I am a Ugandan, female PhD student at Anadolu University, under a scholarship of YÖK, in my second year of study, and came to Turkey in 2019. As a new and foreign student in the country, of course it was a great opportunity to explore things I have never seen before while in Uganda. I therefore picked interest in sharing somethings about the Ugandan culture in comparison to Turkish culture.
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a land[1]locked country located in east central part of Africa, with a population of 46 million as of January 2021 United Nations Data. It is a country with very many languages belonging to different tribes. These languages include Luganda (known by the majority), Runyankore, Rutoro, Rukinga, Runyoro, Acholi, Lumasaba, Lusoga and many others. English and Kiswahili are the official languages, though not all people speak English. These tribes each has got a king as its cultural leader, and he is being respected also by the President of Uganda.
CULTURE
According to Edgar Schein (1992), culture basically is a social indoctrination of unwritten rules that people learn as they try to fit in a particular society group. Culture involves some elements that together form a unique way of life. These elements include symbols, language, values and norms. Sometimes they change as the society evolves.
Language is one of the elements of culture that plays a very crucial role in any society and its people. Universities in Turkey have a system of teaching basics in Turkish language to the fresh students before the main program begins, this is usually a full academic year. I think it was a good idea introduced, because language really is important not only for academic purposes, but in social life as well. I noticed something, everywhere I went, people spoke to me in Turkish language, and the first question usually is, where are you from (nerelisin)?
Failure to address linguistic issues, sometimes it causes inferiority complex in a person. G. Flores et al. (2000), assert that it’s of great importance to appreciate normative cultural values of a certain society or group and understand how best to deal with them.
LIFESTYLE IN UGANDA
As usual, in the capital city Kampala, there are a lot of businesses, so it’s more crowded compared to all other districts in Uganda, then most of the rural areas they concentrate on cultivating crops, like maize, beans, ground nuts, fruits, and many others.
People in Uganda, especially during the weekends, they spend their time with their families and friends, because during the week everyone is busy with different activities. Sometimes their busy schedules, both husband and wife decide to hire house help to baby seat their child, but here, in Turkey, seems different, because a 5-year-old child cannot be taken to a boarding school, for there is too much parental attachment, this is good for both the parent and the children to understand what kind of child they are raising.
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS IN TURKEY
These are the days celebrated in the new year, while in Uganda, Christmas is known to be on the 25th December each year, as a day for Christians. Turkey is a Muslim country, I realized that’s why 1st of January is always referred as Christmas, while Uganda isn’t a Muslim country, but having some Muslim sector. The first time, when I heard about this holiday, I was a bit confused, but later a friend explained what it really meant. Therefore, societies or countries recognize some holidays differently depending on their beliefs and values.
I believe after my PhD program, I will go back to Uganda a different person, with different skills in all aspects of life. I encourage my fellow students to always be nice, respectful and hardworking. This is the key to success with the willing of God.
