LifeStyle2: Tengkolok wanita Afrika

Yoruba adalah salah satu kumpulan etno-linguistik atau etnik yang terbesar di Afrika Barat. Majoriti daripada etnik Yoruba bercakap dalam bahasa Yoruba.  Populasi etnik Yuroba adalah 21 peratus daripada jumlah penduduk Nigeria , iaitu  anggaran  30 juta orang  di seluruh Afrika Barat.

(Gambar) Pakaian tradisional wanita Yoruba terdiri daripada empat bahagian: Buba (blaus seperti baju), Iro (bungkus skirt), gele (ikatan di kepala / bungkus), dan ipele atau iborun (selendang menghiasi bahu). saya tertarik dengan  GELE yang mana tekstil yang digunakan seperti jenis organza, kain taf, dan tali. Setiap Gele yang digayakansekurang-kurangnya mempunyai ciri-ciri sengit,berlilit dan berlipat  setiap kali digayakan oleh wanita Yaruba. Gele akan dibalut di sekeliling kepala tetapi tidak seperti kebanyakan balutan kepala, gele dimanipulasikan untuk berdiri jauh dari kepala, mewujudkan satu bentuk menegak atau melintang yang besar dengan cara ikatan dan bentuk lipatan gele yang pelbagai mengikut kreativiti.

Setiap gele yang digayakan adalah simbol kekayaan dan status ekonomi si pemakainya. Ia boleh dikenalpasti melalui saiz dan fabrik gele yang digayakan oleh  seorang wanita. Seorang wanita yang mengayakan gele boleh menonjolkan diri mereka dilihat dari jauh kerana saiz gele dan kreativiti yang digubah di atas kepalanya itu.
 Di Malaysia istilah lain yang mungkin sesuai untuk kita sebut  Gele seakan sama cara lipatannya bagi membuat tengkolok cuma ia kelihatan lebih besar dengan permulaan kain yang panjang.
 Wanita yang bertubuh langsing  dan tinggi, lebih berbangga dan bersedia untuk mengayakan gele kerana memudahkan pergerakan mereka di khalayak. saya pernah berdiri disebelah wanita yang memakai Gele, pernah tercucuk mata kerana  tengkoloknya begitu besar dan berlekuk-lekuk runcing, ketika bergambar saya terpaksa berhati-hati dibimbangi terselindung  ketika merakamkan foto kerana saya lebih tinggi daripada wanita  yang mengayakannya pada satu majlis makan malam.

Di kalangan  rakyat Malaysia yang ingin mencuba mengayakan Gele dan mendapatkan material Gele terdapat laman web yang menjual secara online dan memaparkan teknik mengikat Gele. Untuk gaya yang simple ia boleh dilakukan sendiri tetapi untuk stail yang lebih dramatik memerlukan orang lain melakukannya. 

EVENT1: Its Time for Africa

KUALA LUMPUR: In observance of the 49th anniversary of Africa Day, held a press conference in conjunction with several Ambassadors from eight African nations in honor of the African holiday which celebrates the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1963 following the coalescing of independent African countries with the purpose of moving the entire continent toward independence.

This year's Africa Day events will focus around the theme, "Boosting Intra-Africa Trade", and will take place in major cities around the world with significant African populations including  Malaysia.

The continent marks on 25 May 2012 the 49th anniversary of Africa Day and the 10-year existence of the OAU.

 On 25 May 1963, 31 African leaders convened a summit meeting to find the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and they renamed Africa Freedom Day to "African Liberation Day".

 Political instability, poverty and a lack of development are but a few challenges still facing the African continent.

 As Africans and people of African origin celebrate Africa Liberation Day or Africa Day as it is commonly known, on Friday 25 May, these issues are taking centre stage.

 Almost half a century after the African Liberation Day was first celebrated; many Africans are still not at peace in their own countries.

 The Global Diaspora Summit comes at a time when many unanswered questions about the economic challenges facing the continent continue to haunt African leaders.

 The exodus of African citizens to other countries in search of a better life is but one of the challenges facing Africa.

 The significance of the Day was to reflect the aspirations of people to break free from the chains of colonial bondage by dint of a collective will and it was also meant to help raise political awareness around the world about the state of affairs in Africa and the self-determination of its people.

 The main economic region of the continent is the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), comprised by 14 countries namely  Nigeria, Angola, South Africa, Botswana, DR Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Thanks to Nigerian Emmbassy Malaysia for invited us in this occassions on 25th May 2012 held at Intercontinental Hotel, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Q & A 1: FROM ARAKIAN

 QUESTION:

Thank you for your anticipated respond. I would appreciate it if you can briefly (or better still precisely) about the different between African from the North, South, West and East. I heard African from the North is the majority (most) Muslims and are the 'good' ones. Is that so? Could you please help me in this?

