Welcome to the Ancient World

Student Editor: Kiara Biroo ‘20 Office of Intercultural Affairs Issue 4 Fall 2018

This Issue

Page 1-2 : Welcome to the Ancient World

Page 3: Students share their backgrounds

Page 5-6 : Cultural Page

Page 7: Ask Fefin

Page 8: Food for Thought

Below—Neiva Fortes is a Hartwick College student of Cape Verdian ancestry. The island nation of Cape Verde is off the northwest coast of West Africa. It gained its independence from Portugal on July 5, 1975. A sizable community of Cape Verdians exists in Brockton, Massachusetts, the hometown of Neiva.

Voices Magazine

The ancient world had many values and beliefs, which made it vibrant. It

was vibrant because of its cultures and traditions over generations. It is

time to explore the amazing wonders this world once embraced for its great

figures, creations, civilization, and blood-curdling battles. Great figures

from ancient Egypt such as Ramesses the second and Thutmose the third

will captivate your thoughts and question their significance in the world.

Mythology, costumes, and portraits were a few of their fascinating

creations. Our first destination will take you to the city of Kumasi which is

in the heart of the ancient Ashanti Kingdom, in Ghana. Kumasi is also

known as the Garden City, located in Africa. It is one of Africa’s oldest cities

constructed in 1695. The main features are the ancient fort of Kumasi, the

Hat Museum and the Kumasi National Cultural Center. One of our

Hartwick Students, Adjoa Amponsah, was born and raised to value the

culture and tradition of her country.

KB: Do you believe you influence or

represent your culture?

AA: I believe I represent my culture everyday by

being different in every aspect of my life. My work

ethic, seeing the best in all people, and love for

family above all else make me stand out in all my

endeavors.

KB: Tell me about your hometown. If I came

to visit you, where in your hometown would

you take me? What would you show me?

AA: The Manhyia Palace Museum is a very fun

place to visit in my hometown. It has a rich history

and has memorabilia of all the kings and queen

mothers of the Ashanti Kingdom. The golden stool

would be good to see because of its history and the

controversy surrounding it.

KB: What is your goal after Hartwick?

AA: Academically, I plan to get my Masters in Fine

Arts and Business Administration. Ideally, I hope to

travel as much as I can before I get thrown into the

“real world.” During J Term I travelled alone to

Thailand and the Philippines for volunteer work.

After that amazing experience I’ve been urging

others to travel the world and do more service

projects.

Salice Obosu, ‘21

Adjoa Amponsah ‘18

KB: Where are you and your family from?

AA: My family and I are from Kumasi, a city in

Ghana, West African. We are part of an ethnic

group called the Akan which is one of the largest

ethnic groups in Ghana.

KB: What are your traditions and religion?

AA: My family are Christians and some of our

traditions are like those of the western culture. We

celebrate Christmas and Easter. We have a

tradition of family or siblings eating together from

the same plate which encourages bonding. Our

tradition when it comes to marriage is that we have

special clothing for the bride and groom. The groom

must present items to the bride’s parents, brother,

and money for the bride price which represent the

groom’s ability to take care of the bride.

KB: Where are you and your family from?

AN: My family and I are from South India,

specifically Kerala.

KB: What are your traditions and religion?

AN: I practice Hinduism which comes with many

traditions. Instead of praying at church we pray at

temples. We have poojas (rituals) that we attend on

certain days. One major stereotype people ask me is

why do you have so many gods? Hindus do not have

many gods. We have one supreme power, which is

Brahma. We believe that Brahma takes on different

forms to come help us on earth.

KB: Anything special about your childhood

growing up being raised by Indian

descendants?

AN: I am very blessed to be brought up in a Indian

household. I learned how to speak and write my

language which is Malayalam. Learning Malayalam

helped me so much because when I go back home

now, I can communicate perfectly well with my

family in India. I learned how to respect parents,

teachers and incorporate god into my life. We have

a saying “Matha Pitha Guru Deivam,” meaning first

we respect our mother, then father, then teacher,

and only after all of them, we respect God. In my

household we are taught the importance of family,

education and helping others.

KB: Where are you and your family from?

SB: I am Ghanaian-American. I was born and raised

in New York City, but my parents are from Ghana.

My siblings and I are the first generation Americans

with Ghanaian decent in my family.

KB: What are your traditions ?

SB: One special thing I can honestly say about my

childhood (it still occurs till this day) is growing up

being raised by African descendants. It is code

switching. Since I identify as Ghanaian-American,

both Ghanaian and American cultures influence my

life. I am able to act "Ghanaian" around my family

and Ghanaian people and "American" around

everyone else. But deep down, being able to code

switch is what makes America, America.

