Wednesday, March 23, 2011

A look into the youth culture

Since being in Botswana, I've sought out to learn about and experience the local culture, especially within the youth population. My approach was to interact with locals, make friends and simply ask questions to get better understanding on various topics concerning culture.

I’d like to mention that there is a clear distinction between the youth culture and that of the elders.

Although I don’t think that the most effective approach to explaining a culture is to compare it to another, I think in this particular case, it will be the easiest.

It is no secret here that the traditional culture in Botswana is slowly fading and not nearly as strong as it used to be. I’ve found that the local culture amongst the youth shares many similarities with that of the Western world. The U.S. and U.K. have a significant influence on the youth here. A lot of times I find myself shocked at the similarities we share- from interests in music, movies, television shows, food and general topics of conversation. Access to the Internet and satellite television has made it possible for many people here in Botswana, as well as around the world, to be exposed to a lot of the same media. This exposure has contributed to similar interests shared. I digress to that that some of the similarities have been a “let down” at times. My expectations coming to a country outside of the U.S. were to experience things different and at times out of the ordinary then what I experience at home. But what I’ve experienced here is a lot of the same that I experience at home. From another perspective, if people here in were not exposed to things of the Western world, I think I’d be more so shocked that they are unfamiliar with most of the technological advancement that I experience on a daily basis. In this case, in my opinion, their Westernization isn’t completely a negative thing.

One trait the locals are known for is their hospitality. The people I’ve met here are incredibly friendly and have always been respectful and willing to help me with anything I’ve ever needed. One thing I noticed immediately is that generally everyone greets each other, unlike most people in the U.S. There is an unsaid form of respect here, which I admire a lot. Here, you are supposed to acknowledge peoples’ presence when you walk by them. It can be seen as rude not to greet especially when asking someone a question or requesting service. Most people greet saying “Dumela Rra” which means “hello sir” but many of the youth say “eita” (short for “eita ola”) which means “what’s up?”A simple response to “eita” is “shap” (pronounced like "shop" and is short for “shapoo”) which simply means “I’m fine” but can also be used to say “goodbye.”

I found it amusing that the majority of women here use umbrellas to shade themselves from the sun during the summer. There won’t be single drop of rain, but most women will have their umbrellas out. Unfortunately it’s not a cultural norm for men to hold umbrellas unless they are holding it for a woman, so most men settle for bucket hats. I usually politely offer to carry a woman’s umbrella in order to share the shade with her. It gets around 90 degrees here during the day so a bucket hat doesn’t do much.

As far as the culture within the university, I have found many similarities to back home. Everything from tattoos, multiple piercings, open homosexuality, smoking, drinking, and an admiration of being rich to a large hip hop cultural influence is present.

Most students here dress casually to school, wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The girls usually put in more effort towards their appearance than guys. There are a lot of similarities in dress here to what I see in the states. Compared to Ghana, the students here dress more similarly to students in the states. It’s far less conservative than dress on the university campus I was at in Ghana. One of the only differences between outfits here compared to the states is that I often see British styles incorporated into outfits.

As far as hair, most of the men and women stay well groomed. A lot of the men wear their hair faded (very low cut- nearly bald), bald, or have dreadlocks. The women wear a variety of hairstyles. Anything ranging from braids to cornrows, dreadlocks (which are more common here than in Ghana), fades and various other natural looks.

Excessive drinking is very noticeable on campus and in the country and is a big part of the local culture. In 2008, the president raised the alcohol prices by 70% to try to lessen alcoholism. Many of the youth begin drinking and smoking at a young age. Nearly all of my local friends both drink and smoke. Most of them mention that they are trying to quit smoking- some have been smoking 6+ years. Local and imported beers and ciders are very popular. Eligible students on the college campus get a monthly allowance equivalent to about $200. Once the allowance is distributed each month, the student bar on campus becomes filled with people for several days at a time. Tons of broken bottles and glass are always found in that area and in various parking lots around campus. Although it’s cultural acceptable for both men and women to drink, it’s more prevalent amongst males. There’s definitely a high level of peer pressure which I think is a great contributor to the amount of people who drink and smoke here. I don’t like beer or cider nor do I smoke so it gets quite annoying when people always offer me them and give me a hard time for not liking them.

Braaie, which I mentioned in one of my previous posts are very common, cheap and serve as easy way to have fun on any day of the week and are a big part of the local culture. People attending a braaie usually pitch in money to buy meat (unless it’s a birthday party or someone is being generous enough to cover the costs), someone provides a grill, others salad, potato salad, beer or ciders. Once at the braaie, someone usually opens all the doors on their cars and plays music to complement the social gathering. Braaie can last for hours and are usually more fun and a lot cheaper than going to local clubs.

House music is the most popular genre here. Most of the students are fans of South African House music and local house music. The local’s interest in house music definitely caught me off guard. Before coming here, I had no idea that they listened to house music. I actually found it awkward that nearly an entire society of Africans predominately listened to house music. I had previously thought of house music as the corny music that disc jockeys in the states played in clubs when taking a break from playing hip hop. But I have to admit that I’ve really come to like it. The house music here is not the same as in the states. It has its cultural influence and sound. There is also a variety of house music- some slower tempo, some more up tempo, underground, mainstream, jazzy, etc. Many of the locals are quick to tell me what type they prefer and why and will explain it to me in-depth, even though I usually can’t tell the difference between the songs they play for me. The dance moves to house music require quite a bit of coordination as they combine a lot of arm and leg movement. When I first saw how people danced here, my immediate reaction was laughter. It looked extremely goofy. But I now enjoy watching people dance. There is a general 1-2 step involved and from there most locals are able to freestyle and show off their various dance moves and flexibility. I’ve had the opportunity to go out to several clubs and parties and have picked up a few moves myself. Nothing to brag about but I think I can hold my own. Don’t laugh! I know I can’t dance well, but the dances that can be done to house music make those with limited coordination and “flavor” if you will (like me) have an opportunity to look descent on the dance floor. I have acquired some house music from my friends, so I’ll be sure to show off a few moves of my own once I return home!

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