OratCare Institute
Cultural Gala – Thankgiving
CULTURE INTEGRATION.
According to OIH, Cultural Integration is achieved when people embrace a new culture without losing their own, and that means you are being accepted to be part of the new culture while continuing to practice your own at home and in the community. In addition to the OIH definition, others defined Cultural integration as when people from a culture adopt the essence of another culture while maintaining their own culture. OIH believes in fusing the two rather than losing or keeping their culture and altogether rejecting the new culture. OIH believes that immigrants can bring parts of their culture into their communities through food, language, music, arts, attitudes, or traditions. They also adopt aspects of their new culture and adapt to local customs and interacting methods. OIH believes that examples of this can be seen everywhere in American society. In promoting cultural integration in the United States, it is often referred to as a melting pot, meaning many cultures come together and melt or fuse into one more diverse culture. One evidence of this that can be seen in society is the variety of restaurants and food options in America that come from various cultures around the world. Cultural integration can also occur through books, movies, and media exports. In case, the OIH believes that promoting cultural integration will create a sense of unity within communities and foster respect for other cultures. Unlike assimilation, it allows people to function within a new culture without completely being absorbed. They can maintain their own cultural identity, and in return, the community is enriched by the exposure to their culture, especially the new immigrant that arrived in this country to help overcome cultural shock in North America.
Example of Cultural Integration
Florence came to this country and is the generation of immigrants that came to America to join his husband, John Abore, in November 2019. Florence and John’s parents are from South Sudan and mostly enjoy the rich South Sudan Acholi culture. The couple is bilingual, speaking both languages at various times, whether at home or in the community. They have friends in their community, often sharing meals and enjoying recreation together. John’s mother usually makes a traditional family recipe when friends visit, and her friends have introduced them to many of their favorite family recipes and traditions. For Florence’s fifteenth birthday, John’s parents plan a traditional party celebrating a girl’s passage from womanhood to parenthood and invite many friends from school and the community. Florence and John’s family have embraced the culture and language of their new home while practicing their own.
Importance of Cultural Integration
OIH cultural Integration helps foster a sense of unity within a community. It also enhances a community by allowing people to experience something that they may not have access to otherwise. People can learn about the language, food, traditions, and arts of other cultures around them without traveling to those countries of origin. This fosters respect for different cultures and creates more informed and well-rounded citizens. Integration is essential because, unlike assimilation, people maintain their culture and the parts of their cultural identity that are important to them. They retain their culture by practicing it at home and in their community. They neither shun the new culture nor allow themselves to be wholly absorbed by it. Instead, they integrate into the larger culture without losing their essence.
OratCare Culture Gala – (Thanksgiving Day)
OIH reflects a culture of diversity that partnership with virous community in the State of Maine. The organization founded in March 2023, hope to Celebrate OratCare Cultural Gala (Thanksgiving Day) as way to share the values and hope to promote peace among the diverse communities in Maine, to promote human transformation, seeking justice, and bear witness to success of every community in Maine. A career with OIH is an opportunity driven by the call of believers that OratCare Cultural Gala is driven and proven to be the opportunity to drive the mission and purpose of the organization to celebrate and embrace each staff member’s diverse background and talents knowing that together, we can make a difference. This year the organization celebration of the OratCare Cultural Gala (Thanksgiving) in a unique way that explores the beauty of Acholi Speaking people back home and in their new home in Portland, Maine, USA. The OratCare Institute of Health believes that it is good to show our culture and get to know other cultures since we are in America, a remark about our existence and the importance of cultural events like the International Food Festival. The OratCare cultural Gala is viewed as justice for restoring social relations in the community. In other words, justice in the Acholi Traditional Culture is considered restorative. A lesson learned from the Paramount Chief, known as Rwot David Onen Acana II, pointed out that Acholi has gone through a lot, most of them being displaced from their original home (origin) because of war and the wounds of wars will be healed, if the Acholi community continue to practice their tradition and Cultural Gala using guidance principles of respect, peace, and unity worldwide. Accordingly, the Acholi chief (Rwot Acana the II noted that the guiding principles include “Do not be a troublemaker,” “Be respectful to one another a sincerity, meaning that Do not steal but should participate in the Reconciliation, harmony, and forgiveness. At OratCare Cultural Gala, we believe that the problem can be solved through discussion; although, children and women are the disabled are the victim of war given their live in harmony with others and restore social relations in the community. This shows that traditionally, the Acholi are a peace-loving people. The Acholi traditional culture encourages individuals to accept their mistakes and take responsibility for their actions. It is important to note that an individual does this voluntarily, and individuals are encouraged to forgive and not to seek revenge.
