[b]A MAJOR landmark has been recorded in the long drawn struggle to emancipate the psyche of some Nigerians from decadent and misleading consciousness in the name of “rich cultural heritage” and fervency for its rejuvenation. The initiative of the executive and legislative arms of Lagos State government on a dress code for the staff of the House of Assembly is a civilised pace setting worthy of emulation by other states in the federation. [/b]Nigerians who have been weaned from the grip of anti-civilisation and anti-modern mode of doing things, all in the name of showcasing the so-called Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage, were fascinated by the state government’s dress code for public servants.

According to a publication on July 11, 2013, shirt, tie and suit for men and a modern designed outfit for the women would “make their appearance unique and attractive and be in line with global standards in terms of legislation, decency and human development in consonance with what goes on the corporate world”.

The Lagos State government must be commended for displaying the rare courage to call a spade a spade in terms of the imperative of being conscious of the ever changing trends in civilised countries with respect to good governance and modern dressing found among public officials and international businessmen. Going by the conservative mindset of some people, the supposed “rich cultural dress code” or deep-rooted culture of Yoruba ethnic group would have been advocated and preferred.

It is the wish of this writer that the respectable and admirable dress code will be extended to the state television station to make the news casters key into the global standards with ripple effects getting to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) news casters and state governments as well as private television stations.

In the naïve notion of showcasing the supposedly “rich cultural attires of ethnic groups in Nigeria, the news casters in the NTA have been appearing in amorphous, voluptuous and archaic dress code showcasing the discriminately selected three ethnic groups namely Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba; and faith-based mode of dressing for women.

States owned television stations, without knowing the hidden reason behind the rule, have been impervious to suggestions by discerning and civilised-minded people who abhor the content of the dress code invented by Nigerians hundreds of years ago which are no longer in tune with modernity and creativity in dress code the world over. The ludicrous impressions which the rule seeks to create are that shirt with tie and with or without suit are relics of colonialism and should be abhorred as abominable.

The fact is that shirt with tie or complete suit is the best code in the world; it is never archaic since the styles have been undergoing changes to reflect creativity and societal dynamics.

In international conferences, 99 per cent of the delegates appear in modern suits. African presidents and their senior officials, those from South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe as examples, appear in suits. It is only Nigerian delegates who appear in amorphous, voluptuous, archaic and ridiculous attires, making them a butt of jokes in international fora. The very relevant question is: How many countries have copied the so-called “rich cultural attires” of the ethnic groups in Nigeria?

It is important to make a case for wearing shirt with tie or a complete suit for television newscasters. About 99 per cent of the television components are the ingenuity, science and technology of the Whiteman. It is, therefore, naïve to perceive the Whiteman’s attire (suit, shirt with tie) as an abomination for the television newscasters in the studio.

The dress code of newscasters of Igbo extraction is archaic, displeasing and uninspiring to the children and youths—all in the name of showcasing the supposedly “rich Igbo cultural dress”. These newscasters put on the dress and traditional chieftain’s attire which were fashionable in the 1930s, and also velvet clothe with lion and elephant inscription with a red cap to match which historically originated from North Africa (and other repulsive caps) which were fashionable at the end of 1970s. At times, they naïvely put on Hausa-Fulani caftan, babaringa with caps peculiar to the North, Benue and River states. These make them to look like cynical old village folks. But when you see them in shirts, tie, suit and designer wears without cap while covering news at public events, they look enlightened, elegant, handsome and cute. Pray, who is that in Nigeria that does not admire lawyers, bankers, insurance staff and pastors who are always in shirt with tie or suit?

Why should we meekly succumb to the subtle propaganda or presumptuous posturing of ethno-religious irredentists to swallow line, hook and sinker their value system in dress by wearing caps always? The wearing of cap is not indigenous to any ethnic group in Nigeria; and Igbos, being Christians, do not put on caps at public occasions because caps are not permitted in the church. It is, therefore, improper to compel all the newscasters to put on caps and spinsters to put on the attire of married women.

Onwubiko, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Anambra State.

Please send reactions and feedback for YOUTH SPEAK to:

editorial@risenetworks.org and 07067976667- SMS ONLY

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/youth-speak/129031-dress-code-in-lagos-house-of-assembly-worthy-of-emulation

nawa o Dress code for public servants?

