Enculturation in Ghana and acculturation in Russia: A guide for

successful interactions between individuals from both cultures

Abstract

This short essay discusses the acculturation process in Russia from the perspective of an African,
a Ghanaian in particular. The paper examines both the Ghanaian culture and the Russian culture.
It presents some cultural gaps between the countries in question and provides some advice for
successful acculturation when individuals from both countries come into contact. The paper ends
with recommendations for a successful acculturation in Russia based on the author’s experience.
The content of this paper can be a knowledge base to any person in Ghana wishing to venture
into the Russian culture ‒ and vice versa.
Introduction
The speed at which globalization is running on our planet leaves less and less reason to people
from different countries to get physically closer. The number of international migrants has been
on a rise over the past two decades. This is due to factors such as economic integration, trade,
knowledge, and technology exchange, etc. Many businesses are shifting their operations and
their production into other countries which are different from the businesses’ countries of origin.
Thus, there is a massive transfer of labor in the quest for better incomes. Many students travel to
foreign countries for knowledge exchange and to study. Therefore, in the contemporary world,
all societies are now culturally plural, with many immigrant and ethnocultural groups living in
daily interactions. This closeness of people from various parts of the world calls for a deliberate
effort from each part – the migrants and the host country – to facilitate a successful acculturation
into their new environment.
Acculturation, in simple terms, is the process through which individuals blend into a culture new
to them. Acculturation takes place in both groups (members of the host culture and the new
members) when members of these groups come into contact. However, one group is usually
dominant over the other. It is therefore necessary to find a mutual method of accommodation
among all groups and individuals living together in a diverse society.
Considerable research has been devoted to understanding acculturation. Four acculturation stages
have been put forward by Berry (1997)1. These categories are: assimilation (the individual
acquires the receiving culture and discards the heritage culture), separation (the individual
rejects the receiving culture and retains the heritage culture), integration (the individual acquires
the receiving culture and retains the heritage culture), and marginalization (the individual rejects
the receiving culture and discards the heritage culture).
Commenting on Berry’s fourfold model of acculturation, some researchers argue that an
individual venturing into a new society will definitely need to base on indices of both of his/her

1
Berry, J. W. 1997: Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Applied Psychology: An
International Review, 46, 5‒34.
heritage culture and on those of the host culture (Del Pilar & Udasco 2004; Rudmin 2003)2.
Another area of Berry’s model that has been questioned is the concept of integration.
Researchers have identified different types of biculturalism (Benet-Martinez & Haritatos 2005;
LaFromboise, Coleman & Gerton 1993)3. This assumes that Berry’s notion of integration is
ambiguous.
Ward (1996)4 suggests two ways of adapting to acculturation. These are psychological
adaptation, which refers to the individuals’ personal well-being and good mental health; and
sociocultural adaptation, which refers to the individuals’ social competence in managing their
daily life in the new environment in which they find themselves. Many at times, these processes
of adaptations begin with a cultural shock.
Cultural shock is a feeling of anxiety, loneliness, and confusion that people sometimes
experience when they first enter in contact with another culture. This feeling can be as a result of
nostalgia, where the person may feel longing for relatives, friends, and familiar clues and
experiences; dissatisfaction over language barriers; loss of habits and lifestyle; and perceived
value differences. When not properly managed, cultural shock can have some negative effects on
one’s health due to the level of stress that comes along with the shock (Berry 2006)5. The effect
of cultural shock can be minimized if the cultures coming into contact have a foreknowledge of
each other.
This paper aims at facilitating the intercultural contact between Ghanaians and Russians. It starts
by looking at the nature of both cultures, then provides advice for a successful acculturation
when individuals or groups from any of these cultures come into contact.

