Uganda: A Communocratic Society

Uganda: A Communocratic Society Brianna L. Brown University of Colorado at Colorado Springs 30 April 2012

"Africa is fundamentally communocratic. The collective life and social solidarity give it a basis of humanism, which many peoples will envy. These human qualities also mean that an individual cannot imagine organizing his life outside that of his family, village or clan. The ability of intellectuals or artists, thinkers or researchers, is only valid if it coincides with the life of the people." ~Ali Mazrui

A group of fourteen recent college graduates are preparing to spend one year in Jinja, Uganda building and establishing two orphan and widow homes as missionaries, through a Christian non-profit organization. Their hope is to spend one month in construction, employing locals to build. The next eleven months will be spent in two teams, seven in each home. Each team will train four widows in the basics of running a household, educate them in basic math and reading, and connect them with a Church community. They will also place twenty orphans in each home and set each child up with a sponsor who will provide meals and schooling. This group highly values acculturating themselves to the Ugandan culture. Their goal is to provide a better life to forty-eight Ugandan women and children, not to Americanize them. This research is a compilation of the essentials to awareness and cultural competence for a group planning to live in Uganda. This group should be aware of the force of interpersonal communication patterns as it primarily informs the crucial elements of cultural difference that will affect them while in Uganda. According to the Lustig, “The face-to-face verbal and nonverbal coding systems that cultures develop to convey meanings and intentions are called interpersonal communication patterns” (42). These patterns will be the primary lens through which this research is presented. Interpersonal Communication patterns primarily presents itself through the collectivistic norms of the culture. On speaking about Africa, a leader in political independence wrote: Africa is fundamentally communocratic. The collective life and social solidarity give it a basis of humanism, which many peoples will envy. These human qualities also mean that an individual cannot imagine organizing his life outside that of his family, village or clan. The ability of intellectuals or artists, thinkers or researchers, is only valid if it coincides with the life of the people. (Mazrui) If a decision benefits the group while presenting disadvantage to the individual, what is best for the group always prevails. However, the individual is taken care of by the group, which fosters compliance. Individuals are obliged to and dependent on the group as they find belonging within it (Lustig). Ugandans share the belief that man should participate in the group. This belief then shapes their value of saving face (which I will further explain later on) in order that the group be seen as “good” (regarded as peaceful, modest, and graceful). Their value of good shapes their expectations about how one should dress, prepare for and participate in meals, and handle conflict. In turn, these expectations are fulfilled in their physical practices, both verbally and nonverbally. This team of missionaries’ primary concern in going to Uganda has less to do with their actual project and more to do with how to begin and maintain relationships with the people in Jinja. If their relationships are formed in accordance with how a Ugandan would form a relationship, the local people will have no problem supporting the mission. Every function of Ugandan society is shaped by the idea that one’s own actions will affect the group at large. This is exemplified by the interpersonal communication pattern of saving face. Face saving for the group means maintaining a good group image. To avoid looking bad in collectivistic culture, it is seen as important to allow for graceful concession in order to maintain a positive image, even when one has made a mistake. One should always avoid making the other side look or feel badly. This only encourages them to withdraw their cooperation (Burgess). “Ugandans are considered some of the friendliest people in all of Africa. Their ways are gracious and courteous...As a visitor not knowing the Ugandan culture, one will probably make some cultural mistakes and not even know it because the gracious Ugandan will never point it out” (Blanc). More often than not, overlooking an individual mistake is necessary to benefit the group. Nonverbally, this pattern of saving face in Ugandan culture can be seen in the social practice of anger management. “When things do not go according to expectation, anger is the farthest thing from an appropriate response” (Blanc). Negative feelings are dealt with quietly and personally as confrontation with a Ugandan leads only to distance and harvests deep disdain. One shows value of relationship through controlling one’s feelings and covering offenses. This will be of great concern to the team, as in Western culture, showing frustration and dealing with it appropriately would mean addressing the annoyance. In Uganda, however, stating annoyances communicates pettiness and would be poorly received. Instead, the team must learn to overlook things, both big and small. This requires a great deal of self-discipline to regularly practice emotional control-- especially since display of emotion is considered normal in Western society. 
 Another nonverbal pattern can be seen in the social practice of greeting in Uganda. “It is always best to shake hands when meeting, even with strangers. As one will learn, intricate handshakes are common with added touches; both men and women shake hands” (Blanc). Touch is a way to communicate some level of trust in a collectivist society. Ugandans find that in allowing physical boundaries to break down, one can better assess where the other is coming from. Friendship between men and men and women and women is often expressed by lightly holding hands and women and children may even kneel upon your arrival in the home. “This is a cultural sign of respect and should be gracefully accepted” (Blanc). While this custom may seem strange to Western culture, bowing is a physical representation of honor and in a collectivist society, showing honor is regularly expected. To dive even deeper into nonverbal communication in Uganda, one’s clothes speak artifactually. Even though second hand clothing is predominant, one is expected to look smart as well as conservative. Short skirts unaccompanied by leggings or pants are considered inappropriate and respect is lost on men who wear shorts. Furthermore, it is insulting if one’s clothing is not neatly pressed, clean, and well mended (Blanc). If one is not modest, it communicates a lack of respect for the activity one is engaging in, as well as for oneself. Again, the mistake will not be pointed out, but it will frame a Ugandan’s overall perspective of the one making the mistake. The missionaries must keep in mind that they are guests in Uganda, and to positively impact the culture they must demonstrate respect as obviously and often as possible. A great avenue for doing this will be to dress in accordance with Ugandan expectation. Like many collectivistic societies, meals are also a great avenue to show respect and intercultural sensitivity. Eating together is one of the most common representations of community-centered culture. In Uganda, the best way to show respect around meals is to know and adhere to their customs. First, one should wash their hands prior to and after eating a meal as many meals are to be eaten with one’s hands. One should be aware of and respect the prayers often offered in thanksgiving. Also, sitting on the floor is not uncommon and sitting modestly is important. One must be aware that during the meal, children do not speak unless addressed and after the meal, one should thank both the host and preparer of the food (Blanc). Often, it is a sacrifice for a family to provide a meal for an extra person or group of people, so as graciously as the food is offered, it should be accepted and eaten. Doing meals well is a simple way for this team to show respect for Ugandan culture, as the host family will notice the strides one makes in awareness of and adherence to their practices. Another value to be aware of, specifically in establishing women-run houses, is that Uganda is a patriarchal society (Newman). Although not everyone within the society believes male dominance is the best, weak egalitarianism remains an unbroken tradition. Much like the United States, activism for the rights of women has been increasingly relevant in Uganda since the 1970s , however social change is never instantaneous (Uganda). It will be important for the team to engage men in the process of establishing these homes as well as setting up long-term community oversight. Traditionally, men hold the roles of “leader” and “overseer. If men in the local church act as an advocate for the homes on an ongoing basis, the homes will prosper. Alternatively, they will be subject to hardship if the women have to advocate for themselves and the children. The core values of a culture and its ways of demonstrating respect for those values are littered throughout its verbal and nonverbal communication patterns. “Verbal communication systems, or languages, give each culture a common set of categories and distinctions with which to organize perceptions” (Lustig). As this group ventures roughly 8800 miles across land and sea to invest in a culture that starkly contrasts their own, they must keep these customs in mind as to not unknowingly offend the locals. One can get a sense for the collectivistic core of Ugandan culture just by observing and partaking in greetings, meals, and interactions of the most basic form. First impressions are key and not necessarily made with words, so from the beginning of the project, interacting with locals will be a central piece of success for this team. They must establish themselves as respectful and respect worthy if they wish to earn the trust of those who will be living in and overseeing the home. As the team seeks to establish a home within a community, not separate of it, they must acculturate by being collectivistic in all of their interactions and practices during their stay. The initial presence of the team will be the foundation for the relationship between the women and children living in the home and the community they are established in. For the project to be successful, this relationship must be positive. Ultimately, the best way to get to know the culture is to meet its people, ask questions, listen and observe carefully, and respond respectfully. The greatest path to being received with openness is to show the people of Jinja that the missionaries care to embrace Ugandan culture, not enforce their own.

