Introduction

Intercultural contact occurs when two or more individuals from different cultural backgrounds meet for social, economic, or political reasons. The interacting cultures may be within a country, regional, or even continental this happens regularly, especially when the involved cultures have good relations. In East Africa, three countries including Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania have had intercultural contacts for a long time which have made East Africa a united region socially, economically, and politically. Although there have been challenges affecting their interactions, they have tried to solve them to ensure developmental progress.

The Current State of Intercultural Contacts in East Africa

Since the beginning of the 21^st century, East African countries including Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania have developed good intercultural contacts socially, economically, and politically. Firstly, the social contacts in the region have grown strong in the 21^st century. The introduction of a common Swahili language in the three countries has made it easier for people to meet and communicate successfully (Jandt, 2017). Although Uganda does not use the language frequently, a lot of emphases has been put on its education system so that students can understand how to speak and write Kiswahili.Also, people from these countries interact through listening and appreciating music from either country. Besides, the introduction of inter-regional learning enables students from the three countries to meet and socialize. For example, top universities including the University of Nairobi in Kenya, Makerere University in Uganda, and the University of DaresSalaam in Tanzania have secured opportunities for students from other countries to study.

Secondly, economic contacts in East Africa include engaging in inter-regional trade. Since the countries produce different goods for export, they have engaged in interregional trade successfully. For example, Kenya exports tea and pyrethrum, Uganda exports coffee, while Tanzania exports gold and coconuts. The production of varieties of goods has made it possible for them to develop economic contacts. Moreover, investors from have been allowed to start businesses in any of the three countries, and this has also has boosted intercultural contacts among these countries.  Lastly, the three countries also meet together for political reasons. The East Africa Community is an intergovernmental organization that was formed to solve political issues in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. During political unrests in either of the countries, the leaders of these countries meet so that they can solve it.In the recent political wrangles that arose in Kenya, the presidents of all three countries met as members of the East African Community to resolve the conflict.

Challenges Encountered in Developing Intercultural Relations

            Even with the continuous developments in intercultural contacts among East African countries, several challenges undermine its progress. Firstly, the language barrier has undermined the process of both social and economic contacts among the three countries. Although Kiswahili and English are used in all countries, not all the residents in these countries understand these languages (Steinberg, 2016). For example, Ugandans do not understand Kiswahili very since it was just incorporated in their education system recently. On the hand, Tanzanians do not understand English very well as they have relied on Kiswahili after gaining independence. It is only in Kenya where both countries have been used since independence. Thus, the problem of understanding the core languages has made it a bit of difficulty for the countries to engage in trade and other social activities.

Secondly, insecurity in some of the East African countries has affected the intercultural contacts. For people to engage in economic and social activities comfortably, safety and security should be guaranteed. Investors from other countries can fear to invest in a country which has experienced security problems (Lee, 2016). For example, the current security problems in Kenya involving attacks from Al Shabaab terrorists have posed a lot of problems in engaging in trade with other countries, especially those who used to invest in Kenya. As a result, other regional countries may fear to engage in trade with Kenya, affecting their normal intercultural contacts.

Another challenge is the cultural differences that exist among the East African countries. Each of the three countries has the cultural expectations of its people outlined in their constitution, and so they have to adhere to them. As such, people from other East African countries visiting that specific country may experience a cultural shock since they are not used to behaving the way the residents do. For example, in Uganda women have adopted the habit of kneeling while greeting the male gender in the country. Such a practice is not present in Kenya and Tanzania. Therefore, Kenyans or Tanzanians visiting the country may find it a problem adopting such a practice when they visit Uganda.

Lastly, the financial and monetary differences among East African countries also poses a challenge on intercultural contact and interaction (Grobelna, 2015). The value of Ugandan and Tanzanian currents is below that of Kenya. Therefore, countries cannot compete much financially with each other. Also, the extremely low value of Ugandan currency makes it hard for it to involve in interregional trade. Besides, investors from other countries such as Kenya fear to invest in Uganda because they can barely get profits due to the low economy.

Solutions to the Challenges affecting Intercultural Contacts in East Africa

            To necessitate good intercultural contacts among the East African countries, solutions to the existing challenges should be identified. First of all, the problem of language barrier can be solved by ensuring that all the three countries incorporate the core languages which include English and Kiswahili in their education system. Learning the languages is the only way to help residents to practice speaking, and this can help them in interregional communication. Since the two languages are equally spoken in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania can do the same. Secondly, the challenge of insecurity can be solved at country levels whereby the affected country should come up with strategies to prevent terrorism. Recruitment of more security officers and purchasing of strong armatures can help improve security.

`Furthermore, the problem of cultural differences among countries can be addressed by helping to understand and appreciate other cultures. As such, they will be free from cultural shock when they visit countries with a different culture since they will in a position to practice that culture. Lastly, monetary and financial can be solved by agreeing to use a similar currency. Although some countries will be affected by this move, the situation will stabilize after some time. The advantage of this move is that trading between the countries will be made easier and efficient.

Conclusion

            According to the researched information above, intercultural contacts among East African countries have improved in the 21^st centuries. The countries meet and share ideas socially, economically, and politically. As a result, the region has experienced a lot of improvement in the past ten years. Although there have been many challenges undermining this progress, the countries can still solve them and proceed with the intercultural contacts.

Reference

Grobelna, A. (2015). Intercultural challenges are facing the hospitality industry. Implications for education and hospitality management. Journal of Intercultural Management, 7(3), 101-117.

Jandt, F. E. (2017). An introduction to intercultural communication: Identities in a global community. Sage Publications.

Lee, E. L. (2016). Intercultural dialogue in theory and practice: A review. Journal of Multicultural Discourses, 11(2), 236-242.

Steinberg, K. (2016, December). Translation in Paradise: The Intersection of Languages and their Impact in Gurnah’s East Africa. The SAGES University Seminar Essay Awards (p. 4).

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