AfroColombians

AfroColombians

Despite in Colombia the fight against racism has gained strength in recent years, the black communities are still strongly segregated; especially in terms of the labor force and education. The fact that 76% of Afro-Colombians live in poverty, 42% are unemployed, only 2 out of 100 young afro-descendants go college, shows that black people develop an inferior role in Colombian society.

It is really important that not only black people fight against racism, but also every one do it. We also need to be aware that we are all part of Colombian society as a whole. People have to realize that in Colombia there not exist "pure races" and that we just are the result of a huge and complete mixing process, where we all have a little of each race.

When every single person in Colombia understands that we all are Colombians, citizens and equal to God's eyes; that day we all will have the same opportunities and this country will achieve the real progress.

FAVORITE CARNIVAL MOMENTS

Friday and Saturday of carnival were my favorite carnival days. Actually, were the only ones I went out with my friends because I had thousand of assignments to do. Well, those days we were celebrating the Beer Festival, where came lots of singers of vallenato, salsa and, obviously reggaeton. Despite I just went to party those days I can totally say that I enjoyed them a lot.

Tuareg Culture

1. What do we learn about Tuareg culture from this video?

According to the video, what I learned about Tuareg culture is that they are very attached to their traditions and rituals. The fact that the video takes place in the desert makes me even though it's a nomadic population who has spent a lot of pain through the years. It makes me feel that they are very concerned about nature and all sources they have.

2. Keeping in mind what you learned from this interview, how does seeing the visuals within the video and knowing the meaning of the lyrics give us a deeper understanding of Tuareg culture?

Seeing the visuals within the video and knowing the meaning of the lyrics give us a deeper understanding not only of the song's message, but also some key aspects of their culture. When you have the opportunity to see and hear something at the same time, it's easier to connect ideas and have more clarity about what you are exposed to. We can also see in the video, how some parts of the song were connected with the dynamic of the images presented.

 

After reading about Barranquilla being the Cultural Capital of 2013 (http://www.elheraldo.co/tendencias/barranquilla-elegida-capital-de-la-cultura-2013-70019), here are my answers: 
1. Why was Barranquilla chosen? 
2. Will Barranquilla receive any of the economic benefits Liverpool hoped to from being named a cultural capital?

1.   Barranquilla was chosen by the International Bureau of Cultural Capitals as American Capital of Culture 2013, because of the perseverance, dedication and effort of the local government in the management for obtaining that merit. Positivism and international projection of the city, as well as the connection of people to their culture were other important aspects to be chosen for this huge recognition.

2.    Hopefully Barranquilla will receive lots of economic benefits from being named a cultural capital. At first the city will have an outstanding international promotion during 2013 through the TV channels Antena 3 Internacional and Discovery Networks Latin America, which clearly allows an opportunity for tourism, both local and a foreign investment and, both economic and cultural growth for the city.

After reading about an American man teaching English in Uganda (http://mulkatime.blogspot.com/2012/01/two-worlds-collide.html), here are my answers to these questions:
1. What different points of view do we see in this story?
2. Explain the reasons behind the miscommunication that occurred between these two men.

1.       I found this story very interesting. It's really unbelievable how two men who live next door are completely strangers. They have a whole and different point of view of the life.

First we have the white man. He seems to feel that he is so fortunate because he doesn't have to do black people work. He maybe thinks that hard work is derogatory for him to do it. He clearly doesn't know what poor people need to do to survive and, he obviously neither understands that the black guy is not his enemy; he is just trying to find the way to get some money for food. He probably thinks that white people is superior to black ones.

Then we have the black man. He looks like a hard worker man, someone who just wants to work in life; maybe because it's the only way he knows to get the food. He probably thinks that because of his lack of education and opportunities he doesn't deserve anything better than working for white people. He seems to be a good person and very responsible with his daughter. 

2.    I think the main reasons behind the miscommunication between these two men are the ones that the author presented: they are separated by class, by education, by language, and by culture.

Despite they nod to each other in recognition when they see, they never really took the time to know each other and their lives. It maybe happened because they weren't interested to do it or, because they didn't feel they belong to the same place. If they had taken more time to ask about each other rather than imagine about the other's thoughts, their relationship probably would be another one.

I'm Yiris Bayter a student of Intercultural Communications, an English course at Uninorte. I live in Valledupar, Colombia. I'm an economics student at Uninorte (Barranquilla) and I'm doing this as an English class assignment.