Unfortunately the only presentations I had the pleasure of viewing were Drew's (on the political structures of Iran and Israel) and the presentation on Afghanistan's developing media outlets and the cultural context in which they exist. Both were very interesting and gave clear insight into their respective cultures. Drew delve into the contrasting political systems of Iran and Israel, providing names and terms in Arabic and Hebrew has he presented. I learned that Iran, though containing vague aspects of democracy, is more accurately described as a theocracy containing a complex system of checks and balances between politicians and religious leaders, with little influence excerpted by the general populous. The project presented on Afghanistan's media (forgive me, I have forgotten the girl's name who presented), talked a little about the history of media outlets in Afghanistan before revealing the modern evolution of media in the country. She focused primarily on radio, newspapers, and television, describing the state's control of these outlets over the second half of the 20th century and the subsequent liberalization of media after the Taliban regime were overthrown. To highlight the progress of Afghani media, she showed us "Afghan Idol", a "Pop Idol" spinoff that presents new talent in Afghanistan. She also revealed a documentary on the show that showed the equality disparity between men and women still rampant in the nation, despite its progress.
Through my own culture presentation I have learned quite a lot! Below is a summary of what I presented and subsequently what I learned:
Musikken av Norge:
The lack of written history, particularly in reference to music, leaves us with no real guide to what Norwegian music was like prior to the 18th century, though much of the folk music has survived through oral tradition. Folk music in Norway falls into two main categories based in the ethnic populations from which they derive: North Germanic and Sami. Traditional Sami music is centered around a particular voice style called joik, comparable to the traditional chanting of some American Indian cultures. Traditional North Germanic Norwegian vocal music includes kvad (ballads) and steve, (short often improvised songs). Work songs hymns, trailing vocals and old printed ballad stories, skillingsviser. Nordic folk dance music is shared with Sweden and Denmark where the hardingfele sound is most prominent.
Danish rule over Norway for the 450 years between the 14th and 18th centuries left the nation with no monarchy or cultured upper class, thus excluding Norway as a notable cultural influence in Europe. With the union of Sweden and Norway in 1814, Norway, in particular the city of Oslo, began to influence the classical music scene dominating the music scene in 19th century Europe. Post-WWII Norwegian music deviated away from the Germanic and Scandinavian trends in music, focusing more on the pop and rock movements in the U.K., France, and especially America. As a result, similar music styles to those present in America have thrived (i.e. Pop, Hip-Hop, Electronic, Rock etc). Perhaps dissimilarly, Black Metal and Heavy Metal Rock have also had enormous success in Norway. In general American music has become exceedingly popular amongst Norwegians, particularly young people. This is largely in part to America as a major pop-culture exporter since the mid 20th century. Again perhaps as a consequence to heavy American influence, especially in the music industry, many Norwegian singers write and sing songs in English. This might be to appeal to a more international audience, but is also a reflection of English as an important part of daily life in Norway (on TV, on the internet, etc). Though some Norwegian artists have found success, at least within Scandinavia, singing in Norwegian, a notable majority use English as their language of choice to sing in.
Two major pop acts from Norway have claimed international success: A-ha with their 1980’s synth-pop hit “Take On Me” and the group Aqua (the lead singer being Norwegian) with the song “Barbie Girl” in 1997. Again both of these songs, indeed most of the work from these acts, were in English.
As we look to the future of Norwegian music we see a familiar transformation of traditional and modern music. Current music being produced in Norway is adapting to international influences (as is the case in creating songs in English) in order to compete on a more global market. Meanwhile, traditional Norwegian folk music is being readily preserved while in some ways adapting in order to appeal to a younger audience and to continue to survive and prosper.
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Excellent summary. Iran, by the way, uses Persian/Farsi, which is written in a script that is basically Arabic. (There are some minor differences.)