Djibouti culture

Djibouti culture food people and festivals

The culture of the Republic of Djibouti is diverse, due to the nation's Red Sea location at a crossroads of trade and commerce.

Djiboutian population is divided into several human components: the Afars and the Issa Somali people, the Muslim religion for the most part, that are traditionally attached to anthropological group Hamitic. They were called "Hamites Orientals" to distinguish them from these other Hamites that are Egyptians and Berbers. An important Arab community of Yemeni origin, is also based in Djibouti.

Culture

A multi-ethnic country, Djibouti enjoys a rich, interwoven culture based on tribal traditions. In addition to Afars and Issas, sub-clans like Gadabuursi also inhabit the country. The remaining portion of the population consists of Ethiopians, Europeans and Arabs. Because of the many influences, Djibouti is a hodgepodge of ancient and modern.

Language is one of the major components of the Djiboutian culture. The multi-ethnic and multi-lingual population speaks Somali and Afar as their mother tongues, but the official languages are Arabic and French. Modern and Standard Arabic are also spoken, while good portions of the population also uses Ta’izzi-Adeni Arabic, Amharic, Omani Arabic, Greek, and Hindi

Djibouti's various ethnic groups each have their own different styles of music and accompanying dances. Common instruments used by many of the communities are the drum,tanbura and oud. Somali and Afar have a rich musical heritage centered on traditional Somali and Afar folklore. Most Somali songs are pentatonic; that is, they only use fivepitches per octave in contrast to a heptatonic (seven note) scale such as the major scale. At first listen, Somali music might be mistaken for the sounds of nearby regions such as Ethiopia, Sudan or Arabia, but it is ultimately recognizable by its own unique tunes and styles