Works Cited Blanc, Jon. “Cultural Mistakes to Avoid in Uganda.” Kabiza Wilderness Safaris. Kabiza Wilderness Safaris: Uganda, 2012. Web. 15 April 2012. Burgess, Guy. “Face Saving.” Conflict Research Consortium. University of Colorado. Boulder, CO, 2007. Web. 15 April 2012. Lustig, Myron and Jolene Koester. Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication across Cultures. 6th ed. Pearson Education. Boston, MA. 2010. Print. Mazrui, Ali. UNESCO General History of Africa, Volume 8: Africa since 1935. University of California Press; 1st ed. Berkeley, CA. 1999. Print Newman, Abi “Class action” The Guardian News and Media. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. London, UK, 2005. Web. 15 April 2012. “Uganda.” Country Studies and Area Handbook. Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, 1998. Web. 15 April 2012.

Cited: Blanc, Jon. “Cultural Mistakes to Avoid in Uganda.” Kabiza Wilderness Safaris. Kabiza Wilderness Safaris: Uganda, 2012. Web. 15 April 2012. Burgess, Guy. “Face Saving.” Conflict Research Consortium. University of Colorado. Boulder, CO, 2007. Web. 15 April 2012. Lustig, Myron and Jolene Koester. Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication across Cultures. 6th ed. Pearson Education. Boston, MA. 2010. Print. Mazrui, Ali. UNESCO General History of Africa, Volume 8: Africa since 1935. University of California Press; 1st ed. Berkeley, CA. 1999. Print Newman, Abi “Class action” The Guardian News and Media. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. London, UK, 2005. Web. 15 April 2012. “Uganda.” Country Studies and Area Handbook. Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, 1998. Web. 15 April 2012.