I declare d argument open.. To me its a confirm rub.bish!!!

What a lousy, illiterate write-up by a colonised mental slave with no sense of dignity, self-worth, or independence.

The audacity this pig has to equate African attire with 'uncivilization' and western attire with 'civilization' alone is enough to confine him to a mental hospital for the severely reta.rded. Worse is his smug assurance that he can actually equate his self-hatred to some sort of 'enlightenment', positing that our traditional attire were created ''hundreds of years ago''. Well the western suit WAS invented 'hundreds of years ago' too, and, like African wear, has only been modified as the years progressed. Why can't this goat advocate a more 'work-friendly' transitional process for African wear if that's his thing, if not for his colonised self hatred? Just as this goat is happy to import his language, his religion, his eating habits, his car, he also wants to jettison his indigenous wear for imported clothes alone. How long before pigs like this begin to advocate for mass skin bleaching of all Africans to ensure we ''meet up'' with the light skinned colour of ''civilization''? It seems all we've got left to remind us of who we are is the skin colour. Don't bet against self-hating orang outangs and swine like this writer campaigning to shed that too.

Finally, the writer's claim that ''The wearing of cap is not indigenous to any ethnic group in Nigeria'' shows his GROSS HISTORICAL ILLITERACY, and that he is an absolute DUNCE where it concerns Nigerian/African history. A walking white dunce in black skin. An embarrassment to every living African, and a caricature representation of the bamboozled slave steeped in ignorance and self-loathing. The sooner his loathsome ilk die away from our independent society the better for us all.



Ife noble wearing a cap, 12th century

[img]http://img1.nairaland.com/attachments/306903_Benin_Art_2_jpgf1b2119836e93a9b113b5cd337a41008[/img]
Ancient Benin, 14th century


Igbo Ukwu Chief wearing cap, dated 12th century. This man is from the writer's own ethnic region/group.

No doubt, suits are nice & globally accepted.
Atimes, African attires depend on the way it's done by the fashion designer. A smart looking african dress is still the best for Africans.

And what a nonsense reason to buttress nonsense idea. Throwing away your own rich culture for oyibo's all in the name looking smart.

All these brain washed fellows needs to have their brains formated and reinstalled with the original softwares.

Our way(s) is/are way(s). I was hoping to see something different. For christ sakes, I'm sure those people started wearing that due to the nature of em weather.
How on earth can a person in his right senses call his/her own way of life (culture) archaic?

And for the record, there re small and fitted traditional wears that are suitable and can make people look smart too.

The last time I checked, wearing suit does not make one intelligent and smart. All are in the brain.

Finally, if the lawmakers are out of ideas and busy to think on what to come up with, they should kindly pay guys to think for them. I'm sure that's not a crime.

Rossikk: What a lousy, illiterate write-up by a colonised mental slave with no sense of dignity or independence.

The audacity this pig has to equate African attire with 'uncivilization' and western attire with 'civilization' alone is enough to confine him to a mental hospital for the severely reta.rded. Worse is his smug assurance that he can actually equate his self-hatred to some sort of 'enlightenment', positing that our traditional attire were created ''hundreds of years ago''. Well the western suit WAS invented 'hundreds of years ago' too, and, like African wear, has only been modified as the years progressed. Why can't this goat advocate a more 'work-friendly' transitional process for African wear if that's his thing, if not for his colonised self hatred? Just as this goat is happy to import his language, his religion, his eating habits, his car, he also wants to jettison his indigenous wear for imported clothes alone. How long before pigs like this begin to advocate for mass skin bleaching of all Africans to ensure we ''meet up'' with the light skinned colour of ''civilization''? It seems all we've got left to remind us of who we are is the skin colour. Don't bet against self-hating orang outangs and swine like this writer campaigning to shed that too.

Finally, the writer's claim that ''The wearing of cap is not indigenous to any ethnic group in Nigeria'' shows his GROSS HISTORICAL ILLITERACY, and that he is an absolute DUNCE where it concerns Nigerian/African history. A walking white dunce in black skin. An embarrassment to every living African, and a caricature representation of the bamboozled slave steeped in ignorance and self-loathing. The sooner his loathsome ilk die away from our independent society the better for us all.



