Bridging the tribal gap: The importance of intercultural communication in Namibia

While sitting in a lecture for my intercultural communication class, I thought of different real-life examples where the study and understanding of intercultural communications can be crucial.

Dissent is a straight-forward word derived from Latin, which means ‘to differ in sentiment', but the word can carry a lot of meanings, including ‘not in agreement'.

In a democracy, dissent is important because it allows for differences of opinion, but in a diverse nation like Namibia, dissent can mean an uproar against a culture or belief.

This uproar can translate to hateful remarks, conflict and then violence.

According to Završni rad’s thesis on intercultural communication, “on the surface, [culture] could mean customs and behaviour. But if we look more deeply, culture could be what the behaviour and customs mean to the people who follow them.”

Namibia, a country rich in diverse cultures, languages and customs, is proof of the value of studying intercultural communication.

We can look at the sentiments expressed by a member of parliament, Vipuakuje Muharukua, as reported recently in the Namibian newspaper on child marriages, as an example. His understanding of child marriages is based on his views as a person of Himba descent.

Although studies might differ in opinion from his culture, Muharukua might be biased in that regard.

Anyone who has a different view from Honourable Muharukua’s sentiments can implement the four criteria of intercultural communication when expressing their view against the opinion of honourable Muharukua.

These criteria include appropriateness (observing in order to understand the next person’s culture), effectiveness (ability to decode and encode another person’s culture), communication adaptability and creativity (being able to view the next person’s culture from their perspective and therefore being flexible and sensitive).

A better example is that of Eva-Maria Nangolo, a legal aid lawyer, who ignited a debate on what you say and how you say it in terms of cultural tolerance and sensitivity. This was due to her 'anti-Damara' tweet. Her legal aid certificate of practice was later withdrawn.

She could have avoided her certificate being withdrawn if she had studied and understood the importance of intercultural communication, but she continued to stand by her remarks as she claimed it was her right to do so.

Formulating laws can also be effective in erasing cultural conflicts and misunderstandings, but as we saw in Nangolo’s case, it may prove less effective because the law was in her favour.

Education is a method of prevention and as the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure.”

With that said, in order to promote mutual respect and understanding between varied cultural groups and lessen the possibility of conflict because of miscommunications or misunderstandings, effective intercultural communication skills are crucial.

In fact, intercultural communication promotes our fallen hero, Dr Hage Geibgob’s 'One Namibia, One Nation' chant.

By promoting understanding and respect among its diverse population, Namibia can build a more harmonious and inclusive society.

Therefore, intercultural communication can help bridge the gap between cultures, fostering a sense of unity and shared identity among Namibians.

* Shonena V. Nathanael is an English and linguistics student at the Namibia University of Science and Technology, a Learning Planet youth fellow and a human rights activist.