Hello guys, how are we all doing? I am glad to be participating in the hive cross-culture community contest after a while and glad I came across the contest in the discord group even though it is just a few days remaining to the end of the contest.
So, the contest entails Sharing the cultural values of my Region/Country. So, I will be writing the cultural values of my state, Akwa Ibom State, and would be pointing out one or two cultural values of few Local Government Areas I am aware of in this article.
Worship: It is a cultural value and norm that the people of Akwa Ibom State not only worship God, but they also worship gods and people who are wealthy. If you are in the atmosphere of an Akwa Ibomite in their place of worship, you would be moved. Same way when you see them worshipping their gods and people who are wealthy. Their worship for most of their cultural beliefs which we call superstitious belief has so affected a bigger part of their lives that it is difficult for them to turn away from them.
Respect: My people are known for valuing respect and look with love towards people or persons who know how to respect others no matter how small the persons may be. The truth is, a typical Akwa Ibomite is known for their respect and peace-loving nature and that is why we can accommodate as many people in our state as possible notwithstanding the crisis going on. It is in us that the younger ones give to the elderly one's a certain good degree of respect.
Marital Rites: Wahala for someone who wants to marry the first daughter of a typical Akwa Ibomite which we call Adiaha in our dialect, the bride price of a first daughter isn't the same as that with the rest of children, their bride price is very costly and must be paid accordingly. The bride price most times are written down to include the dead parents of the bride.
Delicious Food: It is a cultural value that all Akwa Ibom girl child must know how to cook delicious food and anyone who can not cook, isn't from a good home, or wasn't taught well. It is to my knowledge that the Akwa Ibom woman is supposed to spend all her time or maximum of her time in the kitchen for food preparation.
Inheritance Pattern: This has affected many young men to go out and hustle for themselves and have their own property because it is well known that birth, we have the privilege of inheriting our parent's wealth. Many have refused to go out and hustle to accumulate their own wealth and property and this has resulted in bloodshed and killing in families between siblings after or before the death of their parents.
For the cultural values, I have learned never to follow the worship pattern of reverence pattern of my people's superstitious worship beliefs because it puts so much fear in the life of a person. The superstitious belief is so scary that it can kill or maim your ambition towards life.
I don't follow the inheritance patterns or beliefs because I have heard and seen how siblings are killed because of family inheritance, I have seen how hatred and quarrel have separated siblings because of a single plot of land.
The marital rites have become one outstanding issue why most young men have refused to approach a family for their daughter's hand in marriage. The amount gotten when the bride's parents are absent by death is one to be worried about most especially if she is the first daughter of that family Adiaha. For me, I don't accept it because the man isn't coming to buy me but marry me. So the amount should also be put into consideration because we are going to start our own family.
How can a family decide that the young man should build a house for his bride's family before he is given consent to marry their daughter and all of the other outrageous demands?
Although I am not into the belief that the place of a woman should be in the kitchen but I believe that a woman should know how to cook some sumptuous and delicious food in her home.
Thank you for taking out time to read my article and I invite 
