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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINTY
Ethnographic Interview
Submitted to Dr. Thomas Cook
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
GLST290 – D04
Cultural Anthropology
by
Patrice Vinson
November 29, 2020
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Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1
Societal and Mental Culture ............................................................................................... 2
Family and Communication
Practices
.....................................................................
3
Cultural Elements, Values, and Beliefs.............................................................................. 4
Conflict and Marriage........................................................................................................... 5
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................... 6
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Introduction
When I was trying to think of someone that I could interview for my ethnographic paper,
I could not have thought of a better person than my friend Ms. Zainabu Yabu Nahra. Zainabu has
the most humbling spirit that anyone could ever have. My family and I refer to her as Zee, so
therefore I will be referencing her by the name of Zee throughout my paper. Zee and I met at
Starbucks for coffee and sat outside to do the interview. We sat and talked for hours about her
culture and why she came to the United States to begin with. Zee is currently in school to
become a Registered Nurse (RN), she will graduate in December. She also holds a bachelor’s
degree in Business Management. Zee was born in Sierra Leone West Africa and made her way to
the United States at the age of 13. She has been in the United States for 34 years and travels
home to visit her parents in a nearby town every two years. Zee has three beautiful daughters that
she adores dearly, and they are all in college getting their education. She pushes her daughters
very hard to finish school so that they will be successful and never have to experience the
struggles of life that she saw with her parents.
Societal and Mental Culture
When asked how she would describe her societal culture, Zee said that when she looks at
the leadership within the United States of America, we expect people in leadership positions to
be honest, truthful, and carry themselves well. Unfortunately, in most parts of Africa, that is not
the case, especially in Sierra Leone, they do not have freedom of speech. The populace has
come to expect little or no level of truthfulness from their leaders. Zee spoke
about the harshness that comes from the leaders if you disobey them. Her
father was attacked right in front of her for talking back to the people of
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authority in a respectful manor. There was a person that stepped in to
defend her father in a sense, but he was kind of mutual to both sides but
tried to explain what her father was trying to say without being disrespectful.
Elmer expresses this action as, “a mediator would be called in, a person of stature,
fairness, and discernment.”
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Zee said that you were to be silent and do as they say
and not say a word about anything. After that happened her parents fled to
the United States leaving her and her siblings behind. She also expressed
that her childhood life was not great, and she does not want to reflect on it.
Growing up without her parents caused her to go through some difficult life
experiences such as going to bed without food and having to fetched food from the dumpster and
also being molested and beaten for it when reported to my care takers.
The mental culture of Sierra Leone West Africa can be described as a
very dark and lonely place. Zee says that the mental state of people was not
being taking care of due to the lack of doctors and nurses that knew how to
help people with those kinds of problems. She explained that at the age of
six, her dad’s brother was about to lose his mind and he did not receive help
in time and was forced to live in their home with her family. She said that
family help and support can and cannot affect a person’s life and marriage.
Her uncle’s wife left him and did not try to help him through his problems.
Elmer expresses, “Our mental categories and how we use them determines how we interact
with others.”2 Zee stated that in Sierra Leone, you have to come from a family who is successful
1 Duane Elmer, Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility (Downers Grove:
Intervarsity Press, 2006), 84.
2 Ibid.,69.
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or have a friend or sponsor to assist you with getting the healthcare you needed. She says that
Sierra Leone is the country of darkness with little to no electricity and the United States is the
country of light as she gently smiled.
Family and Communication Practices
I asked Zee, how would you describe the family relationships within
your culture. She replied by saying that she was taught that family was all
she had, and she never really associated much outside of their family. Her
bond was solid with her brothers and sisters until they were separated. Zee
recalled that before coming to the United States of America, she had heard a lot of great
things about it, so adapting was not hard for her. The only difficulty of adaptation that she had
was the non-discipline of the American children with their teachers, their elders, and the
language. In Sierra Leone, children are disciplined and treated badly by the caretakers if
someone disobeyed an elder. Although learning the language here was hard at times, her
pronunciation of words still gives her trouble. Zee had no problem with being accustomed to the
food, music, dressing, and everything else.
The communication practices of Sierra Leone are very strict and are based around
being obedient. Zee stated that communication can be influenced by their societal belief and
the way they talk can determine their outcomes. In Sierra Leone, you do not ask your parents
“why” when asked to do something like work or given instruction about something. If you
were to challenge what was said to you then that will be considered disrespectful and you
must be punished. Punishment was very harsh in Sierra Leone and it did not have an age limit
on it. Being disrespectful was not tolerated within her household nor the country of Sierra.
