In Kenya, religion is somewhat diverse. Kenyans are given the right to choose any religion, as it is stated in the constitution. Almost 2/3rds of the people in Kenya are Christian. This is very similar to the American rate, which is around 3/4ths.
Muslim is also a fairly large religion in Kenya, including Sunni and Shīʿites. In America, Muslims make up anywhere from 3-7 million people. Around one-third of the Muslims in America are also African American, having converted in the past few decades.
Also, a somewhat small amount of people in Kenya are Jewish.
Kenya seems to be very similar to America in diversity of religions, with Christianity as the predominant religion. Freedom of religion in Kenya is somewhat questionable, even though (as said earlier) it is stated in their constitution.
Although some of the numbers concerning religion in Kenya are similar to the numbers in America, it is very different. Traditional African religious practices remain, even after some Kenyans convert to Christianity. Mostly all Kenyans believe in an eternal creator, and some participate in witchcraft and sorcery. Some religious groups believe in ghosts and spirits, and feel that pleasing them will bring success. This is somewhat similar to most religions, as the main goal is ultimately pleasing an omnipotent being.
Sources:
http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=18853
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/315078/Kenya#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked&title=Kenya%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Kenya
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/NEH/kreligion.htm
10.27.2008
Music in Bulgaria
Popular music in Bulgaria includes such genres as Rock, Heavy Metal, Pop, Electronic and Rap. Similar to America, the pop scene in Bulgaria seems to have a strong focus on sexuality and pointless gussying up of the female gender. I watched a few videos, and they all seem to have the same theme; wearing a lot of makeup and writhing at the camera.
Here is a video from Bulgarian folk-pop artist Petra:
Heavy metal in Bulgaria is also similar to heavy metal in America. I noticed, however, that there is more of a focus on the 80's style of heavy metal than modern. One music video even features a white horse galloping through a forest.
Rap in Bulgaria seemed to have the closest similarity to American music out of all the genres. The main focus was, like American rap, asses and consumerism. It is interesting to see that the same ignorance is spread evenly across the world. Here is a clip from Bulgarian rap group Upsurt:
Traditional music in Bulgaria includes women's choirs and music festivals revolving around the holidays. Until recently, festivals would be held with the main purpose being finding a partner. Women would sing and young men would attend with the intention of finding a wife. I find this to be much different from American musical culture.
Mostly, it seems like Bulgarian music is quite similar to American music, especially the popular genres. Bulgaria also has other genres like jazz and classical. The main differences between Bulgarian and American music are mostly in the traditional Bulgarian music.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Bulgaria
http://www.youtube.com
Here is a video from Bulgarian folk-pop artist Petra:
Heavy metal in Bulgaria is also similar to heavy metal in America. I noticed, however, that there is more of a focus on the 80's style of heavy metal than modern. One music video even features a white horse galloping through a forest.
Rap in Bulgaria seemed to have the closest similarity to American music out of all the genres. The main focus was, like American rap, asses and consumerism. It is interesting to see that the same ignorance is spread evenly across the world. Here is a clip from Bulgarian rap group Upsurt:
Traditional music in Bulgaria includes women's choirs and music festivals revolving around the holidays. Until recently, festivals would be held with the main purpose being finding a partner. Women would sing and young men would attend with the intention of finding a wife. I find this to be much different from American musical culture.
Mostly, it seems like Bulgarian music is quite similar to American music, especially the popular genres. Bulgaria also has other genres like jazz and classical. The main differences between Bulgarian and American music are mostly in the traditional Bulgarian music.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Bulgaria
http://www.youtube.com
10.26.2008
Unfamiliar Culture; Cuisine in Ireland.
Much like America, Ireland's diet consists mostly of things like meat, potatoes, cheese, milk and bread. Animal products and starchy foods make up the majority of most dishes. More recently, Ireland has developed a diet very similar to the American diet. Fast food consumption has risen a considerable amount. In fact, obesity has become a rising health issue.
Traditional Irish cuisine is also a culprit of obesity, as it contains much butter, red meat, and processed meats. Unlike America, Ireland's diet is less focused on things like fruits and vegetables. Yes, this means there is a country that consumes even less (healthy, non-starchy) produce than we do.
Some traditional dishes in Ireland include soda bread (bread that uses baking soda as a replacement for yeast), boxty (potato pancakes), and Irish stew (mutton/lamb/beef, potatoes, onion, and parsley).
Ireland is often stereotyped as a highly alcoholic country. Numbers show that alcohol consumption in Ireland is higher than many other countries, although Luxembourg takes the prize for most alcohol consumed per person in the world.
Overall, Ireland's current diet is very similar to America's diet. Ireland is also beginning to adopt other cultures foods; i.e. curry (a predominantly Indian dish) and Chinese food. There aren't many differences between our diet and their's, at least not significant differences. They share the same love of high-fat foods, alcohol, and animal products.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_cuisine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_bread
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_stew
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxty
http://www.ravensgard.org/prdunham/irishfood.html -history of Ireland's diet
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9325487 - Luxembourg, highest alcohol consumption in the world
http://www.ndc.hrb.ie/attached/3863-4118.pdf - alcohol consumption in Ireland
http://www.red-branch.com/fruit_&_veg.htm - fruit and vegetable consumption in Ireland
Traditional Irish cuisine is also a culprit of obesity, as it contains much butter, red meat, and processed meats. Unlike America, Ireland's diet is less focused on things like fruits and vegetables. Yes, this means there is a country that consumes even less (healthy, non-starchy) produce than we do.
Some traditional dishes in Ireland include soda bread (bread that uses baking soda as a replacement for yeast), boxty (potato pancakes), and Irish stew (mutton/lamb/beef, potatoes, onion, and parsley).
Ireland is often stereotyped as a highly alcoholic country. Numbers show that alcohol consumption in Ireland is higher than many other countries, although Luxembourg takes the prize for most alcohol consumed per person in the world.
Overall, Ireland's current diet is very similar to America's diet. Ireland is also beginning to adopt other cultures foods; i.e. curry (a predominantly Indian dish) and Chinese food. There aren't many differences between our diet and their's, at least not significant differences. They share the same love of high-fat foods, alcohol, and animal products.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_cuisine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_bread
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_stew
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxty
http://www.ravensgard.org/prdunham/irishfood.html -history of Ireland's diet
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9325487 - Luxembourg, highest alcohol consumption in the world
http://www.ndc.hrb.ie/attached/3863-4118.pdf - alcohol consumption in Ireland
http://www.red-branch.com/fruit_&_veg.htm - fruit and vegetable consumption in Ireland
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