ANSWER:

As we known about 75million Nigerians are Muslims, 50% population of Nigeria, compared to Christianity which represents 40% of the population. In terms of Nigeria's major ethnic groups religious affiliations, the Hausa ethnic group in the North is 95% Muslims and 5% Christians, the West which is the Yoruba tribe is 60% Christians and 30% Muslim with 10% going to adherents of other African religions while the Igbos in the East and the Ijaw in the South are 98% Christians (Catholics) and 2% practice traditional religions.The middle belt of Nigeria contains the largest number of minority ethnic groups in Nigeria and they are mostly Christians and members of traditional religions with few Muslim converts.

To be frank with you  in African continental Uganda, Niger Chad,  Sudan and others country in a north same as Nigeria majority are muslim. In Nigeria muslim from the Northern, they have a good charater more than the others but as you know bad people are trying to paint  black some muslims in Nigeria and its revealed that part of d executive  body of the government are involved they are seazing the opportunity to attain to their selfish desire that is going majority of the countries in Africa continental now days.

But I knew isthat Christians and east people does but in north this is not occurin cos most of the states are practicing Islam and all this are among the sign of the day of resurrection as the prophet taught us exactly when among of them involvet in bad attitude agains Islam principal. Some of them knows everything its just a negligenve and the so called “freedom” they  did not realize that all the freedom we have now is because of Islam more especially intermns of a woman but  you asthey uses to say 21^st century everything is `halal’.

Do you know, as a wise man states that “charity begins at home” so if a person does not enough tarbiyyah any small thing can change him at any time more especially when he is far away from his parent cos most of them if they’r with their parent they wont do such disgraceful act. They can change with a small sermon an correcting some bad concept cos if ask them to tel the truth wether  they’r enjoying the condition or not probably they will tell they  were  just like in hell.

Kisah 4: Pengurusan kematian

Ajal akan datang pada bila-bila masa. Begitu juga kematian di kalangan warga Afrika di Malaysia.  Saya amat simpati bila mengetahui ada kematian di kalangan warga Afrika di negara ini. Ada di kalangan mereka yang mati kerana kemalangan, mati kerana  jatuh bangunan disebabkan lari dari pihak imigresen dan polis yang melakukan serbuan dan mati kerana sakit  juga tidak ketinggalan  dikalangan yang  bakal mati di tali gantung kerana hukuman mandatori terhadap jenayah berat dilakukan di negara ini. Kebiasaan mereka akan menghantar mayat ke negara asal. Kesukaran mereka adalah cara untuk menghantar pulang mayat walaupun kedutaan telah dimaklumkan.Pihak kedutaan hanya menguruskan perkara membabitkan perundangan tetapi kewangan tidak diberikan bantuan.
Kebiasaannya di kalangan warga Afrika mereka akan menghantar sms  untuk pemberitahuan seseorang telah meninggal dunia. Sumbangan ikhlas bagi membiayai kos penghantaran mayat ke negara asal amat diperlukan segera mungkin. Ada mayat yang terpaksa diletakkan di bilik sejuk hospital hampir sebulan kerana tidak cukup wang dikumpul bagi tujuan pengurusan mayat untuk dihantar pulang ke negara asal.
Rakan serumah akan menguruskan mayat mereka sehingga selesai urusan dengan pihak hospital, polis, imigresen dan kedutaan akhir sekali usaha mengumpulkan wang bagi memastikan mayat dihantar ke negara asal berjalan lancar sehingga diterima oleh ahli keluarga si mati.

Di kalangan warga Afrika, mereka tiada satu  persatuan untuk tujuan pengurusan mayat. Apabila berlaku kematian, tiada tempat untuk dirujuk melainkan pergi ke kedutaan untuk mengetahui prosedur menguruskan kematian selain  bertanya rakan-rakan yang mengetahui urusan membabitkan perundangan dan membawa pulang mayat ke negara asal.

Majoriti warga Afrika melalukan secara sukarela walaupun mereka tidak mengenali satu sama lain untuk bersama mengumpul wang bagi memastikan mayat rakan mereka dapat dikebumikan di negara asal.Ini kerana untuk menempah kargo kapalterbang bagi  membawa keranda dan mayat kosnya tidak semurah tiket kapalterbang bagi individu yang masih  hidup.