Ghanaian culture

2
Del Pilar, J. A. & Udasco, J. O. 2004: Deculturation: Its lack of validity. Cultural Diversity &
Ethnic Minority Psychology, 10, 169–176.
3
Benet-Martinez, V. & Haritatos, J. 2005: Bicultural identity integration (BII): Components and
psychosocial antecedents. Journal of Personality, 73, 1015–1050.
LaFromboise, T., Coleman, H. L. K. & Gerton, J. 1993: Psychological impact of biculturalism:
Evidence and theory. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 395–412.
4
Ward, C. 1996: Acculturation. In D. Landis & R. Bhagat (Eds.), Handbook of intercultural
training (2nd ed.; pp. 124–147). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
5
Berry, J. W. 2006: "Stress perspectives on acculturation". In Sam, D. L., Berry, J. W. The
Cambridge Handbook of Acculturation Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pp. 43–57. ISBN 9780521849241.
Ghana is a West African country with a population of 27,499,924 6 (CIA world fact book).
There are different ethnic and linguistic and religious groups in Ghana and there are only a few
regional differences. Despite these differencing factors, the Ghanaian population, in general, can
be put under one cultural behavior, which can orientate a visitor in Ghana.
The official language of the country is English. However, English, as Morris states (1998)7, is a
“technical language” in Ghana. English is not the preferred means of communication when it
comes to everyday conversations. English is the language of instruction at schools. It also serves
as the language for administrative and formality purposes. Most Ghanaians would prefer to
interact in their mother tongues or in Twi, which is the widely understood language, during their
interpersonal conversations or among peers. For instance, students would use English when they
are in the presence of their teacher or lecturer but they quickly switch to their local languages,
pidgin English8or Twi in the absence of the teacher. Similar practices are observed in the work
place, where English is used when conversing with someone with a different rank but Twi is
mostly used when conversing with colleagues. Twi is the easy-to-go language in Ghana and
helps create more sense to the native Ghanaians than any other language. In other words, Twi
acts as the unifying language (World Atlas 2017)9. Twi is therefore the recommended language
to learn in order to successfully acculturate in Ghana.
Cultural dimensions in Ghana based on the Hofstede and Minkov model (2010)
Hofstede and Minkov (2010) provide different cultural dimensions that will help in presenting
the Ghanaians’ culture in general. These are: Power distance which they explain as the degree to
which the less powerful members of a society accept and expect that power is distributed
unequally; Individualism, the preference for a loosely-knit social framework in which individuals
are expected to take care of only themselves and their immediate families versus Collectivism,
which represents a preference for a tightly-knit framework in society in which individuals can
expect their relatives or members of a particular in-group to look after them in exchange for
unquestioning loyalty; Masculinity, this dimension represents a preference in society for
achievement, heroism, assertiveness, and material rewards for success versus Femininity which
represents a preference for cooperation, modesty, caring for the weak and quality of life. Society
at large is more consensus-oriented; Uncertainty avoidance, the degree to which the members of
a society feel uncomfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity; and Indulgence, how a society
allows relatively free gratification of basic and natural human drives related to enjoying life and

6
CIA world fact book, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/gh.html, retrieved on 18. March 2018.
7
Morris, Lanita 1998: The Function of English in Contemporary Ghanaian Society. African
Diaspora ISPs. Paper 52.
http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/african_diaspora_isp/52
8
This could be noticed in tertiary institutions where students are from different parts of the
country and do not want one local language to dominate on the campus.
9
World Atlas, What languages are spoken in Ghana, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-
languages-are-spoken-in-ghana.html, retrieved on 18. March 2018.
having fun, versus Restraint which stands for a society that suppresses gratification of needs and
regulates it by means of strict social norms.
Hofstede’s country comparison10 tool provides the following scores about Ghana on the
dimensions listed above: Power distance 80%, Individualism 15%, Masculinity 40%,
Uncertainty avoidance 65%, Long term orientation 4%, and Indulgence 72%. A possible
explanation for some of these results is that Ghanaians value respect to the elders and leaders.
Young ones are expected to follow orders from the elders, and what the elders say is considered
to be right. Any form of questioning an elder’s point of view is considered disrespectful. Beside
the importance accorded to hierarchy in Ghana, Ghanaians also pay attention to status
recognition. They prefer to be addressed with the appropriate title, based on their achievements.
Titles such as Dr, Rev, Mr or Mrs, President, Director, Elder, etc. are commonplace during
conversations.
Moreover, Ghanaians also tend to place great value on tradition. It requires adequate competence
to get a Ghanaian do things in the new way. Trying to convince them to adopt an unfamiliar
method can be a source of conflict if not done properly. Studies such as that conducted by
Cultural detective11 on West African countries have shown that “[Ghanaians] will tell you with
pride that their traditions have resisted change and survived even the strongest influences of
European penetration.” People from Ghana, will expect foreigners to respect their customs and
traditions.
Ghanaians tend to place much importance on the group they belong to. They have a highly
relationship-driven culture. Ghanaians will, for instance, prefer to resolve their conflicts through
negotiation and compromise. Foreigners are expected to integrate rather than to assimilate
(Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov 2010: 140–180). In critical situations such as a dilemma,
Ghanaians would give priority to the party they know best. They place their family first in their
relationship with others.
This is just an overview of the Ghanaian culture. By applying some skills to these clues about the
Ghanaian culture, one will be able to successfully acculturate into the Ghanaian culture.
However, we must note that culture is dynamic and there could be some Ghanaians who might
display cultural traits that are dissimilar from what we stated earlier.
Russian culture
There is an unanimous report on the value Russians accord to the soul (Roberts 199812; Tomalin
and Nicks 200713). Tomalin and Nicks recommend that “If you are going to be dealing with

