Behind the News Special

WORLD CULTURES

The content in these specials will support students from Years 5 - 8 to achieve a range of understandings within an Essential Learnings curriculum. The stories emphasise investigation, communication and participation, encouraging students to be reflective thinkers about a range of issues taught in Australian schools.

State / Territory / Outcomes
Victoria / Level 4 & 5
SA / Standard 3 & 4
WA / Level 3 & 4
NT / Band 3 & 4
Qld / Level 3 & 4
NSW / Stage 3 & 4
Tasmania / Band B – Grade 5/6
Band C - Junior Secondary
ACT / Upper Prim
Lower High School

Curriculum Links

SOSE/HSIE & History: Australia’s relationship with the rest of the world.

This program features four quite different stories about Australia’s relationship with China, Taiwan, Vanuatu, Sudan and Dubai.

The topics explore:

·  Taiwan VS China – should Australia take sides in International Politics?

·  Vanuatu Women – European influence on clothing causes local strife!

·  Veronica’s Story – A personal story of a Sudanese Refugee in South Australia.

·  Dubai – a millionaire’s paradise funded by the oil industry.

Behind The News on world cultures: dress restrictions in Vanuatu plus buying your own island. Hi and welcome to our special look at world cultures. I'm Krista Eleftheriou. First up today … problems between two countries that have important links with Australia, China and Taiwan. China recently passed a law that allows it to take military action against Taiwan if it formally declares independence. So should Australia take sides or just stay out of it? As Sarah explains it's a complicated problem.

Taiwan vs China

Two Asian countries that are both valuable to Australia are in the middle of a big argument about independence. This presents a dilemma for Australia. We'd like to stay friendly with Taiwan but we don't want to annoy China either. Do we take sides, or try to stay out of it? Either way it could affect Australia's foreign trade. Sarah explains Australia's problem.

In the red corner, it's the world's most populous country with 1.3 billion people. Give it up for the People's Republic of CHINA!
In the blue corner, population 23 million, it's about half the size of Tasmania. Let's hear it for Taiwan!
It hasn't become a fight yet, but these two places having been arguing about whether Taiwan is part of China or independent.
Ask the Taiwanese, and they'll tell you Taiwan is a separate country from China, with its own legal system, parliament, media, and a decent sized military force.
Ask the Chinese, and they'll tell you that Taiwan is part of China, and has been since the end of World War 2 in 1949, and must not be independent. In fact, China is so determined to squash any ideas the Taiwanese might have about independence, that right now the Chinese government has at least 70 missiles pointed at Taiwan.
China has passed a law which threatens Taiwan with military force if it moves towards independence.
The state shall employ non-peaceful means and other necessary measures to protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Basically that's a threat. Try to become independent, to become your own country separate from China, and we'll shoot. It's tough talk. But there's one problem for China, one very big problem.
Although Taiwan is small it has a very big friend, the United States of America. And as you know, the US is a very powerful country. Then again, so is China. So where does Australia stand? After all, China and Taiwan are in our region.
Well more than 50 years ago, Australia signed an agreement with the US and New Zealand.
That agreement is called the ANZUS treaty. Basically it means that if any of you guys are in trouble or need military support, we'll help you.
So the Australian government kind of wants to stay sweet with the US.
On the other hand, Australia now has very close trade links with China. In fact, trade with China is worth $25 billion a year to Australia. Trade with the US is worth slightly more, at $30 billion a year, so you can see Australia is in a tough position.
So apart from the USA, Taiwan doesn't have any big or influential countries as friends. In fact, because only 25 countries in the world recognise Taiwan as independent from China, the Taiwanese president can hardly travel anywhere. But when he does travel, he makes a big effort to persuade countries to support Taiwan's push for independence. Not that these dolphins can do much to help.
The rest of the world would like to see China and Taiwan reach an agreement because no one wants to see a military conflict. But because they have such strongly opposing views, it will be hard for these two sides to reach a compromise.

To an even closer neighbour now, the small country of Vanuatu. And the women of Vanuatu are fighting for the right to wear what they want. It may not seem like a big deal to us, but it is to them and Sam explains why.

Vanuatu Women

Have you ever been in trouble with your teachers or parents for the clothes you wear? Well, imagine being told what to wear by the leaders of your community! That’s exactly what’s happening to women in Vanuatu, and would you believe it, jeans and board shorts are the problem!

“Your colour is colourful, it makes me happy and laugh a little bit, it swings around everywhere my island dress.”

These people on the Pacific island of Vanuatu are singing about the island dress, the popular traditional gear worn by a lot of woman. It’s a combination of a national costume, and everyday wear.
But it hasn’t always been this way. Before Europeans arrived in the 1800s the people of Vanuatu didn’t wear much at all. Missionaries tried to encourage the women to cover up.
But today it’s a different story, now chiefs and church leaders are worried that the island dress is under threat. The problem? Jeans and board shorts. Women caught wearing jeans can be punished.
Chief Morrison Dick Makau: We’ve made it so that girls wearing trousers when they walk along the road will be fined. And the punishment is that they must kill one pig.
Chief Morrison is trying to encourage city people to keep the traditional customs.
Not surprisingly, not everyone agrees with the chief. And that’s causing a bit of debate that even the church is getting involved in!
DENISE: The chief tried to stop us wearing trousers when there’s a ceremony or funeral or when there’s any ceremony that is our custom. Women must wear an island dress there, but I’m not used to wearing them.
And even some church leaders are angry with their people about the changing fashions. Pastor Troy Socoman says God isn’t impressed by the faltering fashion either.
Pastor Troy Socoman: You don’t have the right to wear short trousers and walk down the road in this place. You don’t have the right because this is not your life. You are exposing your body outside for men to see it. You must wear an island dress to cover yourself. Praise the master. Praise the master.
But apart from the loud preaching and the odd pig fine, the locals aren’t getting too worried.
It’s all happened before, and just as the covered-up fashion styles of the missionaries became a part of local culture, any new dress dramas are likely to be handled in a very relaxed way.

