culture

= __**Culture: **__ = = **This country is extremely culturally diverse throughout the four major cultural regions. ** =
 * Geography || History || culture || Politics || Economics || Classroom Activities || Teachers Page ||

**Nationality: Ivorian**

__Religion:__
12% Christian 25% Muslim 63% Traditional Beliefs
 * Traditionally, they believe that the dead remain as constant spirits throughout every day life. Through the use of rituals, the living find protection and blessings from these spirits. Magic is commonly used and good magic may be used to keep evil spirits away. Medicine men or Juju priests use charms, tales, and give advice to avoid danger to the living.
 * Much of the population promotes Islam. Through this faith they worship a time called Ramadan//.// This is a month long observance in which food and beverages are not consumed between sunrise and sunset. //Eid al-Fitr//, the feast that ends this fasting month, lasts two to ten days. The feast may include a variety of seasoned meats with sauce, rice, yam or eggplant, salads, and soups or stews. //Eid al-Adha// (the feast of the sacrifice) starts on the tenth day of the last month of the Islamic calendar. After prayers, the head of each household typically sacrifices (kills) a sheep, camel, or an ox. It is often eaten that evening for dinner and is shared with those who could not afford to purchase an animal to sacrifice.
 * At the beginning of harvest time, yam festivals take place throughout the country. These festivals take place to honor the spirits that they believe protect their crops and leading cause of the country's income. To celebrate, the Kulango people exchange gifts and eat a meal of mashed yams and soup and participate in dances and song. Some villagers celebrate the harvest of other important crops, including rice. Meal times are sacred. The eldest of the community eat first as a sign of respect and importance. Also, if the food were to be spoiled or poisoned, the elders would stop any other members from eating it. Reaching across the table, talking, sneezing, and coughing during meals are all seen as rude or inappropriate in the villages.

__Food:__

 * 1) Fufu: boiled cassava and plantains
 * 2) Kedjenou: seasoned meat and vegetable sauce
 * 3) Aloko: fried bananas
 * 4) Calalou: vegetable stew
 * About 15% of the population, according to World Bank, is malnourished and about one quarter of the children under the age of 5 are underweight and have stunted growth.

__Language:__
official language: French Oui = yes Pourquoi = why?
 * More than 60 languages are spoken throughout the country depending on the culture and location.
 * Lets learn french!
 * Je ne comprends pas .**= I don't understand

__Education:__
Education is not compulsory at this time; meaning that there is no set amount of years or content that an individual needs to know or complete. attendance = 57% literacy = 51% The food consumed in the country is mostly based around grains and root vegetables. Corn, rice, yams, plantains, millet and peanuts are staple foods. The national dish of the country is fufu which is cassava, plantains or yams that is pounded into a sticky dough and served with chicken and a vegetable sauce. Soccer is a major sport in the country. There is a soccer field in almost every town and village. The country also has a baseball federation. Basketball, rugby, and tennis are also very popular among the people.. The first Ivoirian to win an Olympic medal was Gabriel Tiacoh who won the silver medal in the men’s 400 meter race at the 1984 games in Los Angeles.
 * most adults are not literate and if attempt to pursue any type of secondary education (which is very rare), it is usually boys rather than girls.

media type="youtube" key="mMeKOVYilxE" height="349" width="425"

__**Music/tradition:**__[[image:custom.jpg align="right" link="@http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/artist/content.artist/soum_bill_35099/en_US"]]
lets listen! Many of the countries music is written about the political and social themes throughout the country.

The Zaouly Mask (zah-wuhly)

The Zaouly mask is a symbol of the Gouro culture from the Ivory Coast, West Africa. The story tells us that Djela Lou Zaouly (jayla - lu - zah - wuhly) was a goddess for the Gouro people. The Gouro word "Djela Lou Zaouly" stands for "The Lion's Daughter" -- Djela means lion; Lou means daughter. The Zaouly dance is a seduction dance performed by a masked character whose finesse, elegance and grace contributes to the charm of this dance from the Gouro people.

Fun fact: Questions:
 * Cote d'Ivoire does not operate daylight savings time.

1.True/False About half of the country is considered literate. 2. True/False The majority of the country practices Traditional beliefs.

__References:__ [] [] @http://www.extremeresponse.org/countries/ivory-coast/ @http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/view/page.basic/artist/content.artist/soum_bill_35099/en_US

Jessica Douglas © Illinois State University Date of creation: March 31, 2011 Last modified:May 1, 2011 e-mail: Jldoug2@ilstu.edu