10
Hofstede’s country comparison tool, https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-
comparison/ghana/, retrieved on 9. June 2018.
11
Cultural detective tool, Ghana’s and Russia’s cultural values, retrieved and shared by Istvan
Lenart (PhD), lecturer of Intercultural communication at Sechenov University, Moscow.
12
Roberts, Elizabeth 1998: Xenophobe’s Guide to the Russians. West Sussex, U. K. Ravette
Publishing. P. 10.
Russia, you’d better first consider the topic of the “Russian Soul” (Tomalin and Nicks 2007:
208). Yarotskaya (2012)14 elaborates on the Russian soul, in Russian dusha:
“[The Russian soul] appears to be a complex notion that brings together religious,
psychological, and moral aspects of human life. It is viewed as the core of an
individual’s intimate world which also consists of knowledge, will, intuition, and
thinking. Bringing together varied elements of human life, the soul refers to the
invisible deeper layers in an individual’s personality and may remain unknown even to
the individual himself.”
Acculturation in Russia stands the chance to be successful if one lets his/her soul be known,
and is prepared to accept the Russian soul in return. Roberts (1998: 10) observes that Russians
“have the tendency to open their soul to complete strangers, telling everything about
themselves”.
Another cultural aspect to pay attention to when entering the Russian culture is the notion of
smile. Russians are noted for their unsmiling faces. This may sound strange for someone who
is new to the Russian culture. However, as someone who has lived in Moscow for almost a year,
I will affirm that the Russian non-smiling face hides a caring heart always willing to lend
assistance and to interact happily with foreigners. I have almost never asked for any kind of help
without someone being willing to assist. Kähärä (2018)15 provides some reasons and
explanations for Russians not smiling. She posits that smile is not a sign of politeness in Russia.
Smiling during conversations especially with people in higher ranks can be interpreted as hiding
something. An unsmiling face is interpreted as being serious and showing respect. She adds that
Russians do not smile at strangers. Smiling at an unknown person may be misinterpreted.
“Russians take smiling as a sign that the person cares about them. To smile at a stranger can raise
the question: ‘do we know each other?’ This is not to say Russians do not smile. We will
recommend that you have a reason buttressing your smile during an encounter with Russians
because they would like to know the reason behind your smiling.”
In terms of the cultural dimensions of Geert Hofstede, the Russian culture is Feminine (64%).
Russians value hierarchy, with a Power distance level of 93%. They are highly Collective. They
have also a high Uncertainty avoidance culture (95%) and are highly Restrained (80%). They
score higher in terms of Long term orientation (81%).
Although the Russian culture overlaps in many dimensions with the Ghanaian culture (Power
distance, Collectivism, Femininity, and Uncertainty avoidance), they differ in two dimensions:
Long term orientation and Indulgence, where Ghana displays lower scores than Russia. Thus, it