Ife noble wearing a cap, 12th century

Best write up ever. Smart a nd funny you are a genius and very Afrocentric keep up the good work.

This reminds of Thomas sankara how he made his officials wear local African clothes to the office. We need to emulate him.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5USbA701SI

Rossikk: What a lousy, illiterate write-up by a colonised mental slave with no sense of dignity or independence.

The audacity this pig has to equate African attire with 'uncivilization' and western attire with 'civilization' alone is enough to confine him to a mental hospital for the severely reta.rded. Worse is his smug assurance that he can actually equate his self-hatred to some sort of 'enlightenment', positing that our traditional attire were created ''hundreds of years ago''. Well the western suit WAS invented 'hundreds of years ago' too, and, like African wear, has only been modified as the years progressed. Why can't this goat advocate a more 'work-friendly' transitional process for African wear if that's his thing, if not for his colonised self hatred? Just as this goat is happy to import his language, his religion, his eating habits, his car, he also wants to jettison his indigenous wear for imported clothes alone. How long before pigs like this begin to advocate for mass skin bleaching of all Africans to ensure we ''meet up'' with the light skinned colour of ''civilization''? It seems all we've got left to remind us of who we are is the skin colour. Don't bet against self-hating orang outangs and swine like this writer campaigning to shed that too.

Finally, the writer's claim that ''The wearing of cap is not indigenous to any ethnic group in Nigeria'' shows his GROSS HISTORICAL ILLITERACY, and that he is an absolute DUNCE where it concerns Nigerian/African history. A walking white dunce in black skin. An embarrassment to every living African, and a caricature representation of the bamboozled slave steeped in ignorance and self-loathing. The sooner his loathsome ilk die away from our independent society the better for us all.

It's all about professionalism and uniformity. We are not the only people on the surface of the earth with rich culture, Japanese folks have rich culture too, but you don't see them wearing kimono everywhere especially in the work place, official settings and functions, same with China and many other cultures around the globe.

What we wear in the work place and professional settings has no bearing on our culture. The work place is not a cultural place where you display and entertain people with your culture.

Please relax jare..

plaindealer:

It's all about professionalism and uniformity. We are not the only people on the surface of the earth with rich culture, Japanese folks have rich culture too, but you don't see them wearing kimono everywhere especially in the work place, official settings and functions, same with China and many other cultures around the globe.

What we wear in the work place and professional settings has no bearing on our culture. The work place is not a cultural place where you display and entertain people with your culture.

Please relax jare..

If China and Japan were even HALF as hot as Nigeria, they would never adopt the western suit. The western suit is not suited to the tropical African climate and most certainly not as 'the official attire for work'. Enforcing such a dress code is as ignorant and dumb as insisting our lawyers wear English men wigs to practice their profession. The sight of Nigerian lawyers sweating profusely through those wigs is enough to make anyone lose a case.

Indians, Pakistanis, Saudis, et al, do not insist on wearing a western suit. Their weather is similar to Nigeria's, so flowing robes that are suited to the weather are the norm. I know there are no self-loathing goats there campaigning for them to jettison all that for the western suit and tie. It's only in Africa we have such goats.

Rossikk:

If China and Japan were even HALF as hot as Nigeria, they would never adopt the western suit. The western suit is not suited to the tropical African weather and most certainly not as 'the official attire for work'. Enforcing such a dress code is as ignorant and dumb as insisting our lawyers wear English men wigs to practice their profession. Indians do not insist on wearing a western suit. Their weather is similar to Nigeria's so flowing robes that are suited to the weather are the norm. I know there are no self-loathing goats in India campaigning for them to jettison all that for a western suit. It's only in Africa we have such goats.

Unfortunately for you and your ignorant rant, today's weather forecast in Japan is 89F, 82F in china and 82F in Nigeria with almost the same level of humidity so what's your silly point about weather got to do with anything?

Today, it's hotter in Japan than in Nigeria..

What they wear in Japan and in china has nothing to do with weather and the same native wears you are clamoring for in Nigeria are even more problematic weather wise because a 3 piece babariga covers the whole of your body and to make matters worse, you deny your head and pores needed oxygen with whatever cap or hat you cover it with under almost 100 degrees heat plus oppressive humidity. Leave weather alone and stick to your baseless culture argument because you are not making any sense.

