Unit 3 Assignment

Unit 3 Assignment
Donna coats
HN330: Case Management in Human Services
January 18, 2013

The Africa culture is within the continent of Africa. Africa has a racial split that falls between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa; this divides the cultures into a significant number of ethnic cultures. African cultures are known to be diverse and varied and like the rest the world internal and external forces have impacted upon the African culture. African culture and the way of living are just as important to them as our culture and ways of living is important to us. Africa 's population is fast growing while some see it as a blessing others see it as a curse. The population of Africa could also be seen as a positive boost for the country’s economic growth that could be an opportunity for development. There was a dramatic growth in the latter half of the 20th century the number of people on the continent seems to have come from 230 million up to 811 million. If the population on the continent keeps this up it will be up to 1.4 billion in 2025 while in 2050 it will be up to 1.9 billion. In this continent one of every three children born will be in Sub Saharan Africa. Africa had exceeded 1 billion in population which makes Africa the second most populated continent on the planet (Pinto, 2012) It is said that the Africa culture stands out more than any other culture In the World. With a rich and diverse culture African culture is known to change from county to county, many cultures along with traditions are found in Africa which makes Africa diverse, unique and mesmerizing in many ways to the world. Africa culture is all about the ethnic group’s family traditions, the literature, art and music shows the religion along with the social paths of their culture. (Nafisa Baxamusa, 2011) Africa has developed many traditions; Africa had been exploited in the colonial days, for natural wealth, this led to very difficult to consequences such as people being forced into migration, slavery and labor. There are lots of different groups and tribes in Africa and with every tribe culture varies. The tradition of some tribes is clothing and accessories which could range from jewelry, beads and apparel made from shells that reflect their own region culture. It is very common that tribes in Africa tattoo or pierce some part of their body, it is also known for them to scar in patterns and add accessories to parts of their body. The African culture also has many arts and crafts they consider as a rich tradition in Africa. The fashionable types of work they use or wood, leather, metal and gourds. Arts and crafts in Africa include such things as pottery, ceremonial and religious headgear, sculptures, pottery, musical instruments and weapons. There are many religious beliefs in Africa; there is animism, witchcraft, spiritual beliefs and shamanism. There are others influence by modern religious such as Christianity and Islam which have large number of traditional adherents. With this said there are still many other religions and beliefs in Africa. (Nafisa Baxamusa,2011) African people live very different from us in America. In America we go to the supermarket and buy our food, African people have to either make their food or grow their food. Americans have the luxury of going to clothing stores and buying name brand clothes and shoes, even accessories while African people are making their clothes and accessories. Tribes around Africa have ceremonies of celebration for their children coming of age, birthdays and even celebration of circumcising their male children. At these celebrations they dance and chant, they also take knives and carve patterns into their skin. If we were to do anything like that in the United States we would probably be put in jail. Some people might think of Africans as being poor, unhealthy and underfed people. But after doing this paper and researching Africans I have come to the conclusion that they seem to have more freedom by making their own decisions in their own choices on how to live. In a way America controls how we live, we can 't even discipline our own children anymore without getting in trouble with the law. I know that laws are there for reasons but there are some laws in the United States that are just ridiculous. In Africa the people live very different than we do here in the United States. Some families only have cardboard walls to live in while others have homes made of mud and sticks and then some have hunts made of bamboo, twigs and mud. They live with no indoor plumbing; they have to cook outside over an open flame. Some of these villages that they live in are really infested with insects and waters, because of this a lot of the people stay sick and if they do ever see a doctor, the doctor 's from the states over there volunteering their time to help, so you can imagine that they don 't get medical assistance very much and because of this a lot of them just lay there sick and eventually lose their life. (Summers, 2011) As case management workers we should always remember that Africa culture is not quite the same as ours and we need to have a mindset on how different they live. We, as case managers should never push our own culture or religion onto people of other cultures but as case managers we should explain the laws of our land and how we raise our families and cope with other citizens around us. I believe when working with other cultures we should always do your homework and read up on the cultures and their constant or regions they come from and educate ourselves with their traditions and the ways that they are raised. As case managers we will need all the information we can get from our clients and there 's ways of getting information out of your clients without making them feel belittled. Instead of just coming out and asked them “well what did your mom did to you when you were little”? You could ask in this way “help me understand this better, tell me a little about how your mom handled you as a child”? Asking the question this way does not make the client feel like they 're being pressured to answer a question, it makes them feel like they have the opportunity to be heard and share their story and what problems their having to cope with, it makes them feel important. (Summers, 2011)

Case managers need to understand that they could very well be us sitting on the other side of that desk. I am a very big believer in treating others the way you want them to treat you. In trying to understand others I try to put myself in their shoes, be who they are, live how they live and not only listen to the words that come out of their mouth, but listen to their heart and their voice. As a case manager, remember that they are your client and only your client you 're not your friend and you never offer any personal information about yourself to your client. Being professional in your career is a very important part of your work with your client. Clients need to talk, as a case manager a big part of your job is listening and while you 're hearing your clients, have an open mind. Remember that some of your clients have no one to talk to, so this is their chance and opportunity to tell their story and share. In conclusion on my personal reflection I have many emotions and feelings towards the people of Africa. I know that I stated in paragraph eight how much freedom they have in the choices that they can make verses the US. Even though their laws and standards are different than ours they have many negative obstacles and challenges that they face daily. It breaks my heart to know the conditions of the housing and the surrounding areas around their dwellings that they live in which makes them sickly. I learned that they are very strong-willed people especially the children. With all the negative obstacles and challenges that they endure every day they managed to still find peace and laughter in celebration. The children of Africa are so eager to learn they can 't wait to get to school, if they have the opportunity to go to school which many of them don 't. So many US citizens take things for granted like school, work and family. Sometimes you don 't know what you have until it 's gone.

References Summers, N. (2011). Fundamental of case management practice, skills for the human services (4th Ed). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning Pinto, T. (2012). Africa 's population boom. World Review, Retrieved from http://www.worldreview.info/content/africas-population-boom Nafisa Baxamusa, B. (2011, September 9). Culture of africa. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/culture-of-africa.html

References: Summers, N. (2011). Fundamental of case management practice, skills for the human services (4th Ed). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning Pinto, T. (2012). Africa 's population boom. World Review, Retrieved from http://www.worldreview.info/content/africas-population-boom Nafisa Baxamusa, B. (2011, September 9). Culture of africa. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/culture-of-africa.html