Spring Break
The truths and misconceptions of Nigeria
Kimberly Tsao
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: Student Culture
"None whatsoever," said Jeff Ordillo, a senior illustration major.
"No, not really," said Alex Stange, a freshman pre-nursing major.
The SJSU students were referring to whether they know anything about Nigeria.
All that pops into the mind of students such as Ordillo is "Africa."
Nigeria, a country rich in land mass and agriculture, is located in West Africa.
Uday Gajendar, a part-time instructor of user-interface design fundamentals, said that when he thinks of Nigeria, he thinks of "poverty" and "political instability."
He said his knowledge of the country comes from articles he has read in The Economist and The New Yorker. One thing he said he has heard is accusations against Nigeria.
"I forget if it was Nigeria," he said. "But I believe it was Nigeria."
For instance, the country was accused of shipping radioactive material to al-Qaida after Sept. 11.
On his FOX TV show, Bill O'Reilly said plutonium suspiciously went missing from Nigeria. A 2004 Salon magazine article refuted O'Reilly's broadcast by stating that the lost material was actually americium-241, a compound incapable of causing even a trash can fire.
However, Gajendar added that the country has a "very rich culture."
"I'm not into the culture - except the food," said Nicole Jarin, a freshman nursing major.
According to foodbycountry.com, Nigerian food includes spiced boiled yams. For Christmas, the country offers specialized foods such as "jollof" rice, which is made of tomato paste, roasted goat and chopped liver.
Nigerians celebrate multiple festivals. In the Argungu Fishing festival, the Nigerians race to find the biggest catch in one hour.
One of the country's dances, the "Atilogwu," weaves gymnastics and stomping together. The dance translates to "Is this magic?" according to the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria's Web site.
Matt Stoll, a senior marketing major, said some Nigerian pottery has European influences. He learned about this in his ARTH 193A class, Worlds Art/Culture.
"No, not really," said Alex Stange, a freshman pre-nursing major.
The SJSU students were referring to whether they know anything about Nigeria.
All that pops into the mind of students such as Ordillo is "Africa."
Nigeria, a country rich in land mass and agriculture, is located in West Africa.
Uday Gajendar, a part-time instructor of user-interface design fundamentals, said that when he thinks of Nigeria, he thinks of "poverty" and "political instability."
He said his knowledge of the country comes from articles he has read in The Economist and The New Yorker. One thing he said he has heard is accusations against Nigeria.
"I forget if it was Nigeria," he said. "But I believe it was Nigeria."
For instance, the country was accused of shipping radioactive material to al-Qaida after Sept. 11.
On his FOX TV show, Bill O'Reilly said plutonium suspiciously went missing from Nigeria. A 2004 Salon magazine article refuted O'Reilly's broadcast by stating that the lost material was actually americium-241, a compound incapable of causing even a trash can fire.
However, Gajendar added that the country has a "very rich culture."
"I'm not into the culture - except the food," said Nicole Jarin, a freshman nursing major.
According to foodbycountry.com, Nigerian food includes spiced boiled yams. For Christmas, the country offers specialized foods such as "jollof" rice, which is made of tomato paste, roasted goat and chopped liver.
Nigerians celebrate multiple festivals. In the Argungu Fishing festival, the Nigerians race to find the biggest catch in one hour.
One of the country's dances, the "Atilogwu," weaves gymnastics and stomping together. The dance translates to "Is this magic?" according to the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria's Web site.
Matt Stoll, a senior marketing major, said some Nigerian pottery has European influences. He learned about this in his ARTH 193A class, Worlds Art/Culture.
Be the first to comment on this story