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Voices Magazine

Student Editor: Kiara Biroo ‘20 Office of Intercultural Affairs Issue 4 Fall 2018

Welcome to the Ancient World This Issue  Page 1-2 : Welcome to the Ancient World  Page 3: Students share their backgrounds  Page 5-6 : Cultural Page  Page 7: Ask Fefin The ancient world had many values and beliefs, which made it vibrant. It  Page 8: Food for was vibrant because of its cultures and traditions over generations. It is Thought time to explore the amazing wonders this world once embraced for its great figures, creations, civilization, and blood-curdling battles. Great figures  Below—Neiva Fortes is a from ancient Egypt such as Ramesses the second and Thutmose the third Hartwick College student will captivate your thoughts and question their significance in the world. of Cape Verdian ancestry. Mythology, costumes, and portraits were a few of their fascinating The island of Cape creations. Our first destination will take you to the city of which is Verde is off the northwest coast of West . It in the heart of the ancient Kingdom, in . Kumasi is also gained its independence known as the Garden City, located in Africa. It is one of Africa’s oldest cities from on July 5, constructed in 1695. The main features are the ancient fort of Kumasi, the 1975. A sizable community Hat Museum and the Kumasi National Cultural Center. One of our of Cape Verdians exists in Hartwick Students, Adjoa Amponsah, was born and raised to value the Brockton, Massachusetts, the hometown of Neiva. culture and tradition of her country. Adjoa Amponsah ‘18 KB: Do you believe you influence or represent your culture?

AA: I believe I represent my culture everyday by

being different in every aspect of my life. My work ethic, seeing the best in all people, and love for family above all else make me stand out in all my endeavors. KB: Tell me about your hometown. If I came to visit you, where in your hometown would

you take me? What would you show me?

AA: The Manhyia Palace Museum is a very fun KB: Where are you and your family from? place to visit in my hometown. It has a rich history and has memorabilia of all the kings and queen AA: My family and I are from Kumasi, a city in mothers of the Ashanti Kingdom. The golden stool Ghana, West African. We are part of an ethnic would be good to see because of its history and the group called the Akan which is one of the largest controversy surrounding it. ethnic groups in Ghana. KB: What are your traditions and religion? KB: What is your goal after Hartwick? AA: Academically, I plan to get my Masters in Fine AA: My family are Christians and some of our traditions are like those of the western culture. We Arts and Business Administration. Ideally, I hope to celebrate Christmas and Easter. We have a travel as much as I can before I get thrown into the tradition of family or siblings eating together from “real world.” During J Term I travelled alone to the same plate which encourages bonding. Our Thailand and the Philippines for volunteer work. tradition when it comes to marriage is that we have After that amazing experience I’ve been urging special clothing for the bride and groom. The groom others to travel the world and do more service must present items to the bride’s parents, brother, projects. and money for the bride price which represent the groom’s ability to take care of the bride. Salice Obosu, ‘21

KB: Where are you and your family from?

SB: I am Ghanaian-American. I was born and raised in New York City, but my parents are from Ghana. My siblings and I are the first generation Americans with Ghanaian decent in my family.

KB: What are your traditions ?

