Ensamblaje de las distintas proteínas

Language

• A variety of dialogues are spoken, including Arabic. In Western Australian there are 1861 persons of Sudanese ancestry.

• Most people share Arabic Sudanese, or ‘local Arabic’, as a common language.

• English language skills are varied, and many people have difficulty understanding spoken English. • Some Sudanese languages do not have a written form.

• The majority of Sudan-born entrants (79 per cent) [into Australia] described their English proficiency as ‘nil’ or ‘poor’. The main languages spoken were Arabic and Dinka (DIAC, 2007: 7).

• Arabic is the most widely spoken language in Sudan. It is the country’s official language and has emerged as the most used lingua franca, enabling communication between people from different native language groups. English was the lingua franca of southern Sudan and had been the language of instruction in all secondary schools and the University of Khartoum, but its status came under threat following the Sudanese Government’s 1990 policy of using Arabic as the language of instruction in all schools. In addition to Arabic and English, as many as 400 other languages and dialects may be spoken in Sudan. Many Sudanese are bilingual or multilingual, speaking their native language, one of the lingua franca, and sometimes another language. Juba (or Pidgin) Arabic is a form of the language developed and used mainly in the south. It may not be intelligible to speakers of other forms of Arabic (DIAC, 2007: 16).

• The majority of Sudanese in WA come from the South.

Religion

• The main religions practiced by Sudanese are Islam, Christianity and other traditional religions. The vast majority in the Sudan are Muslim, but refugees to Australia tend to be Christian.

• For some Sudanese, religion is a very important part of life and finding a denomination, religious community and place of worship may assist in the settlement process (DIAC, 2007: 12).

• Approximately 65 per cent of Sudanese follow the official state religion of Islam and most are Sunni. Another 25 per cent follow traditional beliefs, while Christians make up the remainder. Muslims predominate in the north and Christians and animists in the south. Along with ethnicity, religion is seen by many in the south as a divisive influence. They claim that southern African Christians and others are politically, economically and culturally dominated and discriminated against by northern Arab Muslims (DIAC, 2007: 17).

Cultural Considerations

• Segregation of sexes for sleeping arrangements is preferred by many community members. Children would stay with the parent of the same sex unless it is a single parent family.

• Many are uncomfortable being around people who are drunk or take drugs.

Age / Gender Considerations

• Females, especially Muslim females, prefer not to have physical contact with men other than their partner.

Dietary Requirements

• As above.

Experience of emergency situations

• Many Sudanese have spent time in refugee camps and/or have experience of war in their own country. It is possible therefore that spending time at an ERC will bring back flashbacks of these experiences, therefore personal support may be needed at the ERC.

• It has been estimated that Sudan’s second civil war cost 1.9 million lives and four million people were displaced. As many as 500 000 of these fled to neighbouring countries while an estimated two million ended up in the greater Khartoum area. For many, there has been limited opportunity or incentive to return following the end of the war (DIAC, 2007: 22).

AFGHAN

Language

• In Afghanistan 50% of people speak Dari or Afghan Persian, 35% speak Pashto, 11% speak Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen), with the remaining 4% distributed between 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai). There is much bilingualism (CIA, 2008: online).

• In Western Australia 1,256 speak Dari at home and 349 Dari-speaking Afghans have little-to-no English speaking skills. Also in Western Australia, 130 persons speak Pashto at home, 70 speak Balochi and 6 speak Turkmen.

• All Afghan languages use the flowing Arabic script for writing (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2002: online).

Religion

• Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1% (CIA, 2008: online).

Cultural Considerations

• Generally, as with persons of Islamic religious affiliation.

• Like many people in Middle Eastern and Arabic countries, Afghans use many gestures and movements to express themselves. Members of the same sex also touch each other frequently when speaking; however, touching the opposite sex in public is avoided in traditional Muslim society. As a mark of respect, Afghan women traditionally lower their eyes when speaking to men (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2002: online).

• Men congregate in the mosque particularly on Friday, the Muslim holy day; women are discouraged but not prevented from joining men at prayers. Muslim women also traditionally cover their heads with scarves (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2002: online).

Age / Gender Considerations

• Generally, as with persons of Islamic religious affiliation.

• In areas controlled by the Taliban, male doctors were forbidden to see female patients, and female doctors were forbidden to practise, leaving women without medical care (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2002: online).

• When greeting friends and acquaintances, Afghan men are very affectionate: shaking both hands, hugging and kissing on the cheeks are all common gestures. Male friends may also hold hands or link arms when walking (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2002: online).

Dietary Requirements

• Generally, as with persons of Islamic religious affiliation.

• The dietary staples are rice and bread (naan). Other basic foods include cheese, beef, lamb, chicken, eggs, tea and numerous fruits and vegetables. As in other Muslim countries, livestock must be slaughtered according to Islamic rites (halal). A common Afghan entrée is shish kebab (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2002: online).

• Tea is the national drink of Afghanistan, served with meals and enjoyed anytime of the day at home or in the numerous teahouses in towns and cities. The most common types of tea are black and green (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2002: online).

Experience of emergency situations

• War with Russia and America. Some may have endured war directly and been separated from family members; others may have been confined to refugee camps.