Venezuela: Cultural Critique - Case Study Example

Venezuela: Cultural Critique The cultural context of Venezuela is influenced by aboriginal, Afro-Venezuelan, and Spanish cultures. To be specific, the culture of this nation is an amalgam of different cultures into a single whole. The culture of this nation is not dominated by any specific cultural group. But the culture of the colonizers influence the mainstream culture to an extent, but their predecessors cannot claim domination based on racial purity because most of them have mixed racial lineage. From a different angle of view, this nation’s culture underwent transformation due to colonization, close interaction among different racial groups, and political turmoil. But in the modern context, this nation is undergoing rapid development and progress owing to the influence of oil industry. Venezuelan culture The core aspects of Venezuelan culture are indebted to the indigenous racial groups, especially like Wayuu, Pemon, Yukpa etc. On the other side, European occupation resulted in the infusion of African culture to Venezuelan culture. But this did not affect the Venezuelan culture because the African races were ready to accept the modified form of this hybrid culture. The Spanish invaders (say, colonizers) did not try to destroy the Venezuelan culture because their aim was permanent settlement, not just invasion. Dinneen (2001, p.2) states that, “The interaction of different cultural traditions has produced the rich variety of hybrid forms of expression, beliefs, and customs that is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive features of modern Venezuelan culture”. To be specific, colonization resulted in the hybridization of Venezuelan culture, disregarding the cultural differences among ethnic groups. Language: One can easily identify that Spanish is the most popular language used by the people in the nation. Maddicks (2011, p.21) states that, “Spanish is the official language of Venezuela and is softer than that spoken in Spain, clearer to understand and without the lisp, although people do swallow the last consonant on words and leave out the ‘s’ when speaking fast”. But some indigenous languages like Wayuu and Pemon are still popular among the native population. On the other side, English is used by the educated elite class in this nation. The other popular languages include Arabic (popular among the immigrant population), Portuguese (used by Portuguese immigrant population), German, and Italian. From a different angle of view, English is more popular among the people because the same is able to infuse Venezuelan musical tradition to its core. So, one can see that Venezuelans use different languages for communication, and this can be regarded as one among the characteristics of their unique cultural heritage. Venezuelan traditions: The Venezuelan tradition is linked with the cultural characteristics of different racial groups within this nation. For instance, folk songs and dance forms of Venezuela are influenced by the rich tradition of the whole population, disregarding their racial differences. Still, one can easily identify the influence of Creole culture on Venezuelan tradition. On the other side, the influence of aboriginal tradition and African tradition are evident in Venezuelan dance forms. Besides, Spanish tradition is influential because the Joropo dance is popular among the people. The people of this nation use different musical instruments during their festivals, originating from different cultural backgrounds. Earlier, before colonization, the aboriginal people used their own musical instruments. Later, the African races and the colonizers amalgamated their own musical traditions to the core of Venezuelan tradition. So, one can see that Venezuelan tradition is a hybrid form of different racial characteristics. Cuisine: The food habit of the people of this nation has regional variations linked with the differences in cultural backgrounds. Besides, this variation can be identified as the end result of racial diversity. Within this scenario, meat is generally considered as the most important ingredient of the food habit of the people. Baguley (2008, p.138) states that, “Meat plays a central and vital role in Venezuelan cuisine and provides the centrepiece of any meal, surrounded by a tempting array of carefully prepared vegetables, beans figuring prominently”. Besides, people are ready to accept conventional and modern food items. To be specific, the descendants of Spanish and mixed-culture accept modern food habits, the aboriginal population accepts conventional food habits, and the African Venezuelans follow their own food habits. So, one can see that food habit reflect the prosperous cultural heritage of Venezuela. Music: First of all, Salsa and Joropo are the most popular musical traditions in this nation. To be specific, Salsa music entered Venezuelan music from the neighboring nations. On the other side, the origin of Joropo music is indebted to the traditional music of this nation. Besides, African-Venezuelan music is popular within the context of popular culture in Venezuela. Houser (2011, p.8) states that, “Primarily restricted to the coast, this music evolved from African slave populations brought over by Spanish and German colonizers to work cocoa plantations”. This proves that African music still influence the African-Venezuelan music. The llanos region is generally considered as the epicenter of the musical tradition of this nation because several musical forms originated here. So, the musical tradition of this nation is the combination of diverse elements of conventional and modern music. Recreation: The traditional modes of recreation/sports in Venezuelan context, including toros coleados, face threat from modern sports items like baseball and football. Besides, baseball is becoming popular among the youngsters because the same helps them to have exposure beyond their national boundary. There are so many ski resorts in Venezuela, including Cordillera de Merida. The adventure sport items in Venezuela include rafting and kayaking. Besides, carnivals, particularly conducted in Caracas, help the people to realize the importance of recreation/festivals in their lives. So, one can see that traditional recreation facilities in Venezuela is undergoing change due to the influence of