Cultural Analysis Essay

What is culture? Culture is traditions and customs that govern behavior and beliefs. They are distinctly human meaning that they cannot be shared with animals and culture is solely transmitted through learning, but the definition might be different depending on who is asking. The word has many different meanings ranging from different tastes in music, food, art, literature, norms, beliefs and values. All cultures have their needs and they develop their own system of beliefs and values to meet them. The acceptance or rejection and the understanding of our values are based on our belief system. A belief system is a collective group of beliefs that is shared by a specific society; it can be religious, ideological, or philosophical. France can be considered a melting pot country that has many different diverse cultures, even though it still has its own unique identity in terms of language, ethics and geography. French culture has been influenced greatly by conflicts the country has been through with other countries such as World War I and II, the Franco-Prussian Feud among other issues. The French belief system influences many facets of French lifestyle such as their traditions, religious tolerance, family structure cuisine, fashion and communication. France is a catholic Similar to the United States, France is typically a liberal country, and they are also strong supporters of the Roman Catholic Church. French people have different ideas about mannerisms about how to act in public than Americans do, as we are typically loud and obnoxious to people that are near us. French people are generally quiet and calm people and they tend to be very poised. Nigeria is described as a country that is overflowing in diversity, as the country contains 400 linguistic groups, 3 main religions and many different socio-political opinions and organizations (Seibert, 2000). The Nigerian people have a vast amount of customs and traditions that would leave most people who are not from the area amazed, but to them it is a norm, or something that is usual, typical, or standard. The typical mean of transport between the common people in the northern states is either camel or the horse in the desert areas. The horse is especially important in Nigerian culture as they are traditionally bred for religious festivals such as the Dunbar, when they are dressed in colorful attire (OnlineNigeria, 2012). When it comes to religion most of Nigeria is divided, less than 20 percent are Muslims, around 60 percent are Christian while the other 20 percent worship traditional gods such as Osun and Ogun. (OnlineNigeria, 2012) Traditional worship is very popular in the western states, so popular that some of their worship has been turned into festivals. Despite a vast number of languages spoken, cultural and traditional norms and dress are very similar. Eastern women dress in traditional simple double wrappers, with a head tie and blouse to match. Men typically dress in trousers with a large shirt to match. Due to how vast the country is communication does vary. In the southwest region of the country, communication is based on proverbs and wise sayings to enrich what they are actually saying. They often find themselves using humor in pieces of what they say to prevent boredom during serious discussions and meetings, as they believe that humor will guarantee that what they say is not forgotten. The Nigerians are a very passionate group of people that take great pride in everything that they do. Most people tend to speak more direct and louder than anywhere else when talking about something that interests them. Nigerians are generally outgoing and very friendly people who are very polite in many different aspects of daily life. Family is considered key in Nigerian culture so taking the time to personally know a Nigerian goes a long way as they will consider you a part of their family and a close friend. The Chinese people can be considered some of the

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Cultural Competence Analysis