“This is What My Culture Looks Like”

Six women break myths and misconceptions surrounding their culture and tell us what it’s really like.

25 May, 2018
“This is What My Culture Looks Like”

AALIYAH ARMSTRONG

Talks about the Maori culture in New Zealand.

Aaliyah rose to fame after her wedding video, which saw her husband along with his family and friends perform a traditional, ancestral war cry, the Haka, went viral on social media. “To me, the Haka signifies respect, love and honour. I know some people see it as threatening, scary or even silly, but people really need to see beyond that and understand the words that are being said. Having had my husband’s family perform the Haka for us at the wedding was a huge sign of respect. It was amazing that all these people came together to show their love for us and I was immensely proud of the man I had married. I think that people see the Maori as minority, but I feel that there’s so much potential. Our ancestors have sacrificed everything to keep our culture alive, and I have so much belief in natives all over the world. If we supported and believed in them more, we would get a lot further in life.”

NADIA HASHIMI

Talks about Afghan culture.

“I could write a book about misconceptions about my culture, and it would still be scratching the surface. As an Afghan American growing up in the US, I’ve had people ask me if I was the first of my family to go to college. People assume that Afghan women are meek and oppressed. Of course, there is gender inequity and disparity that exists in Afghanistan. Girls still do not make up 50 percent of the student population, and women do not account for 50 percent of the workforce. But that doesn’t mean there is a disparity in my culture; I feel that it’s diverse and the treatment of women varies from household to household. I’m not denying the presence of patriarchy, it certainly exists, especially when you see the lack of women representatives in the Parliament or the inability of women to move as freely as men in public places. Glass ceilings exist. Sometimes women with power face hate speech from those who believe women have no right to be in positions of authority. But times are changing.”

MARI YAMAKAMA

Talks about the Japanese culture.

“Born and raised in Japan, the one thing that really bothers me is how easily people stereotype Geishas to be prostitutes. They’re far from it, they are, in fact, artists...performers rather, skilled in the ancient Japanese arts of tea ceremony, music, singing and dancing. And only a few people get to see them—they entertain people who are rich and powerful. I’m personally so intrigued by them! Not many people know this, but it takes five years of training to become a Geisha, apprentice ones are actually called Maiko. They’re forbidden from using phones or any form of contact during their training, and the funny thing is that they can’t ever relax, not even at home. They’re supposed to be a role model for their younger sisters and need to be prim and proper all the time; they can’t just lounge back into a chair. I think everything about them, from their make-up to their hair to their lives, is just so interesting. It’s sad that people mistake them to be sex workers.”

VV

 

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