Central African Republic by Becca

becca — 2014-03-19 12:47:17 UTC

Languages

becca — 2014-03-31 12:34:21 UTC

The people of the Central African Republic speak Sango and French, and each ethnic group has its own language. French is only spoken by the more educated people. A lot of speeches and announcements are made in Sango, because the government promotes national identity.

Economy

becca — 2014-03-31 23:08:35 UTC

The Central African Republic uses the CFA franc. Their main way of making money is agriculture, and while they could have a lot of tourism, people don't go there because of fighting and a high crime rate. They often trade with France. There is a huge gap between the wealthy and the working class, with most people having just enough or not enough to meet their and their family's basic needs.

Social Structure

becca — 2014-03-31 23:23:05 UTC

Taking care of elderly relatives is very important, and the extended family may all live together in one home. Women raise their children and supple food. Men supply clothing, schooling, and housing. People in the country often follow more traditional marriage customs. Parents might arrange marriages and older men might marry younger women, while people often choose who they will marry in urban places. Many couples live together without formally marrying because it is too expensive. Men can have more than one wife or girlfriend, but women can't. If a man has relationships with more than one woman, each woman will live in a different house. Homes can be made of mud or cement bricks, floors out of dirt and concrete, and roofs out of tin or thatched.

Religion/Beliefs

becca — 2014-03-31 23:37:26 UTC

About half the population is Christian, divided equally between Catholics and Protestants, around 15% are Muslim, and the others practice various local religions. Many people either have traditional beliefs or combine the customs of their religion with the local religion. There is widespread belief in witchcraft and magic. Many people ask for advice from local charmers.

Traditions

becca — 2014-03-31 23:43:06 UTC

The largest holiday is celebrated on the day they declared independence from France, which is December 1. There are parades and festivities all over the country. Friends might greet each other informally by hitting their right hands together, grabbing the other's middle finger with their thumb and forefinger, and "snapping." Another common greeting is to gently knock your head against theirs once on the left and twice on the right. It is not considered polite to just say hi or hello. A couple popular snack foods are makala, or fried dough, and kanda, which is meat, fish, fruit, or termites wrapped in a leaf and steamed.

Government Structure

becca — 2014-04-01 01:10:12 UTC

The Central African Republic is a semi-presidential republic. However, in March 2013 Michel Djotodia took control of the government and dissolved parliament. Sectarian violence forced him to resign in January of 2014. Catherine Samba-Panza is currently the interim head of both government and state as African and European forces attempt to stop the fighting. Traditionally, the president is head of state and has the most executive powers. The prime minister is head of the government, and there is a National Assembly with 105 seats that people are elected onto for a five year term. The voting age is 18. There is also a separate judicial branch with a Supreme Court and Constitutional Court. It also has fourteen prefectures divided into sub-prefectures. Every town has a mayor and every village has a makunji, or village chief, whose power and duties vary depending on how strong the mayor is.

Arts and Recreation

becca — 2014-04-01 01:24:36 UTC

Music is very important to the people of the Central African Republic. They have traditional instruments such as banana tree xylophones and sanza, or thumb pianos. Music is a large part of a lot of religious events. Oral histories are told with a series of call-and-response songs and chants. Fine artists put traditional themes, materials, and images into modern pieces. Girls and women tend the fields, work in the house, and shop, so boys and men usually have more time for recreation. They enjoy playing and watching soccer and basketball. Children like singing and playing games at recess. Older people like awale, a strategy game for two people to play.

Symbols

becca — 2014-04-01 01:33:34 UTC

One important symbol of the Central African Republic is their national anthem, La Renaissance. Another important symbol is the flag. Red symbolizes the blood of the people that was spilled for independence, blue represents freedom and the sky, white is peace and dignity, green is hope and faith, and yellow is tolerance.