Culture Diversity - Burma - Case Study Example

Heading: Understanding and knowing more about Burma Name: Institution: Course: Tutor: Date: Understanding and knowing more about Burma Introduction It has become like a routine that most people take a one year break before they join a college or a university, or after completion. It is increasingly becoming popular among graduating students. Taking a break is helpful to an individual in various ways. First, the break gives the individual a chance to view life from a different and a fresh perspective. During the break, one can have an adventure and travel to another to another country where they can grow and experience a different challenge physically, emotionally as well as intellectually. One can also learn a new culture and a language during the break (McKeown, 2009). Travelling to another country is important since one leans a new culture. In fact studying abroad can be highly beneficial. The student gains a new perspective of life, increases the knowledge of another country’s language as well as offers the individual intercultural development. After college, it is highly recommended that one first work as a volunteer before seeking an employment. This gives the graduate a chance to gain work experience (McKeown, 2009). One improves their employability since they have a chance to learn some skills which they never learnt in college. This paper discusses cultural diversity. It focuses on understanding and knowing more about Burma. Description of the Country When one moves to a new country, it is important that they first learn its history. This will be helpful in quick adaptation to the new culture and the new environment. Burma also referred to as Myanmar is a country in the Southeast Asia with a history spreading back about 13 000 years ago. The first inhabitants of the country are known to be the Pyu and the Mon. The other group that settled in the 9th century was the Mranma also known as the Burmans (Tarling, 1999). The country was colonized by the British and has been in civil wars since its independence. Today, the country is among the least developed and is unstable due to civil wars which remain unresolved to date. It has been under military rule since 1962 (Tarling, 1999). The country’s population is estimated to be about 60million. It experiences a high rate of mortalities. Life expectancy is low and the people experience low growth rates. Fertility rate in this country is low an issue attributed to a large number of unmarried women. The reason for this number of unmarried women is cultural issues as well as economic hardships (Adams, 2011). The major ethnic groups present in Burma are Bamar, Shan and Kayin. Other ethnic groups are Rakhine, Chinese, Kayah, Mon, Indians and Kachin. The ethnic races are grouped according to their geographical locations. The major religion in this country is Buddhism. However, there are small number of Christians, Muslims and Hindus. The major and official language is Burmese. However, there is diversity in language with other languages such as Shan, Kachin, Chin, Rakhine, Karen, and Mon also being spoken by various ethnic groups (Harris, 2001). The elites of the country speak English as a secondary language. Burma culture is influenced by India. It is no surprise that the traditional dress is and Indian Lungi that is worn by women as well as men. However, for business and other formal occasion, a Manchu Chinese jacket is worn by men with a plain shirt while women wear a shawl and a buttoned blouse. The most famous festivals are Thingyan and the local payapwe also known as padoga festival (Reid&Grosberg, 2005). Staple food for Burma is rice. However, in regions where rice does not do well, corn, millet and sorghum are the staple foods. Meals are mostly accompanied by lentils as well as balanchaung. Ethnic Divisions Burma has a number of ethnic races. The major ethnic group in the country is the Bamar. It is said to represent more than 60 percent of the total population. However, the nation is known to be widely ethnically diverse country. There are a staggering 135 ethnic groups all of which are official and are recognized the national government. These ethnic races are grouped into 8 major ethnic groups. These are the major national ethnic groups of Burma (Reid &Grosberg, 2005). One thing that is interesting about the ethnicity of Burma is the manner with which these ethnic races are grouped. They are grouped on the bases of region as opposed to the grouping in most countries where ethnic groups are grouped according to their ethnic affiliation or linguistic. For instance, one takes the example of the Shan ethnic race; it is made up of approximately 33 different ethnic groups (Harris, 2001). The ethnic groups speak four different languages which are widely varied. However, the ethnic groups are grouped as Shan since they are located in a common geographical area. There are some ethnic groups that exist in the nation yet they are not recognized by the government. Some of such groups are the Panthay and the Burmese Chinese. There is also the Burmese Indians, Gurkha and the Anglo-Burmese who are not officially