What's next? They don't have culture in Ghana? They don't have culture in SA?

You obviously have personal complex and paranoia about your culture since culture has nothing to do with the workplace and you are not hired to display your culture, you are hired to work and be productive..

plaindealer:


Unfortunately for you and your ignorant rant, today's weather forecast in Japan is 89F, 82F in china and 82F in Nigeria with almost the same level of humidity so what's your silly point about weather got to do with anything?

Today, it's hotter in Japan than in Nigeria..

What they wear in Japan and in china has nothing to do with weather and the same native wears you are clamoring for in Nigeria are even more problematic weather wise because a 3 piece babariga covers the whole of your and to make matters worse, you deny your head and pores needed oxygen with whatever cap or hat you cover it with under almost 100 degrees heat plus oppressive humidity. Leave weather alone and stick to your baseless culture argument because you are not making any sense.

What's next? They don't have culture in Ghana? They don't have culture in SA?

You obviously have personal complex and paranoia about your culture since culture has nothing to do with the workplace and you are not hired to display your culture, you are hired to work and be productive..

Have you ever heard of workplace culture? I study economics and business and I know globally people act different and it shows in the way they do business.

Also Japan and china are cold in December but not nigeria. Rosikk is practicing cultural nationalism because Europeans practice it too.

Also wearing African clothes creates employment in africa wearing western clothes promotes employment in Asia and Europe.

igbo2011:

Have you ever heard of workplace culture?

What is work place culture? Is this something you made up or you are just trying to be funny?

I study economics and business and I know globally people act different and it shows in the way they do business.

Is this a some kind of revelation or you mean people are more productive in traditional wears?

Also Japan and china are cold in December but not nigeria. Rosikk is practicing cultural nationalism because Europeans practice it too.

What's this got to do with anything abi it doesn't get cold in Nigeria too? Again, it's hotter in Japan than in Nigeria this very second.

Also wearing African clothes creates employment in africa wearing western clothes promotes employment in Asia and Europe.

What's this got to do with workplace wear in Nigeria or you mean what your oga demand you wear at work determines what sells in other countries?

This is a professional environment with uniformity and every individual attire reflects the same professional attitude and workplace uniformity.

Hmm...

emmysenior: And what a nonsense reason to buttress nonsense idea. Throwing away your own rich culture for oyibo's all in the name looking smart.

All these brain washed fellows needs to have their brains formated and reinstalled with the original softwares.

Our way(s) is/are way(s). I was hoping to see something different. For christ sakes, I'm sure those people started wearing that due to the nature of em weather.
How on earth can a person in his right senses call his/her own way of life (culture) archaic?

And for the record, there re small and fitted traditional wears that are suitable and can make people look smart too.

The last time I checked, wearing suit does not make one intelligent and smart. All are in the brain.

Finally, if the lawmakers are out of ideas and busy to think on what to come up with, they should kindly pay guys to think for them. I'm sure that's not a crime.

lol this is my problem. What has what you wear got to do with your ability to work or formulate policy. Will wearing suit stop Jonathan from Chopping N3 billion for food? Will wearing suit stop government officials flying off to London/Germany for healthcare? Will wearing suit stop Naija Universities from going on Strike yearly?

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.... **singing and strolling by*** Redemption song....

The faster you realise how Our thinking has been re-engineered the better for you. The lesson learnt is that when you jettison your own culture to meet up with some unreasonable agenda you end it deep shit just like ur eating your cake now.
Stupid write-up

bethnals:

lol this is my problem. What has what you wear got to do with your ability to work or formulate policy. Will wearing suit stop Jonathan from Chopping N3 billion for food? Will wearing suit stop government officials flying off to London/Germany for healthcare? Will wearing suit stop Naija Universities from going on Strike yearly?

Every sane and professional workplace have dress codes and I don't even think the dress code was put in place because of intelligence or to prevent people from stealing or going on strike so lay off the bogus and absurd analogy.


Mental slavery is you thinking what you wear to work is a threat to your culture, You go to work to earn your daily bread, not to propagate your culture and display your colorful babariga..

