Kenyan tribalism

Written by Johan Schaap

The republic of Kenya is not only a popular destination to visit wildlife, nature and bounty beaches, this nation is host of a great cultural wealth. The fact that the country is home to 42 tribal groups contributes to a great acceptance for other religions and cultural influences. I have done my internship over there and as a Dutch, I will tell some about my experiences in the Kenyan coastal region.

In general, family relations form the foundation of the society and masculinity is highly noticeable since father and first born males are the decision makers in the family. However, as soon as a younger male family member completes a higher education than the first born, he will earn more influence in the decision making process.

Furthermore, Kenya complies to the British law, but it often occurs that law is taken in own hands. I had a conversation with a Kenyan who was truly convinced that it was unacceptable that the public, contrary to the coastal region, in Nairobi didn’t lapidate thief’s till death when they caught them red-handed. To me this seemed quite inhuman, although the crime rates prove that the coastal area is much safer than the capital city “Nairobbery”.

As for the tribalism, the country has a long cultural history which has influences from the Portuguese, British and Arab nations. Nonetheless, the Kenyan tribalism did not fade. All tribes have their own language and traditions were most famous example is most likely the Maasai tribe. Still, Luhya, Kikuya and Luo are most populated tribes and history has proven that the two last mentioned form the origin of most politicians in the country. Although they currently even share the presidential seat, collaboration between those two hasn’t always been so obvious. For instance, years ago Barack Obama sr. didn’t agree with the Kikuya regime and therefore got banned from the government and placed on a “black list” to disable him to find a proper job.

In my opinion, this cultural perspective clearly indicates an underdeveloped country. Still, the contrast between Dutch culture truly shows what really matters in life. Therefore, it is most certainly worth a visit.

The mindset of the Mongolian

Written by Sietse van der Meer

I have been in Mongolia for about 2 months and I have been able to understand some of the culture. However I am also regularly amazed. Together with two Dutch exchange students I have travelled the capital of Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar. I will tell you briefly about the history and culture of Mongolia.

Until 1992 Mongolia was a communistic country. It is still noticeable today when you look at the buildings in Russian style and there still is a system of strict hierarchy. There have been many changes since the fall of communism. The number of inhabitants in Ulaanbaatar increased drastically. Also the social inequality grew. Sixty percent of the Mongolian population lives in so called ‘ger-areas’ and has generally less to spend than people who live downtown.

Wealthy Mongolians like to let others know they are rich. That is why you see the most expensive and beautiful cars. Poverty is not accepted. If you are poor you will be an outsider in daily life. As a result of the enormous increase of people there is a lot of traffic in the capital city. Traffic is very chaotic; in general it is one big traffic jam. People do not care about your small car, they will push you of the road with their big jeeps if you are not alert.

Youth tends to look at the West, especially focusing at the USA and the United Kingdom. A lot of them would like to visit those countries or have already been there. You should be aware of the fact that the road has only been recently opened to the US and those countries offer lots of possibilities to learn and to explore. During the communism regime the West was seen as the enemy. The communism regime was not all bad: wealth was divided more equally and the unemployment rate was lower. During the current regime it is every man for himself.

At my job in Ulaanbaatar hierarchy is considered very important. When a superior asks you to hang out and drink some fine quality wodka it is considered to be rude if you deny. Even the excuse: “I am working on a report with a deadline” will not help you. You can do that tomorrow as well!

Reasons to study abroad

As mentioned in the introduction I am studying International Business at the NHL University of applied sciences in Leeuwarden. I have planned to graduate for my bachelor level in June 2010. In the year 2008 I have studied as an exchange student at the Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul (South-Korea). In this article I will explain what you have to prepare when you consider studying abroad and I give several other tips.

A study abroad will take time for you to prepare several things. It is important to apply for a student visa in time (about 6 – 7 months before departure). Also you have to examine whether you will need certain vaccinations or not (visit your GP / doctor). This depends on which country you want to go. Furthermore you should visit you mentor at school before you leave and agree on the amount of credits you will get for each class that you finish successfully. This way you won’t be unpleasantly surprised by not having scored enough credits when you get back home.

A brief study of the culture and language of the country you want to study is recommended. Of course you do not have to master a complete foreign language, but reading a travel guide, book or website about cultural differences will avoid that you will make fun of yourself or act rude in the company of your host. At the majority of international universities classes are usually offered in English. If English is not your native language make sure to read English books and to watch English TV shows (this shouldn’t be too hard) before you leave. It will increase your vocabulary skills and will make sure you can focus on the subject of a class rather than being busy translating everything.

When I listen to (former) exchange students I hear that the time they studied abroad was the best time they had as a student. This is true for me as well. During your stay in a foreign country you will experience and learn new things almost every day. Your self-confidence will increase and your perception of ‘the world’ will improve. Also it will be possible to examine your own culture from a distance which makes it able for you to reflect on it.

Some students tell me that although they want to study abroad it is hard to take the first steps towards realizing this dream. What perhaps lowers the threshold is the fact that it is not crucial to go to a country at the other side of the planet. Dutch students who studied in Germany & Belgium as well as students who studied in China & Thailand both told me they learned to become more independent people. Furthermore they all spoke about the magnificent time they had abroad.

Want to study abroad? What are you waiting for?

New to this blog? An introduction

Welcome to Cultureblog.NL!

The fact that you are now visiting my blog indicates that you already have a certain interest in cultural differences. Nowadays there exists quite a chance that you will meet (or have already met) persons with a different cultural background. You meet them for example during a (world)travel, business trip or as an exchange student abroad.

While globalization keeps making the world relatively ‘smaller’ multicultural communities are more likely to develop. Chances are reasonable that one of your fellow colleagues, students or friends looks at the world through a totally different window than you do.

How should you deal with those cultural differences? And how to make sure that your business expansion abroad does not fail because of these differences? Cultureblog.NL provides tips and examples from the intercultural world every week.

The major part of the posts is based on personal experience and will be empowered by scientific concepts if necessary.

About the founder

Dennis Stulp (1989) is currently studying International Business at the NHL university of applied sciences in Leeuwarden and will graduate June 2010. As part of this study he lived in Seoul (South-Korea) for 4 months studying psychology, sociology and Korean culture. In everyday life he guides exchange students in the Netherlands as part of the Erasmus Student Network program (ESN). After graduating Dennis will further specialize in intercultural differences in order to be able to professionally consult international businesses, students and travelers.