Cultural Training

Ugandan unbleached eggs and an avocado the size of a grapefruit

This past week we received training on some of the differences between Ugandan culture and American culture, all with the purpose of teaching us the misunderstandings and pitfalls that can occur between an American and a Ugandan simply because of a different cultural perspective and not because of any personal dislike or animosity.

Not surprisingly, Ugandans have a number of cultural habits that are strikingly different than American habits. We think one of the most significant and instructive is the difference between what Ugandans share and protect compared to what Americans share and protect. In Uganda, possessions and money are things that you share while knowledge and information are things you protect. This is the exact opposite of Americans who readily share knowledge and information, but protect their possessions and money.  We wonder if this difference perhaps has to do with the Ugandan culture being focussed on the community while the American culture is focussed on the individual. In a community-oriented culture, it seems that there might be greater benefit to the group as a whole to pool the possessions and money so that all can prosper, while keeping information close creates an element of privacy for individual group members. In contrast, in the individual-focussed American society, one needs to safeguard possessions and money because the person needs to survive on their own, there is no community to provide for that person if they give everything away. Also in contrast, sharing knowledge and information can create networks and mutually beneficial relationships to allow an individual to leverage what they have into greater gain.

Ugandan paradise

When Ugandan culture looks at America generally, it imagines an idealized world. Ugandan culture sees America as a paradise in which everyone is happy and there are no poor people. Unfortunately, in stark contrast, Ugandan culture considers individual Americans to be far less ideal. It sees Americans as rich, spoiled, and lazy people who do not listen and always think they are right. It seems as if the cultural attitude toward individual Americans is based on concrete, practical experience while the attitude toward the country generally does not reflect any practical experience at all.

The training emphasized the need to get past these cultural differences and not behave in a way that reinforces the culturally-created stereotypes. As effective individuals, Americans are quick to speak and take action. Americans have to develop an attitude of individual initiative and self-reliance in order to succeed in the U.S. What Americans see as a positive "can-do" approach, however, can have a very negative effect on a relationship with a Ugandan who is culturally taught to listen and be slow to speak, or speak only when asked. There is also a practical side. Americans and Ugandans both speak English, but for Ugandans it is a second language. Most Ugandans still think and process ideas in their native tongue, such as Luganda, and have to reformulate their thoughts into English. This reformulating process may take several  seconds and result in a dialogue where it appears that a Ugandan is "quiet." If the native-English-speaking American does not allow time for the Ugandan to process thoughts into English and just continues to plow ahead with ideas and suggestions and plans, the Ugandan in all likelihood will just give up on the conversation and agree with whatever the American is saying. Our training was geared toward us not becoming "that American."
In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Paul wrote:

For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

These verses appear to be particularly instructive for our situation. As Paul writes, we should strive to transcend our cultural allegiance. We need to be willing to give up our perception of our individual rights for the sake of others. As Paul added in 1 Corinthians 10:23, all things may be lawful in our freedom in Christ, but not all things are helpful and not all things build up.

Ugandan worker making bamboo doors for a classroom
with visitor from South Korea looking on 

We have begun to meet our Ugandan partners. They are wonderful people and we look forward to establishing lasting friendships with them. We also look forward to sharing with you in future posts more about them. We pray that our American perspective does not get in the way of making new relationships with our Ugandan co-workers. We pray that a Christ-centered focus can overcome any misunderstandings created by our cultural differences.

Sandra has made two new videos, one showing what a students' room looks like and the other a latrine they will be using. You can view the videos here at our youtube channel.