recognized (Reid &Grosberg, 2005). In fact, in the case of the later groups, no official information is available about them. In terms of language, each of the minority groups has their own language. Therefore, Burma is a country composed of people who speak various languages. In addition, each of the groups has its culture as well as customs that vary from one group to another but there are the major cultures which are common to almost all the groups. It is the same case for languages. Despite the various languages by the various ethnic groups, there is the official language- Burmese that is spoken by over 65 percent of the total population. The language spoken by a given ethnic group does not influence the ethnic division (Harris, 2001). Burma is composed of people who are in different religions. The major religion is the Buddhism. There are two groups of Buddhism. These are the Theravada Buddhism and the Mahayana Buddhism (Harris, 2001). The former represents the larger percentage of approximately 89 percent of the total population. The later represents less than one percentage of the population. The other religions in the country are; Christianity which represents about 4 percent of the population. There are two groups of Christians; the Baptist- 3% and the Roman Catholics- 1%. Islam represents 4 percent of the population, with Sunni Islam at 2.65% and Shia Islam at 1.35%.Representing less than 1% are the Animism and the Hinduism religions. It is imperative to note that as well as the languages, religion has no influence on the ethnic divisions. In Burma, there is no official definition of the term disability. However, statistics indicate that children are the once found with most disabilities. It is estimated that in every population of 6000 children, there are about 10 -15 children with a disability. People considered to be of a high class are mostly military and their relatives. The educated are also viewed of a high class and social status. Women and children represent the large part of the population. About 60% of the population is women and children. The age distribution is highly diverse. This is due to high mortality rates in the country (Harris, 2001). Education in Burma is directed by the ministry of education. It was introduced in the country by the British colonial administrators back in the year 1874. Elementary education is compulsory. The level of literacy is approximated to be about 89 percentages with men being the most educated representing about 93%. Description of skills at places of volunteer Working as volunteer prepares one to face the job market. It gives the graduate experience that enables him to have knowledge of the work environment. Among the skills that one learns while working as a volunteer includes communication skills, management skills as well as team work and use of initiatives. These skills improve the employability of the graduate (McKeown, 2009). Etiquette It is important to understand the culture of the country of the country you are working in. This enables the individual to understand the etiquette that they are supposed to adhere to. If one does not have the right etiquette, chances are he is going to upset the people he works with who include workmates and customers (McKeown, 2009). Donations This is one of the corporate social responsibilities. Organizations are therefore obliged to raise money for donations. Amount of money for donations may be influenced by the level of disabilities in the country. Employees and managers need to have skills to raise money for donations so as to build the image of the organization through corporate social responsibilities. Conclusion Cultural diversity is important since it helps people to have a good co-existence with one another. We are living in a global world and organizations need to have the best personnel. Similarly, individuals need to get the best education. With culture diversity, organizations can get employees from anywhere in the world. Individuals can also get education from any country. Among the challenges that face cultural diversity is language barrier. Cultural diversity can be effective in curbing discrimination and civil wars. This is because people from different cultures will understand each other and hence can live together in a peaceful manner. Learning about cultural diversity is therefore important since it is likely to lessen conflicts. The gap year will be beneficial since I will have a chance to learn about cultural diversity. References Adas, M. (2011).The Burma Delta: Economic development and social change on an Asian rice frontier, 1852-1941. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press. Harris, P. M. G. (2001). The history of human populations. Westport, Conn: Praeger. McKeown, J. S. (2009). The first time effect: The impact of study abroad on college student intellectual development. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Reid, R., &Grosberg, M. (2005).Myanmar (Burma). Footscray, Vic.: Lonely Planet Publications. Tarling, N. (1999). The Cambridge history of Southeast Asia: From c.1800 to the 1930s. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Read More