modernity. But the popularity gained by carnivals in Venezuela proves that the people are not yet ready to discard their cultural heritage. The factors that have influenced the cultural values of Venezuela Social structure: The economic growth related to oil export transformed the social structure of this nation. Kozameh (2008, p.35) states that, “The amount of oil-export income for the nation began to have a noticeable impact on the social structure and economy of the nation by the second half of the century”. Still, class division is evident in the society because the elite class is totally separated from the lower classes and they possess their own cultural values related to their social status. Besides, economic development helped the middle class to gain some importance in the mainstream society. To be specific, the middle class is a mixture of immigrant population and the technically educated citizens. Their cultural characteristics are indebted to their unique status in the society. On the other side, the cultural values of the working class and the peasants are linked with their racial identities. So, this unique social structure influenced the cultural values of this nation as a whole. Religion: One can see that the European invasion (say, Spanish invasion) resulted in the supremacy of Catholic belief in the mainstream society. Within this scenario, Roman Catholicism influenced the religious context of this nation. ORegan (2004, p.127) states that, “Over 95 percent of Venezuelans are nominally Roman Catholic, and there are small minorities of Protestants and adherents to indigenous religious beliefs”. On the other side, Islam and Judaism are popular among the immigrant community in this nation. So, the after-effects of colonization can be identified in the less influence of aboriginal belief among the people. Besides, Catholic belief displaced native beliefs and their culture underwent transformation. This transformation is evident in the cultural context of the nation because the same influenced the cultural values of Venezuela. Hardships: The people of this nation are forced to face a number of hardships within their political, financial, and cultural contexts. First of all, Spanish colonization affected the indigenous culture of this nation. The proclamation of freedom in the year 1811 did not help this nation to be away from the clutches of colonization. Besides, the political turmoil and related internal problems in the 19th century resulted in the military dictatorship. The end result of these problems was the stagnation of aboriginal culture. So, this proves that how hardships can influence the cultural values of a colonized nation. War: From a different angle of view, colonization and its after-effects ignited the spirit of autonomy in the minds of the people in this nation. When the colonizers lost their influence among the public, military despotism began to influence the political context of this nation. To be specific, the announcement of independence did not help the people to be free. Instead, it led to the ‘Venezuelan War of Independence’, commenced in the year 1811. The later history of this nation is related to political problems and dictatorship. Nieto (2011, p.199) states that, “It turned out that Fidel did lend economic support, weapons, “advisers,” and training to the Venezuelan guerrillas to help them overthrow Betancourt”. Besides, dictatorship resulted in the influence of guerilla warfare and revolutionary spirit among the people and they believed that guerilla warfare can help them to dethrone dictators. But in 1990s, the political elite class in this nation was forced to accept democracy as the main political ideology. So, wars related to the national politics influenced the cultural values of Venezuela. The unique aspects of Venezuelan culture are related to the racial diversity of this nation. To be specific, one can easily identify the influence of aboriginal culture in the contemporary culture of this nation. Besides, the Spanish colonizers did not try to destroy the cultural characteristics of this nation. Instead, the colonizers amalgamated themselves to the mainstream culture. On the other side, the African Venezuelans preserve their own cultural characteristics and stick on to the mainstream culture. So, these facts prove that mixed racial lineage is the secret behind the uniqueness of Venezuelan culture. One can see that intercultural interactions are important for the peaceful interaction among different racial groups in an urban society. Within Venezuela, intercultural interactions are not restricted by the difference in racial identity. Instead, racial amalgamation is most helpful to attain rapid urbanization and economic development. These aspects deeply influence the unrestricted interaction among different racial groups within this nation. Besides, the intercultural interactions helped this nation to amalgamate cultural diversity to the core of its mainstream society. So, racial identity is less significant in this nation because majority of the people belong to mixed-racial lineage. Summing, some important elements like language, traditional way of life, food habits, music, and leisure time activities, shaped the cultural uniqueness of this nation. At the same time, there are some important factors like social structure, religious belief, hardships, and war, have significantly influenced the cultural values of this nation. In short, the cultural heritage and cultural values molded the culture of this nation beyond racial differences. References Baguley, K., 2008. CultureShock! Venezuela: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Tarrytown: Marshall Cavendish. Dinneen, M., 2001. Culture and Customs of Venezuela. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. Houser, A., 2011. Venezuela. Minnesota: ABDO. Kozameh, S. J., 2008. The Misiones Bolivarianas: A Study of Participatory Democracy in Venezuela. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Maddicks, R., 2011. Venezuela: The Bradt Travel Guide. Connecticut: Bradt Travel Guides. Nieto, C., 2011. Masters of War: Latin America and U.S. Agression From the Cuban Revolution Through the Clinton Years. New York: Seven Stories Press. O’Regan, D., 2004. International Auditing: Practical Resource Guide. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Read More