème (indie rock). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhOa3r3heyz_3MRS5dx9AkblbYVoaiMARJX4yQ3Zsv3OwjeSqf7UJbKsm2wIFgFGlH5PbeLWTmnvfQRJvETFxD65Oz4QIiLNy5QgB9JHa8DZHwCJA6XBDYk6G2jbyLRGapjqaGoBmIVntMBULoAJZklwg=s387" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="387" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhOa3r3heyz_3MRS5dx9AkblbYVoaiMARJX4yQ3Zsv3OwjeSqf7UJbKsm2wIFgFGlH5PbeLWTmnvfQRJvETFxD65Oz4QIiLNy5QgB9JHa8DZHwCJA6XBDYk6G2jbyLRGapjqaGoBmIVntMBULoAJZklwg=w320-h141" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candy66</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I found a couple of electronic groups too: Patafunk, who does more of an EDM and Latin/reggae styles, and Nuuro, who also goes by Arca apparently. I really kind of liked both of them, but they are both distinctly different. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/df2795aa-bdfa-4dee-9c4b-830253550199/High%20Life_%20Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://img1.wsimg.com/isteam/ip/df2795aa-bdfa-4dee-9c4b-830253550199/High%20Life_%20Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I even listened to three hip-hop musicians. The ones I listened to were Canserbero, Nacho, and Apache. I liked all three of them, and each of them has their own style. I was surprised that I didn’t find more Latin urban music from Venezuela, but perhaps there are a lot more underground musicians out there. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://rtvc-assets-radionica3.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/image_750x422/public/field/image/article/canserbero_02.jpg?itok=4c0Dauue" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="750" height="180" src="https://rtvc-assets-radionica3.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/image_750x422/public/field/image/article/canserbero_02.jpg?itok=4c0Dauue" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canserbero</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Up next: the food</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-11645967690185915882020-12-17T07:59:00.001-05:002020-12-17T07:59:27.466-05:00VENEZUELA: ART AND LITERATURE<span style="font-size: large;">Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a lot of information on pre-Columbian art from this area. It’s reasonable to assume that some existed because some of the indigenous cultures were quite advanced. And there are pieces that are included in displays and exhibits in museums like the National Gallery of Art in Caracas. Just as to what those pieces are of, I guess I’ll have to go visit one day and see. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/BatallaCarabobo02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="715" height="175" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/BatallaCarabobo02.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Batalla de Carabobo</i> by Martín Tovar y Tovar<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In the early days of colonial Venezuela, much of the art was religious themed. Artists brought the skills and techniques they learned in Spain and other areas of Europe to this new land. During the 19th century, <b>Martín Tovar y Tovar</b>, an accomplished painter and portraitist, began the push to focus on painting historical scenes, and perhaps with a heroic point-of-view on it. Things were changing rapidly during this time. By the time the 20th century rolled around, artists were keen on keeping up with the modernism that was sweeping the art world. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Muerte_de_Sucre_en_Berruecos_1895_by_Arturo_Michelena.JPG/599px-Muerte_de_Sucre_en_Berruecos_1895_by_Arturo_Michelena.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="599" height="216" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Muerte_de_Sucre_en_Berruecos_1895_by_Arturo_Michelena.JPG/599px-Muerte_de_Sucre_en_Berruecos_1895_by_Arturo_Michelena.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Death of Sucre in Berruecos</i> by Arturo Michelena<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Some famous artists to take note of include <b>Jesús Rafael Soto</b> (optical illusion art, kinetic art, painter, sculptor), <b>Arturo Michelena</b> (painter, known for his historical art and portraits), <b>Carlos Cruz-Diez</b> (kinetic art, optical illusion art), <b>Armando Reverón</b> (painter, sculptor), <b>Manuel Cabré</b> (landscape painter), and <b>Cristóbal Rojas</b> (impressionist painter). <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/08/03/obituaries/02CRUZ-DIEZ04/02CRUZ-DIEZ04-superJumbo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="800" height="203" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/08/03/obituaries/02CRUZ-DIEZ04/02CRUZ-DIEZ04-superJumbo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carlos Cruz-Diez<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Prior to colonialism, literature was only in the form of stories and myths people told. These ancient tales were passed down from generation to generation. Some of these stories were thankfully written down later on. As the Spanish explorers landed in this new-to-them land, the first written accounts were mainly as chronicles and letters of their time there as they established communities. However, it wouldn’t be until the 19th century before any major novel to be published. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/AndresBello.jpg/1200px-AndresBello.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="595" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/AndresBello.jpg/1200px-AndresBello.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrés Bello - I think he looks a little like Mr. Molesley from Downton Abbey<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The 19th century saw many changes in Venezuela’s political and social scenes, many of them turbulent and violent. And out of this upheaval, writers like <b>Andrés Bello</b> created works that would shape the face of Venezuelan literature. Bello was an educator, philosopher, humanist, poet, and legislator, and for a little while, served as one of Simón Bolívar’s teachers. Although he wrote quite a bit of civil codes (he did a lot of work in Chile), legal booklets, and some scientific and philosophical booklets, he also wrote a fair amount of poetry along with that. He also had written on the differences in Spanish language grammar between Latin American and Castilian Spanish. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Eduardo_Blanco_-_Antonio_Herrera_Toro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="663" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Eduardo_Blanco_-_Antonio_Herrera_Toro.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eduardo Blanco<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Another influential writer was <b>Eduardo Blanco</b>, famous for his work <i>Venezuela Heroica</i> (1881). This novel is divided up into five vignettes taking a romantic view of Venezuela’s history, mainly battles that occurred during the War for Independence and the people who helped fight in them. Other than being a writer, Blanco served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela (1900-1901) as well as being the aide-de-camp to General José Antonio Páez, who was completely flattered at his portrayal in the book. His other novel <i>Zárate</i> (1882), another national history novel, is thought to mark the beginning of the Criollista movement in Venezuelan literary history. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5c/Do%C3%B1a_B%C3%A1rbara_original_cover-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="264" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5c/Do%C3%B1a_B%C3%A1rbara_original_cover-1.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><br />As Venezuela discovered oil and pushed the country into modernism, writers in the 20th century helped build that foothold. <b>Rómulo Gallegos</b>’ 1929 novel <i>Doña Bárbara</i> not only had a great influence in Venezuela but in Latin American literature as a whole. In fact, there have been numerous movies and TV series based on this book. And I just found out the Telemundo show <i>La Doña</i> (available on Peacock, which is NBC’s streaming service) is also based on this novel. I might check it out later. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.colofonrevistaliteraria.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Eugenio_Montejo_foto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="650" height="172" src="https://www.colofonrevistaliteraria.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Eugenio_Montejo_foto.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eugenio Montejo<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Other writers of note include <b>Arturo Uslar Pietri</b> (writer, historical, television producer, the only writer to win the National Prize for Literature twice in its first five decades), <b>Teresa de la Parra</b> (novelist), <b>Rafael Cadenas</b> (poet, educator, essayist), <b>Salvador Garmendia</b> (novelist, short story writer, children’s literature writer), and <b>Eugenio Montejo</b> (poet, essayist, founder/co-founder of a couple literary magazines and journals). <br /><br />Up next: music and dance</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-21831703203594140222020-12-14T07:55:00.001-05:002020-12-14T07:55:33.473-05:00VENEZUELA: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE<p><span style="font-size: large;">When I was in college, I volunteered as a tutor with an Adult ESL class held at a career center near where I grew up. I became friends with several of the students who came twice a week. One girl who was about my age was originally from Venezuela, but her fiance was from Spain. I remember having a conversation about different varieties of English, which then I asked her about different varieties of Spanish. She told me that when she traveled to Spain to meet his family, there were several times when she didn’t understand what they were saying just because the words were so different. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/SaltoAngel4.jpg/330px-SaltoAngel4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/de/SaltoAngel4.jpg/330px-SaltoAngel4.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel Falls, Venezuela<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />There are a few ideas on where the name Venezuela came from, but the most widely accepted version says that Spanish explorer Alonso de Ojeda was traveling with the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci who spotted the stilt houses in Lake Maracaibo and it reminded him of Venice. So, they named the area “Little Venice,” or Veneziola. That changed to Venezuela in Spanish. <br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/183789-050-B4AE42D3/World-Data-Locator-Map-Venezuela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="800" height="306" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/89/183789-050-B4AE42D3/World-Data-Locator-Map-Venezuela.