SB: One special thing I can honestly say about my childhood (it still occurs till this day) is growing up being raised by African descendants. It is code switching. Since I identify as Ghanaian-American, both Ghanaian and American cultures influence my life. I am able to act "Ghanaian" around my family and and "American" around KB: Where are you and your family from? everyone else. But deep down, being able to code AN: My family and I are from South , switch is what makes America, America. specifically . KB: Do you believe you influence or KB: What are your traditions and religion? represent your culture? AN: I practice which comes with many SB: I believe that I've left an impact representing my traditions. Instead of praying at church we pray at culture. My friends around me are so interested temples. We have poojas (rituals) that we attend on about Ghana because of me. I feel like I was able to certain days. One major stereotype people ask me is help people understand values and things not only why do you have so many gods? do not have about Ghanaians, but Africans in general. And since I many gods. We have one supreme power, which is have never been to Ghana, it rather makes me more . We believe that Brahma takes on different connected to Ghana because of the eagerness to know forms to come help us on earth. more about my family and ancestors. KB: Anything special about your childhood Anjali Nair ‘18 growing up being raised by Indian descendants? AN: I am very blessed to be brought up in a Indian household. I learned how to speak and write my language which is . Learning Malayalam helped me so much because when I go back home now, I can communicate perfectly well with my family in India. I learned how to respect parents, teachers and incorporate god into my life. We have a saying “ Pitha Deivam,” meaning first we respect our mother, then father, then teacher, and only after all of them, we respect God. In my household we are taught the importance of family, education and helping others. When I moved to New York, we joined a big share it with more people. When I started community. As a community we school in Queens College I started my own would meet every Sunday. In the morning we dance group for classical Indian dance and I would do our prayers and learn new mandras. received an award for this. Furthermore, I Lunch time was the best because each family started choreographing dances as would bring a homemade Indian dish. As a well. When I came to Hartwick College I community, I remember doing fundraisers, taught a combination of both Bollywood and hosting programs, poojas, and celebrating our classical dance. In the future, I want to travel many festivals together. Being part of the and perform my dance in different countries. community also gave me opportunities to I am very fortunate to be brought up in a perform on stage at a young age. This Malayali Indian household. community is still a big part of my life because I formed many close friendships and I teach dance to the young ones.

AN: I am absolutely proud of my culture and I love sharing my culture with others. Courtesy: Keralatourism.org

KB: Do you believe you influence or represent your culture?

AN: I am absolutely proud of my culture and I love sharing it with others. At the age of five, my parents joined my twin sister and I to learn classical indian dance (Mohiniyattam), while all my other friends were learning bollywood. At that age I did not understand why I had to learn classical dance instead of the upbeat bollywood dance. As I grew up I started to fall in love with Mohiniyattam. The dance takes stories from old scriptures like and . The dancer uses or Courtesy; Ancient History Encyclopedia hand gestures and facial expressions to convey the story to the audience. Learning dance truly Hindu Lord God connected me to my culture and I wanted to

The Cultural Page

Painting by Kolada Oshinowo

“Born in Ibadan in 1948, Kolada Oshinowo is one of the most respected Nigerian artists. Oshinowo engages with a wide range of issues and some of his works are a response to social and political problems. The celebration of women is one of his main inspirations and his paintings of Nigerian women reflect his focus.”

Courtesy: Vanguard news, 2010

Village Scene African Woman

Youth Wing Two Sisters Kiara Biroo ‘20

My family is from Saint Lucia. However, my ancestors were originally from Jalandhar district (Jalandhar Zilā). This is a district in the Doaba region of the state of Punjab in the North-West of India. District headquarters is in Jalandhar city. Jalandhar is an ancient city. It is home to Talab Mandir, a Saint Lucian history indicates East centuries-old dedicated to the goddess Indians were sent by the British to , with a tank considered sacred by devotees. work on plantations in Saint Lucia I have a wide variety of traditions, but my favorite is from 1859 and 1893. The last the celebration of Jounen Kweyol. This day celebrates indenture contracts ended in 1897. By the French/African dialect widely spoken in Saint 1900, there was an approximate Lucia. A mix of creole (Kweyol) food, , games population of 2,560 free Indians in and folklore come together to give this festival a unique Saint Lucia. vibe. The most exciting part is dressing up in Madras wear during the week leading up to the events.

Ask Fefin Question: Why is it important for students to know their heritage ? Answer: Lè yon moun gen yon apresyasyon pou eritaj yo. Yo pi ouvè pou aprann sou lòt moun.

Voices Magazine Office of Intercultural Affairs Hartwick College Oneonta, New York 13820 www.hartwick.edu

Each country in the ancient world embodies a richness of culture and traditions. In China, the Spring Festival marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year. It falls between mid-January and mid-February and is a time to honor ancestors. During the 15-day celebration, the Chinese do something every day to welcome the new year, such as eat rice congee and mustard greens to cleanse the body. Also, dancing plays a significant role in most cultures. Dance is considered to be an essential aspect of Indian culture. Dating back to 1000 BCE, the is a classical dance derived from the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This dance in particular is predominantly performed by women and is usually accompanied with . https://www.livescience.com/28823-chinese-culture.html, https://quizlet.com/198149123/east-indian-dance-flash-cards