KB: Do you believe you influence or

represent your culture?

SB: I believe that I've left an impact representing my

culture. My friends around me are so interested

about Ghana because of me. I feel like I was able to

help people understand values and things not only

about Ghanaians, but Africans in general. And since I

have never been to Ghana, it rather makes me more

connected to Ghana because of the eagerness to know

more about my family and ancestors.

Anjali Nair ‘18

When I moved to New York, we joined a big

Malayali community. As a community we

would meet every Sunday. In the morning we

would do our prayers and learn new mandras.

Lunch time was the best because each family

would bring a homemade Indian dish. As a

community, I remember doing fundraisers,

hosting programs, poojas, and celebrating our

many festivals together. Being part of the

community also gave me opportunities to

perform on stage at a young age. This Malayali

community is still a big part of my life because I

formed many

close

friendships

and I teach

dance to the

young ones.

AN: I am

absolutely

proud of my

culture and I

love sharing

my culture with others.

KB: Do you believe you influence or

represent your culture?

AN: I am absolutely proud of my culture and I

love sharing it with others. At the age of five,

my parents joined my twin sister and I to learn

classical indian dance (Mohiniyattam), while

all my other friends were learning bollywood.

At that age I did not understand why I had to

learn classical dance instead of the upbeat

bollywood dance. As I grew up I started to fall

in love with Mohiniyattam. The dance takes

stories from old scriptures like Mahabharata

and Bhagavad Gita. The dancer uses Mudras or

hand gestures and facial expressions to convey

the story to the audience. Learning dance truly

connected me to my culture and I wanted to

share it with more people. When I started

school in Queens College I started my own

dance group for classical Indian dance and I

received an award for this. Furthermore, I

started choreographing Bollywood dances as

well. When I came to Hartwick College I

taught a combination of both Bollywood and

classical dance. In the future, I want to travel

and perform my dance in different countries.

I am very fortunate to be brought up in a

Indian household.

Courtesy: Keralatourism.org

Courtesy; Ancient History Encyclopedia

Hindu Lord Ganesha God

The Cultural Page

Painting by Kolada Oshinowo

“Born in Ibadan in 1948, Kolada Oshinowo is one of the most respected Nigerian artists. Oshinowo engages with a wide range of issues and some of his works are a response to social and political problems. The celebration of women is one of his main inspirations and his paintings of Nigerian women reflect his focus.” Courtesy: Vanguard news, 2010

Village Scene

Youth Wing Two Sisters

African Woman

Ask Fefin

Question: Why is it important for

students to know their

heritage ?

Answer: Lè yon moun gen yon

apresyasyon pou eritaj yo.

Yo pi ouvè pou aprann sou

lòt moun.

Saint Lucian history indicates East

Indians were sent by the British to

work on plantations in Saint Lucia

from 1859 and 1893. The last

indenture contracts ended in 1897. By

1900, there was an approximate

population of 2,560 free Indians in

Saint Lucia.

My family is from Saint Lucia. However, my ancestors

were originally from Jalandhar district (Jalandhar

Zilā). This is a district in the Doaba region of the state

of Punjab in the North-West Republic of India. District

headquarters is in Jalandhar city. Jalandhar is an

ancient city. It is home to Devi Talab Mandir, a

centuries-old Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess

Durga, with a tank considered sacred by devotees.

I have a wide variety of traditions, but my favorite is

the celebration of Jounen Kweyol. This day celebrates

the French/African dialect widely spoken in Saint

Lucia. A mix of creole (Kweyol) food, music, games

and folklore come together to give this festival a unique

vibe. The most exciting part is dressing up in Madras

wear during the week leading up to the events.

Kiara Biroo ‘20

Each country in the ancient world embodies a richness of culture and traditions. In China, the

Spring Festival marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year. It falls between mid-January and

mid-February and is a time to honor ancestors. During the 15-day celebration, the Chinese do

something every day to welcome the new year, such as eat rice congee and mustard greens to

cleanse the body. Also, dancing plays a significant role in most cultures. Dance is considered to be

an essential aspect of Indian culture. Dating back to 1000 BCE, the Bharatanatyam is a classical

dance derived from the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This dance in particular is

predominantly performed by women and is usually accompanied with Carnatic music.

https://www.livescience.com/28823-chinese-culture.html,

https://quizlet.com/198149123/east-indian-dance-flash-cards

Voices Magazine

Office of Intercultural Affairs

Hartwick College

Oneonta, New York 13820

www.hartwick.edu