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />This country lies on the northern coast of South America, surrounded by Guyana to the east, Brazil to the southeast, and Colombia to the west. It has a long coastline along the Caribbean Sea and includes several islands off the coast. The islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Trinidad and Tobago are also not far from the coastline. Lake Maracaibo is the largest lake, and there are several rivers and branches of river systems, including the Amazon and the Orinoco (remember that Enya song “Orinoco Flow” that’s quintessentially 1990s?). Angel Falls is the world’s largest uninterrupted waterfall, and there are several famous tepuis, which are flat, table-like mountains. Because of extreme changes in altitude throughout the country, their climate is quite diverse: from jungle to highlands, to glaciers. And with that, an extensive biodiversity to match. In fact, it’s one of 17 “megadiverse” countries. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.biographyonline.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Simon_Bolivar1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="220" src="https://www.biographyonline.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Simon_Bolivar1.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simón Bolívar<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />People have been living in this area for nearly 15,000 years, and evidence of tools have been found in several sites. Several indigenous tribes are native to Venezuela: Kalina (Caribs), Mariche, Caquetio, Auaké, and Timoto-Cuicas (who were the most advanced ones). Christopher Columbus came across this land on his third trip and was really taken by the looks of the place. The country was placed in the hands of Spain, who then started their campaign of converting all the native peoples to Roman Catholicism (of course they did). Some converted peacefully, others resisted. During the early 18th century, most of Venezuela was included in the Viceroyalty of New Granada. They finally declared their own independence in 1811. Simón Bolívar helped lead the way in this new war for independence, earning himself the moniker <i>El Libertador</i>. After several years of fighting, Bolívar eventually brought Venezuela along as part of the newly created Gran Colombia, which Venezuela would stay a part of until 1830 when it would gain its independence again. Slavery was abolished in 1854, and in the late 1890s, Venezuela would enter into a border dispute with Britain over the border between Venezuela and British Guiana, which there’s still a dispute technically going on today. Oil deposits were discovered in Lake Maracaibo during WWI, which had a huge impact on its economy until the 1980s. After WWII, a series of coups changed politics from that point forward. The government went into deep debt and practically collapsed in the late 1950s. From 1983, Venezuela started seeing its currency decline and an increase in poverty, crime, social and political instability. In 1999, Hugo Chavez became the president of Venezuela and dramatically changed the state of the country. Things were still rocky under Chavez, and he was even ousted for two days before retaking control. After he died in 2013 from cancer, Nicolás Maduro took over as president, and he’s not done a lot to improve the lives of Venezuelans. Incredible food shortages, high inflation, high crime, and political instability plague the country, causing nearly two million people to flee. Human rights organizations have had their eye on these situations for years. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/23/117423-050-7C727B69/Skyline-Caracas-Venezuela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/23/117423-050-7C727B69/Skyline-Caracas-Venezuela.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The capital city is the city of Caracas, located on the Guaire River and not far from the Caribbean Sea. Caracas is one of the cultural capitals of the country, with museums, theatres, shopping centers, and some of the tallest skyscrapers in South America. Unfortunately, it has one of the highest murder rates in the world. It also has a ton of universities and a ton of sports venues too. I did read that in Caracas at Christmastime, there’s an odd tradition of going to early morning church services ON ROLLER SKATES. They even clear the streets for them so it’ll be safer. I really want to know the story behind this. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bluechannel24web.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/lago-de-maracaibo-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="700" height="211" src="https://bluechannel24web.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/lago-de-maracaibo-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, and did I mention that drilling in Lake Maracaibo has left it a complete environmental disaster?