Upholding my culture: My pride

Culture distinguishes an individual; the language, food, mode of dressing, music, beliefs, values, traditions, and festivals are factors that encompass culture. These are the factors that bind communities together, they serve as a strong bond that unites everyone in a geographical area. I've learnt that culture influences how people think, interact, and communicate with the world around them. Culture influences people's way of life; it is a treasure passed down from generation to generation. Culture isn't static, it evolves with time, adapting to changing environments.

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Culture gives individuals their identity and sense of belonging. For example, I am a Yoruba lady and I am being identified as one. The first factor that tells people who I am is my name. Once I tell people my name, it is easy to identify my tribe. Then the language I speak is aside from the official language. I can also be identified by my mother's tongue, the Yoruba language. Another factor that makes people identify me as a Yoruba lady is my way of greeting. In Yoruba culture, it is ideal for a woman to kneel on both knees to greet an elderly person while the men prostrate as a way of showing respect.

These cultural markers make me feel connected to my roots. One of the traditions that I enjoyed participating in is the Yoruba traditional marriage. Generally, irrespective of the state, once it's a Yoruba tribe, traditional marriage is a beautiful event to behold. I love the process and how the event has been anchored. Well, that's not the only interesting event in Yoruba culture, we have lots more depending on the state and tradition. We have the Osun Oshogbo festival in Osun state, Ojude Oba, and many more. Yoruba culture is known for parties, something we call owambe. When it comes to parties, Yoruba doesn't take last, we love partying and not just partying, we love it loud and elaborate.

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I don't think there is another culture I would love to practice aside from mine, even though I love all other cultures, especially Igbo culture. There are some of their soups I've learnt to cook and which I enjoyed eating. I enjoyed their traditional wedding too, it's a beautiful event to behold, I've witnessed on some occasions and I love it. I also support intercultural relationships. I witnessed a wedding ceremony on Friday in which a Yoruba lady married an Igbo guy; it was beautiful.

Culture affects how one perceives success, family, failure, and even spirituality. In today's world, cultures are interacting with one another, leading to diversity and learning. Although some cultures are going into extinction, that's why parents need to teach their children about their cultural heritage, local languages, and indigenous practices so that our culture can be preserved for generations to come.

In my term, waste of time is involved in any activity, or behavior that does not add value, produce results, or contribute positively to one's life. This is a time spent on something unproductive and irrelevant, which leads to regret in the long run as many opportunities would be lost. Time is golden, it should be cherished and valued. Many are missing golden opportunities because they refuse to act promptly when it is needed. Some believe time will wait for them, whereas time waits for no one.

Thanks for your time and your comments will be appreciated.

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