During the celebration, the OratCare Institute of Health (OIH) will facilitate OratCare Cultural Gala to the community by providing detailed historical background of traditional food that will be prepared by Acholi community living in Portland, Maine. The food is delicious with familiar Acholi dishes. The Acholi diet is based mainly on vegetables and leafy vegetables. The meat is used as a flavoring. Cassava and sweet potato are also staples. Unlike many other groups from Africa, the Acholi foods with delicious dishes that OratCare Institute of Health hopes to invite various immigrant communities and the local community in Maine to come and try how good it is. In addition, the Acholi people have a very distinctive way of preparing food known as kwon (a staple dough made from maize, millet, or sorghum) is different, as many other tribes have it quite soft, whereas the Acholi ways of making it is so hard and different Recipes as well; for example, the preparation of the Acholi Cultural Gala will also provide education on How New Immigrant prepare for American Thanksgiving in comparison to the Acholi Traditional Thanksgiving (OratCare Cultural Gala) by providing Acholi traditional cooked foot together with okra and dried fish as well as with peanut butter as in some other areas.
The OIH believes that OratCare Cultural Gala represents respect and peace of mind through dancing, a festival with a unique culture noted above, where OIH believes in providing these services with the hope of meeting the needs of local communities in the state of Maine. The OratCare Cultural Gala celebrations is essential and vital to offer Acholi people living in Maine with Acholi traditional food Gala that they are culturally familiar with, the identified food listed above, some of the foods that do not exist in the State of Maine or North America.
The OIH perceives that OratCare Cultural Gala provides a healthy eating choice for dinner with mainly organic traditional food that is of its kind, and the food is identified as a diet that will help lower blood pressure, and obesity and diabetes and heart problem given Acholi food and the ingredients derived from organic. With many health issues within the immigrant communities, the OIH believes that Acholi people perceive healthy eating as eating good/healthy food. Good/healthy food is perceived as organic food; therefore, many Acholi have unique ways of preparing it. At the OratCare Cultural Gala, and traditional; we believe that you will be enjoying eating organic food, vegetables, and meat.
The OratCare Cultural Gala is a unique Thanksgiving Culture of Acholi heritage that will connect the two cultures, i.e., the Acholi in the State of Maine and the Acholi from South Sudan. The idea is to provide education explaining how people celebrate it by performing the following: –
- Connecting the two – thanksgiving in both ways with a unique way of celebration in Portland Maine given there are more Acholi in the states.
- Education – explaining how people in Africa, unique to the Acholi heritage, celebrate their thanksgiving and how people in America celebrate their thanksgiving in comparison.
- Dance – The young generation explores the importance of how Acholi believes in peace and respect through dancing and cultural activities such as storytelling, riddles, puzzles, and dancing seen in the picture below.
The OIH perspective framework state that the OratCare Cultural Gala that demonstrate the Acholi people of South Sudan living in North America, and dancing representing a fundamental part of cultural integral or cultural heritage. Who is the Luo speaking people? Acholi is a Nilotic Luo speaking ethnic group that live predominantly in the Southern region of South Sudan and Northern region of Uganda area that collectively referred to as Acholiland and in States of Maine, most Acholi live on Cumberland County, Portland Maine. The OratCare Cultural Gala explore how the indigenous Acholi perceptions of manhood and warfare had largely focused on lingual cultural forms that facilitate the oral transmission of knowledge, such as songs, proverbs, and folktales. The OratCare Institute of Health is truly appreciating the importance of dance for transferring knowledge between generations within several African cultures and Acholi in North American societies.
Different type of foods
Different types of Acholi dance
