I was born and raised into a family that cherishes its culture and heritage to the core. A country called Ghana, renowned as a cultural melting pot is a home for over 100 tribes and ethnics groups. In my early school age, we were taught that culture is defined as a way of life of a particular group of people. I vividly remembered that my then Religious and Moral Education teacher once said, ‘’anytime you think of culture, think of what you do every single day’’. Hofstede (2001) define culture as ”the collective programming of the mind that distinguished the members of one group or category of people from another”. Among some of the tribes or ethnic groups are the Ewes, Ga, Fantes, Mole-Daghonians, Ashantis, Guang, Mamprosi, and many more but, to mention just a few. It is important to recognize that each tribe’s culture is different in many ways. That includes what they eat, how they eat, how they dress, the language they speak, or how they look at things, etc. For instance, I come from the ewe tribe with a unique dialect different from other tribes. While we have somethings in common like respecting the elders, failure to do that in most tribes constitutes defiance and is punishable, there is also a lot in differences.
My tribe believes in the extended family, it forms the main social group of the people that brings them together. They believe that unifying the larger family brings progress and development- unity is strength. The tribes or ethnics trace their lineage from their ancestors. They passed on their traditional beliefs and values that make it difficult for one to depart from, and it became part and parcel of their daily activities. According to Harrison, Price, and Bell (1998), such a situation is called deep-level diversity, ‘’beliefs, values, attitudes, etc. that do affect much more directly how a person behaves’’ and it can be difficult to change.
These ethnic groups each see their cultural heritage as superior. ”Ethnocentrism is an exaggerated tendency to think the characteristics of one’s group or race is superior to those of other groups or races” (Drever, 1952, p. 86). This superiority complex situation often leads to crashes and misunderstandings among the groups. Such assumptions can evolve into violence, oppression, prejudice, discrimination, and stagnation (eNote). The occupancy of the governmental structure and institutions becomes the most confrontation as to who will lead and from which tribes. The augment made by some of the ethnic group is that they have the most natural resources, and for that matter, they deserve the larger portion of the national cake and as well as certain governmental positions. This ethnocentrism arises due to differences mostly between groups on conflicting ideas, beliefs, and values. The most recent attack on the Capitol Hill of the U.S congress by angry extremist groups is an example of how ethnocentrism can turn into anarchy and chaos. Individual tied with extremist groups who believe their values and doctrines are superior to others, and for that reason, there should prevail by all means. It is a ”double edge sword that bears both negative and positive”, and according to (eNote), the most obvious positive aspect of it is fostering solidarity.
Every culture setting has a form of communication that they use to communicate among themselves. Communication is very important because any breakdown of information due to miscommunication can change the interpretation of the message, which can hinder progress and development. Communication is ‘’ interpersonal acts that exchange meaning and information’’ (Schneider, Gruman, and Coults, 2013 p. 126). As I have explained earlier, my primary language is a native one called ‘’ewe’’ but, the common universal language of the country is British English. Because Ghana had been colonized by the British, who impacted their doctrines on us. Because of my birth background, I have a unique accent that I often being asked anytime I speak, and sometimes I have to repeat the same word multiple times because the listener who is the receiver either did not heard me will or did not understand what I was saying. While others think I have a language barrel, I think it is not, but rather differences in accent. Effective communication and the medium used can determine if groups succeed or not. In the case of the capital attacked, it is obvious that these groups communicated effectively with their plans and purpose, and they executed them.
Gesture and body language can have a different meaning to different cultures and diversity. In my culture, for instance, using your left hand to greet, eat, to either give or receive items is considered abominable because the left hand is deemed to be ‘’dirty’’. However, when I came to the United State, I realized people do not care much about that. They do it without hesitation. What your culture condones can be the opposite of other cultures. And that does not make it wrong but, it is a result of cultural differences that we need to respect. The observation of cultural differences is mostly based on our weakness, and that reflects the inability to connect with other cultures.
Despite the differences between cultures, the people of Ghana live in harmony and peace with one another. The complexity of this diversity did not prevent them from coming together to achieve a common goal. Though they have their differences within and between, they still manage to embrace themselves. While these differences can create a more vibrant environment, they can also lead to more than a few problems resulting from culture clash.
References:
UVOLUNTEER. (12 Sept 2016). Getting to know Ghana’s tribes. Retrieved from https://www.uvolunteer.net/blog/getting-know-ghanas-tribes/
Gregorio Billikopf. (n.d).Cultural differences? Or, are we really that different? Retrieved from https://nature.berkeley.edu/ucce50/ag-labor/7article/article01.htm
eNote. (31 Jan 2018).”How can ethnocentrism have both positive and negative consequences for group life?” retrieved from https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-ethnocentrism-how-can-have-both-positive-440553. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021 (Links to an external site.).
Thank you for your intuition on my post. I can assure you that you will never be disappointed visiting Ghana. The hospitality is great and you will have the opportunity to learn new culture especially the most common local language called Twi. ”eti se” meaning how are you. It is a land full of natural resources such as cocoa, diamond, gold, bauxite, magnesium, oil, timber, and many more. But one will ask why all these resources yet the country is still not self-reliant?. This question is to be directed to our leaders, the problem about my beloved home country is all about leadership. Satisfying self-interest is more important to them than serving the people. However, I strongly hope a change will come one day which will improve the lives of the people.
Excellent post! I have to say, I have not been fortunate enough to have ever traveled to Ghana, but it is on my list. Granted, so many of places are still on my list. Your paragraph on statements and body language not being universal and meaning different things in various places across the globe is very poignant. I had to learn, quite fast, when I was in the military and would go to other countries, as the slightest gesture, however innocent, could be misconstrued as negative, anger, or even worse, and the interaction could go entirely different.
I also liked the definition of communication you gave and its importance. It helped me realize that I still, even despite my career, education, and life experiences, the massive power and importance of something that, personally speaking, I appear to have devalued or, perhaps more appropriately, have taken for granted. There are forms of communication all around us, in countless forms. From sign language and body language, to print and verbal communication, it seems that aside from breathing and certain physiological responses, we are always communicating. From our words all the way down to what we wear, we are always conveying some sort of message, even if unintentional.
I appreciated you letting us know about your experiences with your tribe in Ghana. My family, both sides, have absolutely no clue how we got here or where we came from, and anything past my great grandmother is questionable when it comes to authenticity, so I always applaud and admire people who are able to take a level of pride in their heritage and ancestry that they can trace back to its roots. Thanks for the post and the thoughts!
-Kyle