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Nearly 80-85% of Venezuela’s exports are in petroleum and related materials. They have one of the cheapest prices for petrol due to heavy subsidization. Prior to the discovery of oil, coffee and cocoa were the top agricultural exports. But utter mismanagement, a banking crisis in the 1990s, and general corruption, poverty and inflation has plagued this country, despite having oil. It’s gotten much worse in the past 5-6 years. Consumer pricing has gone up 800% as shortages affect essential goods. Despite this, there are still areas that attract tourists and depend on them. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.worldatlas.com/upload/38/da/d0/isla-margarita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="729" height="235" src="https://www.worldatlas.com/upload/38/da/d0/isla-margarita.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Not surprising, nearly 88% of Venezuelans are Christian, and of those, 71% are Roman Catholic with the rest being Protestant. I was amazed to find that about 2% are atheist or agnostic and 6% are indifferent to the whole idea of religion. There are smaller groups of people who follow other religions like Buddhism, Druze, Islam, Santería, and even Judaism (although there are quite a few antisemites who caused their numbers to dwindle). <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://as2.ftcdn.net/jpg/00/87/42/29/500_F_87422953_V3951uioFArvUn8s7vRJy7IHRD6GIJmd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="214" src="https://as2.ftcdn.net/jpg/00/87/42/29/500_F_87422953_V3951uioFArvUn8s7vRJy7IHRD6GIJmd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The official language is Spanish, and most people are monolingual in it. There are a ton of indigenous languages spoken in Venezuela too, including Wayuu (the most spoken one), Pemón, and Warao. There are also large pockets of other languages spoken by immigrant communities, such as Chinese, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, and German. English is the most studied foreign language, and in some cases serves as a lingua franca. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/13/8a/1b/138a1bff09c2c1f628f4cc6b04d755a0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="500" height="214" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/13/8a/1b/138a1bff09c2c1f628f4cc6b04d755a0.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br />Several years ago, I saw value in reading novels aloud to my kids even as they were older. The first book I chose was <i>The Lost World</i> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. They actually really enjoyed this book about finding a world that has dinosaurs living in relative peace on top of a hard-to-find tabletop mountain in South America. One of these tabletop mountains (also called a tepui) is Mount Roraima, located in the Canaima National Park on the border of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana. This particular one is thought to be the inspiration for his famous novel. It’s also thought to be the inspiration for Paradise Falls in the movie <i>Up</i> as well. <br /><br />Up next: art and literature</span><p></p>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-63419854669297873682020-12-06T21:09:00.000-05:002020-12-06T21:09:03.725-05:00VANUATU: THE FOOD<span style="font-size: large;">We made it through Thanksgiving, and this year I had to cook everything myself for just my family. And I didn’t get any of my mom’s pumpkin pies, so I wasn’t able to do my “pumpkin pie for breakfast” tradition. And now I’m trying to get Christmas presents ordered and still pay bills. You know, the usual struggles doubled by the pandemic. What I’m really looking forward to is taking my mandolin in to a luthier to have them look it over and figure out why a couple of my strings are buzzing. I’m new to this, and you can only Google so much. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZFwYwhF_9n1DqN8K0VdXHJok2oe8U1BiEWU-WZ51FUoBTFk3NQQcpBumOx2pGHGBc45VoKbBKekuRWVoKvCN0lBK1VntZBytRRYIZ4dxN385GvJtYs6y6udIPL7fADhrlT0YBl6UVpXu/s640/Banana+and+Peanut+Butter+Biscuit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZFwYwhF_9n1DqN8K0VdXHJok2oe8U1BiEWU-WZ51FUoBTFk3NQQcpBumOx2pGHGBc45VoKbBKekuRWVoKvCN0lBK1VntZBytRRYIZ4dxN385GvJtYs6y6udIPL7fADhrlT0YBl6UVpXu/s320/Banana+and+Peanut+Butter+Biscuit.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These were amazing. Hands down, they were the best part of the meal. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />But today is the day I’m making food from Vanuatu. The first recipe I made today is <b>Banana and Peanut Butter Biscuits</b>. Once I really thought about it, I figured they were probably talking about British biscuits (which are cookies in US English) rather than US biscuits (which are not sweet). It makes sense in this definition since the British were there for so long. So, the first thing I did was mix together 1 ¼ c flour, ½ tsp baking powder, ¾ tsp baking soda, and ¼ tsp salt. In a different bowl, I mixed together one stick of softened butter, ½ c of peanut butter, and 1c sugar until it was smooth, and then I added in two bananas and smashed until it was all smooth. I left my bananas a little chunky. Then I added my flour mix to the peanut butter-banana mix and stirred until it was all blended well. Then I spoon-dropped them onto a baking sheet that I lined with parchment paper. There was no oven temperature listed, so I just assumed 375ºF and left it in there until I could smell them, so about 20 minutes or so. They were really soft cookies and spread quite a bit, and even after letting them sit up for 10 minutes or so, they did firm up a bit but still fell apart pretty easily. If I were to do this again, I might think about raising the temperature to 400ºF and see if that helps with the shape any. But they were really tasty, and I think it’s safe to say that everyone liked them.