Raymonbell: The faster you realise how Our thinking has been re-engineered the better for you. The lesson learnt is that when you jettison your own culture to meet up with some unreasonable agenda you end it deep shit just like ur eating your cake now.
Stupid write-up

Look at this picture and tell us what's so unreasonable with what they are wearing including the smiling and cheerful workers.

You people just like to cook up silly drama over the most benign issues.

igbo2011:

Have you ever heard of workplace culture? I study economics and business and I know globally people act different and it shows in the way they do business.

Also Japan and china are cold in December but not nigeria. Rosikk is practicing cultural nationalism because Europeans practice it too.

Also wearing African clothes creates employment in africa wearing western clothes promotes employment in Asia and Europe.

slave mentality is almost impossible to heal

Another misplaced priority by our lawmakers. just when we are still trying to get over the irritating support for child marriage by our Abuja Senators, another needless policy is about to crop up from their Lagos counterparts. Wetin dey do all dis lawmakers sef? Shey na dis one go solve all our problems?

enigmang: Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; None but ourselves can free our minds.... **singing and strolling by*** Redemption song....

' how long shall they kill our prophet while we stand by and look?'
And now they are killing our culture and we are joining in to butcher it! Africa is a bygone in history.

in Yoruba culture, people do not puton agbada(babariga) to work, there were cloths for farmwork, for soldier or hunters, for blacksmith etc, and I beleive other cultures in Nigeria also have this. Why cant we then modify these cultures instead of this slave mentallity thing.
I wonder how people will feel wearing suit and tie to work in Yobe and Borno around April!

If the writer understands the strategy,drive,ulterior motives and racial undertones of the oyinbo in making the world adapt his fashion,language,etiquettes and moral ethics,he will be asking himself,why must it be the oyinbo ways?Why can't it be different?

The writer is an epitome of african mental sickness,fundamentally understanding all the wrongs of this world to be right.

To those who disagree, it must be remembered that China went through an extremely violent "cultural revolution" where millions died and everyone else was made to modernize by force.

It laid the groundwork for their miraculous 30 year transformation from one of the poorest and most backward civilizations, to one of the richest and most advanced.

We don't need a violent revolution in Naija, but we DO need to embrace change. At international meetings, GEJ is the only head of state wearing traditional dress, except for some tiny island nations. Everyone else is wearing a suit.

To mobile users who cannot see the photo below, Jonathan is surrounded by Presidents and Heads of State from over 30 nations (including South Africa, China, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, India, Egypt, Pakistan, and others). He is the only one wearing traditional dress, other than the Prime Minister of India who is wearing a head covering for religious reasons.

If Rossik has ever worn a suit, he would know that the material a suit is made of determines how much warmth it keeps in. A linen suit is perfect for hot climates, as are other materials. Do you think people in colder climes stop wearing suits in the summer?

#clears throat like a supreme court judge# ehhm...having read from all and with the evidence before me, i declare Rossikk and his group as the winner of this phase of the debate. Plaindealer and his group were not able to provide this honourable court with substantial evidence to buttress their point. They were not able to explain to the court why they think a man in sokoto should start dorning tie and jacket to work instead of their cultural wear. #some murmuring by plaindealer's supporters#. 'order!'. Can we have other debaters now?

Rossikk: What a lousy, illiterate write-up by a colonised mental slave with no sense of dignity, self-worth, or independence.

The audacity this pig has to equate African attire with 'uncivilization' and western attire with 'civilization' alone is enough to confine him to a mental hospital for the severely reta.rded. Worse is his smug assurance that he can actually equate his self-hatred to some sort of 'enlightenment', positing that our traditional attire were created ''hundreds of years ago''. Well the western suit WAS invented 'hundreds of years ago' too, and, like African wear, has only been modified as the years progressed. Why can't this goat advocate a more 'work-friendly' transitional process for African wear if that's his thing, if not for his colonised self hatred? Just as this goat is happy to import his language, his religion, his eating habits, his car, he also wants to jettison his indigenous wear for imported clothes alone. How long before pigs like this begin to advocate for mass skin bleaching of all Africans to ensure we ''meet up'' with the light skinned colour of ''civilization''? It seems all we've got left to remind us of who we are is the skin colour. Don't bet against self-hating orang outangs and swine like this writer campaigning to shed that too.