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She never knew the exact punishment of what would happen because her parents tried to keep
it from her but she saw what happened to her father and could only imagine what else could
happen besides that. Little did she know that when she was left behind by her parents, she
learned the hard way about punishment, and she hates talking about it.
Cultural Elements, Values, and Beliefs
I asked Zee how she would describe significant and distinct cultural elements of her
culture in Sierra. She expressed that her culture is a balanced mix of West African and American
Culture. She only remembered a small amount of the American Culture taken place in certain
parts of Sierra, but they adhered to the African culture for the most part. Zee said that she
understands that all cultures come with its bias, prejudice, habits, and sometimes even value
beliefs. Zee told me that these are the concepts that shape her into who she is today. The homes
in Sierra were close together and there was little privacy that she could remember. In other areas
of Africa, there were good parts that had land and plenty of animals. According to the textbook,
“unequal distribution of social resources as social stratification, meaning the organization of
people into ranked groups, or hierarchies, based on particular characteristics.”3 At home or
within her community, they address all her parents' friends as uncles and aunties. At the same
time, they address all cousins as brothers and sisters. There is no distinction between her
biological siblings and her cousins. The value of family is paramount for Zee.
Zee explained to me the underlying rationale of values and beliefs through her job and
reference to home as well. Generally, understanding the cultural divide is fundamental in her
3 Brian M. Howell and Jenell Paris, Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective (Grand
Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019), 74.
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practice as a nurse. Minimizing and degrading someone’s culture or belief is wrong and should
not be tolerated. It should be celebrated instead. Because our diversity is part of our complex
human system, Zee says that she is aware of the subconsciousness of prejudice in any of us. She
approaches her work mindful and does not to allow subjectivity to determine how she does her
job. Zee was raised to respect others, even those that she does not agree with. In the discharge of
her public responsibility as a nurse, her number one goal is to heal the patient while respecting
that patient’s privacy and dignity. Zee’s humbling sweet spirit is so passionate, and she shows
love to every person that she meets. “Cultural relativism, understood this way, does not demand
the acceptance of either moral or epistemological relativism. We can hold to Christian values
and morality while still acknowledging that cultures can only be understood accurately in
relation to themselves. When cultural relativism is not practiced, people use the standards of
their own culture to understand others, which invariably leads to misunderstanding rooted in
ethnocentrism.”4
Conflict and Marriage
Zee states that the rationale of conflict from other people of different cultures that visit
Sierra might cause a problem. Simply because everyone’s beliefs and values are different, and
you never know what to expect from another culture unless you have studied it. In Sierra, the
conflict would arise because the leadership there is so demanding and strong versus the United
States. The ruler of Sierra can come to you or you be taken to him and receive your punishment.
Zee says that she remembers the ruler passing by and they had to stop and give reference to him
as he was passing by. Zee would not give the name of the ruler because she does not like
4 Brian M. Howell and Jenell Paris, Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective (Grand
Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019), 36.
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remembering her troubled past. “Authority is the right granted to exercise power. Attributes that
make a person or institution persuasive, powerful, or authoritative reflect cultural
understandings and social organization.”5 In the United States, she said that she did not
understand why we had a president, and we could not see him nor talk with him. Although she
stated that to her she believes that most cultures are sturdy, influencing, and often attempt to
resolve any conflict that arises. Even though most of the time the conflicts that occur are often
happening from a misunderstanding and recognition. Zee does not see herself as having a
conflict within the United States because she was taught to be humble and obey at all cost. Even
through her marriage, she obeyed and did not speak against anything her husband said or did.
She did advise me that she did break her rule of thumb with marriage because she divorced her
husband after so many years of abuse. Zee expressed that she was able to get the help that she
needed to leave her husband and put her children in a safe environment.
Although she did say that a marriage in Sierra Leone is like signing your death
certificate before you die. Customary marriages give no protection in case you get divorced.
Young child as young as 12 are given hands in marriages to men that are capable of being their
great grandfathers. “After the sin of humans, Adam was told to engage in horticulture or
agriculture, which will be frequently frustrating and difficult. Eve would suffer as well, bearing
children with pain and often experiencing disappointment in marriage.”6 Zee was the perfect
person for me to do my interview paper with, I learned so much from her about the country of
Sierra Leone West Africa.
5 Ibid., 144.
6 Brian M. Howell and Jenell Paris, Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective (Grand
Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019), 137.
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Bibliography
Duane Elmer, Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility (Downers
Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2006).
Brian M. Howell and Jenell Paris, Introducing Cultural Anthropology: A Christian Perspective
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019).
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