<br /><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQNoWy8AjfxDt7BSlmuBYjLhh-9TQq1iGGXXuO4vJOwBnbn0_CAbTEMlmfrtguHqFSAOLXItHKvo7Yw-LzdqmL47ex7jda2ClOdlufEQAKcMOChL_XuXS5pvIajTMrEoWwdysBvRBveQt/s640/Citrus+Baked+Fish+with+Coconut+Cream.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQNoWy8AjfxDt7BSlmuBYjLhh-9TQq1iGGXXuO4vJOwBnbn0_CAbTEMlmfrtguHqFSAOLXItHKvo7Yw-LzdqmL47ex7jda2ClOdlufEQAKcMOChL_XuXS5pvIajTMrEoWwdysBvRBveQt/s320/Citrus+Baked+Fish+with+Coconut+Cream.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really liked the subtlety of the flavors with the fish. I will probably make this again. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The main course is <b>Citrus Baked Fish in Coconut Cream</b>. I used tilapia filets for this, and my recipe was kind of sketchy and lacked details. I lined a baking sheet with foil and laid out my filets on it, dusting with a little salt. Then I thinly sliced a lemon and an orange and laid them out over the fish. After sprinkling a bit of pepper on top of that, I poured over a little coconut cream on top of the fish (basically just using about a half can). Normally, these would be wrapped in banana leaves, but it’s not usually a thing found in regular grocery stores. I took another piece of foil and covered everything, folding both pieces of foil so all the juices will hopefully stay inside. I put this in the oven at about 375ºF (I’m guessing that’s ok for a “moderate oven”) and baked it for about 45 minutes. I actually liked this. It had a nice faint citrus taste to it, and the combination of orange and lemon was something I had not had before (typically, I’ve just had lemon on fish). The cream added a slight sweetness to go with the sourness of the citrus. If I were to do this one again, I’d add more pepper to it to offset both of those flavors. I really liked this, and I think my husband liked it, but the kids were kind of skeptical. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRglCmqYeb70FelGKLNlNRDlhGXWTxYJXvXiHdoPTqqpCCjKHWXqENMEWiD1t_qSHJXA_6D1Cb_8KHYHg5_CK1poPB0odh4FYDd8nF-KVmXzHSKgdE5yEQcrHcAWaUCIFDXjESWde2fI-S/s640/Sweet+and+Sour+Vegetables.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRglCmqYeb70FelGKLNlNRDlhGXWTxYJXvXiHdoPTqqpCCjKHWXqENMEWiD1t_qSHJXA_6D1Cb_8KHYHg5_CK1poPB0odh4FYDd8nF-KVmXzHSKgdE5yEQcrHcAWaUCIFDXjESWde2fI-S/s320/Sweet+and+Sour+Vegetables.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I actually liked the mango with the vegetables. Too bad no one else did. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />To go with this, I made <b>Sweet and Sour Vegetables</b>. I cut the amounts way down for this one. First I fried some onion in a large skillet for a couple of minutes. Then I added in my chopped vegetables: you can choose what you want, but I picked green beans, red bell pepper, carrots, and snow peas along with some water and coconut cream. I just added in enough vegetables that I think would be enough for four people. And I just used the other half can of the coconut cream from earlier. I let them fry for about 5-6 minutes until they were half cooked. Then I added in some diced mango to the vegetables, seasoning it with salt and pepper. I covered it with a lid and let it cook down until most of the water and cream were gone. Honestly, I liked this. I thought it was fantastic. But the others were extremely wary about fruit and vegetables cooked together. And my husband thought the mango was squash and already started retching inside. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfPUm0AewR9-P2hFskxYLWAz_yVeggG_dxukfQyJjFkhVcVA6IeKRUkHlo62KdV9e7KJ1MKXt0eNB_wdmRM8ly4KHOutrs1su7ch-eN1If4fJ-ptlJVjuXqnYC2FIk_GJlFMgNXsBy-lT/s640/Food+from+Vanuatu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfPUm0AewR9-P2hFskxYLWAz_yVeggG_dxukfQyJjFkhVcVA6IeKRUkHlo62KdV9e7KJ1MKXt0eNB_wdmRM8ly4KHOutrs1su7ch-eN1If4fJ-ptlJVjuXqnYC2FIk_GJlFMgNXsBy-lT/s320/Food+from+Vanuatu.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If my opinion counts more than everyone else's, then this was a great meal! <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />My husband and I were in a discussion after I read him my menu a few days ago. I told him about the biscuits, asking him his opinion on whether he thought they meant cookies rather than what we call biscuits here. He agreed, based on the ingredients, but then said I should really aim to find purely authentic recipes, not ones colonial powers introduced. I disagreed. Sometimes I just can’t find a lot of available recipes from countries, especially now that I’m trying to find something I haven’t cooked before. But if a recipe was introduced in the early-1800s, then it’s been a thing in that country for 200 years. So, isn’t it kind of theirs now? Most recipes we have in the US were