Education in America Today

After spending a few months in Africa last summer, I was interested to learn more about the cultures in this large continent. In order to find out more about African customs, I went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. They have a large display of art from all over Africa. I also watched the movie Blood Diamond which is about the diamond market in Sierra Leone. Both of these sources offered interesting insight into the ways of life across the African nations.

At the art museum, I noticed that many of the objects depicted gods and spirits. I saw masks that were worn for religious ceremonies. There were also many statues of gods. These objects were different among the different regions, but they were each representative of gods. The exhibit included divination boards. I also noticed that many of the countries had multiple religions represented. I saw Muslim, Christian, and tribal gods. This made me conclude that spirits and religion are very important to the African culture.

I also noticed many things that led me to believe family and community are important in Africa. There were many large food bowls that made me think of sharing a big feast with others. There were also many carvings depicting women nursing their children. The exhibit also contained a few pictures of African villages with everyone gathered together.

The art exhibit also contained many items having to do with animals. There were probably more than a hundred masks each depicting different animals like giraffes and hyenas. Some carvings were made of ivory tusks from elephants. There were drums made of animal skins. There was even a crown with an elephant crushing a lion on top of it. These items made me thing that the African culture finds animals vital for life. They seem to use animals very resourcefully, but also to depict stories. I feel that Africa values its wildlife and embraces it as a large part of their culture.

Moreover the display featured many ordinary items like stools and mirrors. Each of these was ornately decorated. There were many items such as swords and clubs bearing similar craftsmanship. I was struck by the detail that African craftsmen put into their work. One or two weavings also displayed their skill. I can only conclude that art is a key part in the daily life of Africa.

The colors used in the art are very earthy. This made me think of the dirt and the colors that are in Africa. They were very present. I felt that the colors helped me see the scenery of Africa better. In contrast, the clothes that Africans wear is bright and bold. The old colors make me think of their culture as vibrant and full of life.

The major thing that strikes me about the African culture is the importance of showing your position. I saw many pieces of jewelry that were very large. There were also pictures and carvings of figures wearing large numbers of beads. The walls also contained paintings of servants serving kings. I saw this from many different countries. Statues were present of kings and queens. There were also carvings of servants serving their ruler. The notes on many of the artifacts suggested that the uses for the items were for the chief or ruler. I had a very strong sense that the African culture is hierarchical. Status is extremely important and is shown outwardly by wearing things.

My final observation from the art museum is about the rituals in African society. Most of the pieces of art were to be used at specific times in the life of an African. I saw items used for weddings, death, and especially for coming of age ceremonies. There were carvings of men and women with scarring to mark major events. There were certain pieces of jewelry for weddings. Death was displayed with coffins, paintings, and other pieces of culture. I left the exhibit feeling that life events were central to all parts of African society.

When I watched the movie Blood Diamond, my opinions were somewhat different on many points of the culture of Africa. The movie takes place in 1999 and follows a different time in African culture. Many of the observations I made at the museum seemed to not fit well with the movie, but some themes were still very relevant.

The most obvious observation made from the movie is the level of war that tore the nation apart. From general studies, I know that many of the African nations are or have been engaged in a civil war. This appears to have frayed the countries and the cultures of Africa. The movie had many refugee camps that showed many tribes being mixed together. Because of this blending, I think the cultures of Africa have been somewhat united.

The amount of war seems to display the economic levels of the continent. Many of the homes they show in the movie are small and made of the earth surrounding, but they also show a few slums. The life in the slums is filthy and hard. The movie even shows two children searching through a trash dump for food. I also noticed the seemingly low income level because of the clothes most of the Africans wore. They were mismatched, thin, and extremely worn. This seemed to be the case for almost all of the black Africans. In contrast, the white Africans and a few black Africans seemed to be quite rich. They had great houses and large jewelry. Even their weapons reflected their incomes. Most of the nation fought with sticks and machetes while the rich people fought with machine guns.

One similarity I noticed between both cultural experiences is the idea of hierarchy. In the movie, the highest people had beads, jewelry, and other symbols of their status. The lower systems even seemed to have different levels to it. This was very obvious when the main black African character would not make eye contact with certain people. He was very careful to give the respect he was required to give.

The movie also opened

...