Culture of Djibouti
Encyclopedia
The culture of the Republic of Djibouti
is ethnically diverse, due to its strategic location at a crossroads of trade
and commerce
. Its population
consists of 793,000 citizens. Sixty percent are Somali
; thirty-five percent are Afar; and French
, Arab
, and other minorities make up the remaining five percent. The use of khat
is widespread, to the extent that Djibouti has been called the world's first futuristic “narco-state”, a la Brave New World
.http://www.worldhum.com/weblog/item/high_in_hell_chewing_khat_in_djibouti_20060823/
Location - Djibouti is in northeastern Africa, on the Red Sea coast. Djibouti is located on the Horn of Africa
. The country of Djibouti is bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
Ethnic Groups - The culture of Djibouti is deeply affected by the unique ethnic groups. There are two main dominant groups in Djibouti; the Issa-Somali and the Afar.
The Issa-Somali: The Somali first arrived in Africa around 1200 CE. Around 1550 CE the Somali people converted to Islam. A quarter of the Issa-Somali tribe live a shepherding nomadic style. They live in small huts that are made from woven mats or boiled bark. The huts are able to be packed up and moved around on camels.
The Afar: The Afar tribe is also known as the Danakil, but the tribe does not like being called this because it has an offensive meaning in Arabic. The Afar is broken up into two different subgroups: the Asaemara (meaning the red ones) and the Adaemara (meaning the white ones). The Asaemara is a prestigious, powerful group of nobles that live along the coast. The Adaemara is a group of commoners that live in the mountains and the desert. The Afar tribe has a population of roughly 130,000 to 170,000. The Afar tribe makes up about 40% of the Djibouti population. The Afar are Eastern Cushite people, and have a similar language and culture to the Somali and Oromo.
Djibouti
Djibouti , officially the Republic of Djibouti , is a country in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east...
is ethnically diverse, due to its strategic location at a crossroads of trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
and commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
. Its population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
consists of 793,000 citizens. Sixty percent are Somali
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
; thirty-five percent are Afar; and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, and other minorities make up the remaining five percent. The use of khat
Khat
Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
is widespread, to the extent that Djibouti has been called the world's first futuristic “narco-state”, a la Brave New World
Brave New World
Brave New World is Aldous Huxley's fifth novel, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Set in London of AD 2540 , the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. The future society is an embodiment of the ideals that form the basis of...
.http://www.worldhum.com/weblog/item/high_in_hell_chewing_khat_in_djibouti_20060823/
Location - Djibouti is in northeastern Africa, on the Red Sea coast. Djibouti is located on the Horn of Africa
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea and lies along the southern side of the Gulf of Aden. It is the easternmost projection of the African continent...
. The country of Djibouti is bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
Ethnic Groups - The culture of Djibouti is deeply affected by the unique ethnic groups. There are two main dominant groups in Djibouti; the Issa-Somali and the Afar.
The Issa-Somali: The Somali first arrived in Africa around 1200 CE. Around 1550 CE the Somali people converted to Islam. A quarter of the Issa-Somali tribe live a shepherding nomadic style. They live in small huts that are made from woven mats or boiled bark. The huts are able to be packed up and moved around on camels.
The Afar: The Afar tribe is also known as the Danakil, but the tribe does not like being called this because it has an offensive meaning in Arabic. The Afar is broken up into two different subgroups: the Asaemara (meaning the red ones) and the Adaemara (meaning the white ones). The Asaemara is a prestigious, powerful group of nobles that live along the coast. The Adaemara is a group of commoners that live in the mountains and the desert. The Afar tribe has a population of roughly 130,000 to 170,000. The Afar tribe makes up about 40% of the Djibouti population. The Afar are Eastern Cushite people, and have a similar language and culture to the Somali and Oromo.
See also
- Education in DjiboutiEducation in DjiboutiThe education system of Djibouti is strongly influenced by France.-Overview:Djibouti is a small and resource-poor country of 23,200 square kilometers. The population is estimated at about 800,000, of which 87% live in urban areas. A poor pastoral and largely nomadic population sparsely occupies the...
- Football in DjiboutiFootball in DjiboutiFootball is the most popular sport in Djibouti. The country became a member of FIFA in 1994, but has only taken part in the qualifying rounds for the African Cup of Nations as well as the FIFA World Cup in the mid-2000s...
- Music of DjiboutiMusic of DjiboutiThe music of Djibouti refers to the musical styles, techniques and sounds of Djibouti-Overview:Djibouti is made up of two closely related ethnic groups: the Somali and Afar. There are also a number of Arab and French citizens. Traditional Afar music resembles the folk music of other parts of the...