influenced from somewhere else. I don’t know. What I do know is that I could use another cookie. Or biscuit. Or whatever. <br /><br />Up next: Venezuela </span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-59554301291227916722020-12-06T11:45:00.000-05:002020-12-06T11:45:01.662-05:00VANUATU: MUSIC AND DANCE<span style="font-size: large;">Traditional music in Vanuatu, called <i>kastom singsing</i> or <i>kaston tanis</i> in Bislama, utilizes quite a few different instruments. Some of these instruments and styles may vary from island to island, using percussion instruments like slit drums and rattles as well as aerophones like flutes and conch shells that you blow into. On a few of the islands, other types of drums and string instruments were used, but their use didn’t last long after colonial times for some reason. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/TamTam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/TamTam.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />Slit drums actually hold a special status among instruments used in Vanuatu. First of all, slit drums aren’t actually drums. They’re more like a hollowed-out piece of wood or bamboo with two slits in the top. If they’re different thicknesses, they’ll produce two different tones when hit with the sticks. Although these slit drums are popular all over the South Pacific islands, Southeast Asia, and Africa, the people of Vanuatu often use a hollowed log to make these drums and then add carvings to the outside of it. These drums are also used to accompany different dances, and on a rare occasion, used as a means of communication. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eeAbcLjgIqU/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eeAbcLjgIqU/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Many of the dances performed in Vanuatu are steeped in ritual, magic, and storytelling. One of the more well-known and unique dances is the Rom dance from the island of Ambrym. This island is known as being the center of “black magic” due to its two volcanoes filled with molten lava lakes and black sand covering its beaches. This dance comes with chanting about the myths and mysteries of the island, and the dancers are cloaked in dried banana leaves that have been used to create a cloak and a mask. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/dailypost.vu/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/6d/26d7dbdd-4157-562f-9f69-a933bcf813e9/5d2a81abb9aab.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/dailypost.vu/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/6d/26d7dbdd-4157-562f-9f69-a933bcf813e9/5d2a81abb9aab.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800" width="320" /></a></div><br />During the 20th century, string band music became pretty popular throughout Vanuatu. These bands included guitars, ukuleles, drums, and other instruments together. They often sang popular songs in Bislama and other local languages, but they also sang songs about places they’ve visited, romance, or politics and awareness. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f5zczDGXwio/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f5zczDGXwio/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanessa Quai<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />By the 1990s, commercial music was taking off, and genres like pop, reggae, reggaeton, African zouk music had a huge influence on their music. Probably the most famous musician from Vanuatu is <b>Vanessa Quai</b>. She’s become quite popular throughout the entire South Pacific region and can sing in multiple languages. Her music is a little pop, a little hip-hop, a little reggae. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lastfm.freetls.fastly.net/i/u/300x300/3696c311542e25b353f2278aaca07fd0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://lastfm.freetls.fastly.net/i/u/300x300/3696c311542e25b353f2278aaca07fd0.jpg" /></a></div><br /><b>Huarere</b> is one of the most popular string bands from Vanuatu. They utilize some great harmonies, and I can see a lot of reggae influence in their music, too. As far as I can tell, they’re singing in Bislama. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSByv944bkFGkIfCs7zGOGknsVFpGmURf0aVQ&usqp=CAU" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSByv944bkFGkIfCs7zGOGknsVFpGmURf0aVQ&usqp=CAU" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metoxide</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I also listened to a couple of reggae bands. The first one I listened to was <b>Stan and the Earth Force</b>. It seemed to have a bit of an old school reggae style. I really liked it. It seemed to draw a lot on Jamaican reggae styles. The other reggae band I listened to was <b>Metoxide</b>. His style was a little more modern, in my opinion. I actually listened to this for a while because I enjoyed it so much. