Over the past few years, I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to Swaziland, South Africa. This experience dramatically changed my view on the world and the different cultures that exist. These cultures influence how our societies think, act, and speak differently. The cultural universals in Swaziland drastically differ from those of America. Because of the constant heat year round, most everyone, no matter male or female, has a shaved head in order to stay cool. The normal attire in Swazi is long sleeves and long pants to protect their skin from the sun. Women are expected to dress extremely modest, always wearing a skirt or dress. Two of the activities that are big in Africa are singing and dancing. As soon as children start school, they are taught different praise songs and dances, much like Vacation Bible School. They also spend a lot of their free time playing soccer, or football. Since most of Swaziland is poverty stricken, family is all people have, so it carries a lot of value. They also find extreme importance and respect for their King, Muswate. The practices of this culture include cooking in a cauldron-usually rice, chicken, or maize-for long hours throughout the day. They also believe in giving a gift, although extremely small, and being extremely hospitable to new visitors.
The culture in Swaziland is surprisingly more materialistic than non-materialistic. There is a market on almost every corner selling things such as jewelry, clothing, and other homemade items. There are also markets that sell fruits, vegetables, and spices. Many families make their money by selling their goods at these markets. Although they are such an impoverished country, their culture is much more materialistic because they work extremely hard in order to make a living and be able to support their families. Swaziland has many unique symbols that are similar to symbols we have, but mean something different.
Based on international experiences in de-dollarization in Cambodia, economists have been carefully managed market based approach, and encouraged by a continued stable macroeconomic condition is essential for Cambodia's de-dollarization. ...