Outside influences don't always cause problems; in fact it can be interesting to learn about other cultures. For example: We've heard a lot about Africa from the news, but there's nothing like hearing from someone who comes from there. BTN recently caught up with a girl who used to live in Sudan and now lives in Australia.

Veronica’s Story

This is my story, and I hope that you learn something about me, because it's always good to learn other people's cultures.

My name's Veronica, that's my English name, and my Dinka name is Apuk.
I am from Sudan, the largest country in Africa.
I came to Australia in 2001.
We came here because...it was pretty hard.
We were in the [refugee] camp, and it was so hard living there because there was not enough food, not enough water and there were a lot of troubles going on in the camp.
I left my parents in Sudan, so it was hard...it was hard because I have to cook, I have to go to school, come back, get some water, and then cook, and that's when I was really young, so everything was really hard for me.
I have three brothers, four sisters.
I miss my friends, my relatives, my parents.
I live in Adelaide.
I'm in Year 10.
School in Africa and Australia is very different.
There were about 90 to 100 students in one class.
The teachers were really, really mean to us, because the teachers beat us up with a long stick.
I'm glad I'm not in Africa any more.
I kind of realise that we are all equal; all the same, just the colour of the skin is different.
I live with my two brothers and one cousin.
I'm the mother, I'm the girl, so I have to clean the whole house every weekend, I have to cook every night.
Sudanese guys expect girls to do all the housework.
I did public speaking, and at first, I was really scared, I thought I was not going to do it...
"Good evening, chairperson, ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce myself to you.
My name is Veronica, and I come from Sudan, the largest country in Africa.."
I want to be a newsreader but it's kind of funny because I don't like talking in front of people, so...
"...however it was, it was -- oh, I can't do this!"
I really want to do it, that's my dream.
Bye, from Veronica, have a great day.

Good luck with that Veronica.

Finally to one of the most unusual land developments you're ever likely to see. In Dubai, new islands are being made in very unusual shapes and if you have enough money you can even buy one!

Dubai

This is Dubai, a city in the Middle Eastern country of the United Arab Emirates. It's in the Arabian Desert, and thanks to the oil industry, it's growing fast. So fast that it's becoming the business capital of the Middle East. It's a playground for the rich, and has the world's tallest skyscraper, at more than 200 metres high.

It also has this, the world's largest man-made island. In the shape of a palm tree, it's growing everyday, complete with a trunk and 17 fronds. This is what the promo tape has to say about it.
The 8th wonder of the world speeds ahead responding to demand form the unique vision, to reality.
And as if there's not enough sand around here, the developers are actually dredging up more from beneath the sea, for what will be a complete city, with hotels theme parks and shopping malls. But that's not the biggest project here in Dubai. Neither is this. It's just the sales centre. But inside ABC reporter Trevor Bormann met a man who explained what it's all about.
HAMZA MUSTAFA: Trevor say now you were actually interested in buying your own island, this is the best development I could offer you. Why? If you look right here it's a series of 300 man-made islands, 300 man-made islands that take the shape of the earth, of the world.
At a cost of four billion dollars to build, this brand new world will be for sale, so people can buy an island shaped like a particular country. But it's a lot for a man from Dubai to remember each part of Australia, half a world away.
HAMZA MUSTAFA: Tasmania, that's north and south islands of New Zealand, that's Queensland, Western Australia, that should be right in the middle of the Simpson Desert maybe, Adelaide, Victoria, and that should be, uh help me here, Northern Territory.
You've heard of travelling the world in 80 days, but Trevor travelled this new world in just eight minutes. This "world" will span about 9 kilometres from north to south, and be about 7 kilometres wide. Work on this new world happens all day, by mostly immigrant workers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In fact only a quarter of the people who live in Dubai are actually citizens, many are from poorer countries, who want to make good money working in Dubai.
But not all the islands are the kind you actually see on the map.
What's this though that doesn't seem to be part of Australia?
HAMZA MUSTAFA: No this is one of the celebrity islands now, with the purchase of the island the island will now be actually called after the name of the celebrity, Greg Norman for example, Norman's Island or the the Shark island, or something of that structure.
But don't expect these developers to let loose with the details of which celebrities have actually signed up to buy an island. Although Trevor tells us that if we were to sail in these waters a few years from now, we might pass people like David Beckham or Rod Stewart or even Greg Norman. It's a small world after all.

And that's it for our Behind The News world cultures special. I'm Krista Eleftheriou... seeya next week.

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