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://yt3.ggpht.com/a/AATXAJyzyqzyWzhBXdS-grZIWcHh6CoCThe4uAoVFeYL=s900-c-k-c0xffffffff-no-rj-mo" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://yt3.ggpht.com/a/AATXAJyzyqzyWzhBXdS-grZIWcHh6CoCThe4uAoVFeYL=w320-h320" width="320" /></a></div><br />Finally, I came across a hip-hop group from Port Vila that I enjoyed listening to called <b>Confliction</b>. I was very impressed with them. It’s quite catchy! I appreciate them using different styles of the music, and their cadence and flow is good. Perhaps it’s part of the hip-hop culture, but they also rap in English. <br /><br />Up next: the food</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8266638623269234342.post-85134147049960594032020-12-02T21:56:00.001-05:002020-12-02T21:56:19.986-05:00VANUATU: ART AND LITERATURE<span style="font-size: large;">Vanuatu’s early residents left behind rock drawings depicting animals, life events, and stylized ancestral spirits. These drawings were also decorated with geometric shapes. Another ancient form of art is sand art. Unlike the sand art we did as kids with layers of colored sand in a bottle, this sand art is essentially elaborate designs drawn in the sand. Sometimes they can resemble a person or animal (like turtles or fish) and are generally created around symmetrical designs (typically quatrefoil or trefoil designs). This style of sand art is included in UNESCO’s Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity list. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3e/17/89/3e1789859a92867399845fcbe0e38459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="400" height="314" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3e/17/89/3e1789859a92867399845fcbe0e38459.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Ni-Vanuatu also creates a variety of crafts. Some of these include wearable crafts like shell necklaces, ankle rattles, masks, and headdresses. The masks are often decorated with feathers, tusks, leaves, and natural paints. It also includes carved arts like bowls and utensils, canoes, figurines of animals, as well as weapons like bows, arrows, clubs, and spears. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.traveller.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/c/4/6/1/image.related.articleLeadwide.520x294.h1c2rh.png/1553152346069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="520" height="180" src="https://www.traveller.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/c/4/6/1/image.related.articleLeadwide.520x294.h1c2rh.png/1553152346069.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Modern European-style painting techniques were introduced by both the French and British. Today, you can find many art galleries in several of the islands showcasing local artists' works. There are also several public buildings with elaborate murals of island life and local history. One famous artist is Aloi Pilioko who is known for his colorful mural on the side of the post office in Port Vila. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-p/19/0a/c7/97/the-post-office-in-port.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="733" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-p/19/0a/c7/97/the-post-office-in-port.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />The vast majority of the canon of literature from Vanuatu is steeped in the oral traditions of telling myths, legends, folk tales, and even sung poetry. These stories are passed down from generation to generation, often preserving a history of their culture. With the arrival of European missionaries, they taught the native Ni-Vanuatu written language in their schools. And they were quick to create Bibles and other dictionaries from Bislama to English and French. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31t2-QdxUOL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="260" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31t2-QdxUOL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" /></a></div><br />Modern literature slowly cropped up in the 1960s when there was a push for a larger movement in teaching and producing South Pacific literature. And it wasn’t until the University of the South Pacific in Suva (Fiji) became the catalyst for accomplishing this major feat. Soon writing classes, literary circles, literary journals, and publishing houses were established as they created this new community of writers. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.sista.com.vu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/gracemolisa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="290" height="320" src="https://www.sista.com.vu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/gracemolisa.png" width="197" /></a></div><br />One of the most famous writers from Vanuatu is <b>Grace Molisa</b>. She became one of the foremost voices in feminist literature, and more specifically, poetry. Writing in both English and Bislama, she wrote quite a bit about post-colonial life in Vanuatu. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.alliancefr.vu/images/stories/mars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="244" height="320" src="https://www.alliancefr.vu/images/stories/mars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><b>Marcel Melthérorong</b> wrote the first novel from Vanuatu in 2007 called Tôghàn, about living in between Melanesian and European cultures. Writing in French, his novel was lauded as a fresh, new voice in French language literature. In fact, at its reissue in 2009, recent (2008) Nobel Prize in Literature recipient Jean-Marie Le Clézio added his forward to the novel. <br /><br />Up next: music and dance</span>Beth Adamshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15580222006697093510noreply@blogger.com0