Finally, the writer's claim that ''The wearing of cap is not indigenous to any ethnic group in Nigeria'' shows his GROSS HISTORICAL ILLITERACY, and that he is an absolute DUNCE where it concerns Nigerian/African history. A walking white dunce in black skin. An embarrassment to every living African, and a caricature representation of the bamboozled slave steeped in ignorance and self-loathing. The sooner his loathsome ilk die away from our independent society the better for us all.



Ife noble wearing a cap, 12th century

[img]http://img1.nairaland.com/attachments/306903_Benin_Art_2_jpgf1b2119836e93a9b113b5cd337a41008[/img]
Ancient Benin, 14th century


Igbo Ukwu Chief wearing cap, dated 12th century. This man is from the writer's own ethnic region/group.

Oga sir, take am easy na.

LOVE.HAPPINESS:
To those who disagree, it must be remembered that China went through an extremely violent "cultural revolution" where millions died and everyone else was made to modernize by force.

It laid the groundwork for their miraculous 30 year transformation from one of the poorest and most backward civilizations, to one of the richest and most advanced.

We don't need a violent revolution in Naija, but we DO need to embrace change. At international meetings, GEJ is the only head of state wearing traditional dress, except for some tiny island nations. Everyone else is wearing a suit.

To mobile users who cannot see the photo below, Jonathan is surrounded by Presidents and Heads of State from over 30 nations (including South Africa, China, India, etc). He is the only one wearing traditional dress, other than the Prime Minister of India who is wearing a head covering for religious reasons.

That is one the greatest things gej has ever done.He represented by standing out as a true african.The way people dress speaks volume about them,especially in their own country.

plaindealer:

It's all about professionalism and uniformity. We are not the only people on the surface of the earth with rich culture, Japanese folks have rich culture too, but you don't see them wearing kimono everywhere especially in the work place, official settings and functions, same with China and many other cultures around the globe.

What we wear in the work place and professional settings has no bearing on our culture. The work place is not a cultural place where you display and entertain people with your culture.

Please relax jare..

thank you!!! You don't have to come to work dressed in agbada before you showcase your cultural heritage. Official matters shouldn't be avenue to showcase cultural heritage.

Hmmmmmm, dress code is okay but the most imp tin is sense of humility is d koko

antartica:

That is one the greatest things gej has ever done.He represented by standing out as a true african.The way people dress speaks volume about them,especially in their own country.

To be honest, if you think wearing a suit makes you less African, then you should take a close look at your life.

We practice Christianity and Islam in Nigeria, both are foreign imports.
We speak English in Nigeria, foreign import.
We use the Internet in Nigeria, foreign import.
We drive in Nigeria, a foreign import.
We teach our children engineering, advanced mathematics, and other things that are foreign imports.

Have we becomes less African? Should we give them all back and walk from Lagos to Abuja because it is the African way?

Did Rossik write his post in Yoruba, Hausa, or Igbo?
Did Achebe write Things Fall Apart in Igbo? Did it make him less African? Did it make the book less African?

We can keep our culture and still embrace change. We are the originators of the human race. Our forefathers conquered the planet and tamed the wild animals of the earth. They adapted and thrived wherever they went. We gave birth to the Europeans. If our ancestors never embraced change, we would still be wandering the planet naked with spears. Embracing change is in our DNA. I was born African. Wearing a suit does not change that, it can never change that.

Jaidey-one:
thank you!!! You don't have to come to work dressed in agbada before you showcase your cultural heritage. Official matters shouldn't be avenue to showcase cultural heritage.

You guys tend to forget that suits is the cultural heritage of the oyinbos,a fashion designed by them to suit their taste and environment and its unquestionable infallibility for african work environment is what you are not proving.

How is suit and tie better than casual kaftan in a bank?

3ace: Another misplaced priority by our lawmakers. just when we are still trying to get over the irritating support for child marriage by our Abuja Senators, another needless policy is about to crop up from their Lagos counterparts. Wetin dey all dis lawmakers sef? Shey na dis one go solve all our problems?

really? Your arguement is bereft of logical reasoning. A dress code for public officials is a bad policy? How could you even compare this dress code issue to the child marriage case? You need a knock on the head for being so unreasonable.
Btw when next you have an interview/official presentation to attend. Be sure to wear your agbada or dansiki. Showcase your cultural heritage.