Overcoming Ethnocentrism by Promoting the Sensitivity of Intercultural Communication and Multiculturalism
INTRODUCTION
In today’s globalized world an ever-increasing number of people find themselves at the interface of cross-cultural situations, which requires appropriate personal resources and adequate learning perspectives to deal with the ensuing challenges.
When approaching to the election we found that high levels of individuals’ intercultural communication sensitivity and multiculturalism are significant predictors of reducing individuals’ ethnocentrism. As a leading country in diversity, equality, and democracy, Kenya is expected to continue its leading position in appreciating cultural diversity and respecting ethnic/cultural identities. The results suggest that promoting intercultural communication sensitivity and multiculturalism is a possible measure to overcome ethnocentrism and reduce conflicts among intergroup interactions. Limitations and suggestions for better results and a peaceful election.
As we are leading to the election, a strategy is needed to be put in place to be able to unity and understanding of every people culture, differences to avoid an inter-cultural crisis between the counties, the citizen with their candidates' choice. Based on the research made, for this election, the tension are so high and tends to embrace the ethnocentric way, is more about the origin than the qualification of the candidates.
Multi-cultural presidential/parties committee or parties is a strategy to control and have inter-cultural communication in the country. The strategy is based on the rule that obliges the political parties must have a representative person from all the different communities so that diversity can be found in all the parties to avoid ethnocentrism and most important in the presidential cabinet.
It has also been said that some of the people who go through processes of intercultural acculturation would be in the ideal position to facilitate intercultural understanding across cultural differences, as they would benefit from the broader perspective gained through their acquired multicultural identity.
Problem Statement
Ethnocentrism is a concept which postulates one's ethnic or cultural group as being centrally important and that all other groups are measured in relation to one's own. It is noteworthy that an ethnocentric judge's others relative to his or her particular ethnic group or culture, especially with regard to language, behavior, customs, and religion.
Pursuing the election, we can see that ethnocentrism have taken over, is not about the best and most suitable candidate but more about the person's origin: where is he from... it results with violence, hunger, war, conflict and severe bad action... from the party that didn't win and that goes with the peace of a state.
AIM
Multi-cultural presidential/parties committee or parties act a role in spreading peace not only in the country but most importantly between the different culture and communities we can find within a country.
Specific objectives or potential solutions to register as a political party eligible to be accepted by the constitution must have: have on its national executive committee one member from each region of the country.
“Every political party shall have a national character, and membership shall not be based on ethnic, religious, regional or other sectional divisions” “the party has branches in all the regions and is, in addition, organized in not less than two-thirds of the districts in each region”. Must have an event or debate where they main subject should be how to share unity and love among all the tribes of the country and how important we are as one all as Kenyans. any form of ethnocentrism from a party will not be tolerated, the consequences will be the dissolution of the party.
Introduction of the group
Most people find in this group are various students and NGOs that work together to find solutions on how to promote intercultural communication and this project has been done for the election period. As members of the population and not only seeing but experiencing the consequences of ethnocentrism in most of the area in the country, we find the obligation to bring a solution to put an end to this problem, and this solution concern more the government and the constitution including the political parties because during the election the act as the head of all the sources of the problem.
Literature review
A literature review is an evaluative report of information found in the literature related to your selected area of study. Multi-cultural presidential/parties committee or parties is a strategy used in many countries, using different systems or styles of leadership but all with the same aim ‘having a peaceful election and unity among all the communities find in the country’ for example in Ghana, they are using the same system to fight ethnocentrism in their country by adding into their constitution some condition to be followed when wanting to form a political party and those conditions are specially made to combat against people fighting each other during the election.
Every each of them have a different manner to operate can be with different aim but most same objectives, UNESCO on it project ‘diversity of cultural expression choose to use performance arts (music, dance, and theater) to promote inter-ethnic understanding and tolerance, peace, conflict transformation, and democracy in areas affected or vulnerable to politically instigated ethnic violence in Kenya focusing on Coast and Rift valley regions. To achieve this goal, the project proposes to use the University of Nairobi’s Free Traveling Theater to facilitate the training and mentoring of youth—who are most vulnerable to political violence—in the selected areas to produce local cultural performances that create intercultural understanding and educate citizens on peace. The project will work in collaboration with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to educate and sensitize local communities on peace. By doing this, the project hopes to foster intercultural tolerance and appreciation of diverse social, cultural, and political opinions and views and to significantly reduce politically instigated violence, particularly in multi-ethnic communities, and Kenya in general for stability and development.
Methodology
We will take about the way we can achieve the objective set. Set by set will see what we can do or have done to achieve our project. A similar potential solution have been use for the same issue and most of them are declared as successful.
Methods
Make the government aware of our project
We can pass all day even years to perfecting this project but if the government is not aware of what we are and what we are doing, whatever we are doing is for nothing. To do so we will use all the platforms necessary to achieve our aims. In Kenya citizens, as government are more active on Twitter on is where we will start. After attaining the government, we have put in place the rest of the methods that the government must follow to achieve the goals.
Change of the constitution
For this to work, all the specific objectives or potential solutions must be include into the constitution so that anyone can be aware on what is required to form a political party for this one to be approved and accept as so.
Make sure the parties presented even if individuals follow the rules
It is very important if want to promote peace during the election in a country, having each member of each tribe or community in a political party not only promotes intercultural communication in the country but also eradicates ethnocentrism in the area. The people in the party represent the unity of all the community and having each one of them spread the importance of intercultural in a community hand to hand with other people that are not from his tribes for example give positive energy and change the mind of people on how to behave.
Use the parties to promote peace in the country
During elections people are more open to their parties than anything else and having each party encourage their people about the importance of intercultural communication, is the best way to promote peace and make people to come together as one.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we can say that sometimes during an election most important in a country where people are consumed with ethnocentrism the best way to promote peace is by using the political bodies before even seeing the citizen. The problem can be caused by the same political party if this one is not controlled, the president or anyone elected is elected for the better of the all country not only a particular community. The parties or person postulating must target all populations and not with a particular community and sometimes the one postulating must give their speech in English or Kiswahili to avoid preferences of origin (people choosing you because you come from their community and speak the same language as them) and having some to interpret in the mother tong of the community. We are the only source of trouble or peace in our communities, let as spray love and unity so that we can emerge.
References
- diversity of cultural expression. (2016, 04 15). Retrieved from unesco.org: http://en.unesco.org/creativity/ifcd/apply/results/8117
- NCCE. (2011). Election Conflict in Ghana: Case Study of Constituency By-Elections. ghana: National commission for civic education.
- Vallazza, O. (2009, January 11). world connections. Retrieved from https://worldconnections.wordpress.com/research/research-proposal-draft-jan-11-2009/