13
Barry Tomalin, Mike Nicks 2007: The World’s Business Cultures and how to Unlock Them.
Thorogood Publishing. P. 208.
14
Natasha Yarotskaya 2012: The Russian Soul Protests. The World Policy Journal Blog.
Republished on THE MANTLE, http://www.mantlethought.org/world-literature/russian-soul-
protests, retrieved on 11. June 2018.
15
Pia Kähärä 2018: ASK AN EXPERT: SMILE IN RUSSIA. Blog, https://www.hofstede-
insights.com/2018/01/08/ask-expert-smile-russia/, retrieved on 12. June 2018.
is crucial to develop competencies to successfully acculturate during the various contacts
between individuals or groups from both cultures.
Another factor to note is, though the above information is common to individuals belonging to
the respective cultures that there could be some people living in those cultures who exhibit
cultural differences in values, beliefs, and behaviors. This can be explained by the fact that
individuals could adopt behaviors they have adopted through their contacts with another culture,
which they have appreciated and preferred more than their heritage culture. Such appreciation
and preference can be the basis for the difference in behavior of such individuals. Although they
live in a “general” culture, they operate with a subjective culture (Peter and Thomas 1967)16. In
other words, individuals externalize behaviors that are based on their personal worldviews,
which may differ from that of the society in which they live in general.
Developing competencies for successful acculturation
A foreknowledge about others’ culture is an important step towards a successful acculturation.
However, acculturation depends greatly on the individual’s personal dispositions to link the
foreknowledge about the culture one is venturing into and his/her behavioral abilities. David C.
Thomas (Thomas & Inkson 2009)17, an intercultural expert, suggests three models of
intercultural competences. These are knowledge, mindfulness and competencies.
Knowledge refers to acquiring some fundamental principles of behavior in the host culture such
as customs, practices, rituals, greetings, language, etc. (Tuleja 2017)18. Trying to learn and speak
the Russian language or the Twi language ‒ depending on the country visited ‒ would be a major
step towards trying to identify oneself with the members of any of these cultures.
At the mindfulness stage, it is recommended that individuals coming into intercultural contacts
should identify the cultural differences between the culture in which they grew up and the host
culture, then they should accept them as they are and they should try to understand the reason
behind those cultural clues.
After the acceptance level, individuals should have to develop competencies to successfully
acculturate into their new environment. Being competent “means that the person is able to
choose appropriate behaviors […] that are suitable for a given intercultural situation” (Tuleja
2017: 46)19.
An example for the application of these models is that when individuals from Russia find
themselves in Ghana, they should note that there is a particular direction to follow – left to the

16
Berger, P. & Luckmann, T. 1967: The social construction of reality. Garden City, NY:
Doubleday.
17
Thomas, David C. & Inkson, Kerr 2009: Cultural intelligence: Living and working globally.
San Francisco: Barrett-Koehler Publishers.
18
Elizabeth A. Tuleja 2017: Intercultural Communication for Global Business: How leaders
communicate for success. Routledge, New York.
19
Ibid.
right. In the Russian culture there is no particular rule as to from which direction to start and
which direction to follow. Identifying this cultural norm and adopting it will then require an
effort from the Russians, that is where the competence level starts.
Another example, based on my own experience in Russia as a Ghanaian, is that I was surprised
to see two young people (male and female) kissing each other in the public space. I was shocked
to see it because in the Ghanaian culture this is considered as morally inappropriate. At this stage
of understanding and mindfulness, I began to develop competencies to adapt my eyes to seeing
that.
Russian and Ghanaian culture dynamism
In the previous sections, I have attempted to provide a general overview of both the Ghanaian
culture and the Russian culture. This background information will be necessary when preparing
to enter any of these cultures. In this section, I will zoom in the Russian culture and present to
you some useful tips for successful interpersonal relations with the Russians —as an individual
who was raised into the Ghanaian culture and has integrated the Russian culture. I discussed
dealing with stereotypes, hospitality, identification and the political environment in the culture in
question. This information will also be useful to any person willing to venture in any of these
cultures.
First, you will want to get rid of any negative thought. Nobody likes to be seen negatively. This,
of course, will be a barrier to the opportunity to meet wonderful people in the culture in which
you are venturing. In my early days in Russia, I was welcomed with that long stare —especially
without any smile. The first idea that used to come in my mind whenever I found myself in that
situation, was my stereotype about Russians: that they do not like foreigners. However, as an
intercultural communication student, I leveraged my knowledge that stereotypes make us bias in
our views about others. I therefore decided to interpret the situation from another view.
Whenever I am stared at, I will just select one person randomly among the people staring at me
and say “hi” to them. They reply warmly and all other stares around me would turn into smiles. It
turns out that all those stares hid dozens of questions which they wish I could answer but didn’t
know how to approach me, since Russians hardly initiate a conversation (This again is a
stereotype). Most of their questions were similar anytime I found myself in such situation. They
will inquire about where I come from, how I find Russia, and most amazing question to me: “do
you plan to stay in Russia after your studies?”. Being able to get rid of my negative thoughts and
initiating a conversation with an unknown Russian has fetched me all my Russian friends. And in
as much that they want to know more about me, they are always willing to tell me more about
their culture and this facilitates my integration process in Russia.
Regarding not initiating a conversation, the recent 2018 world cup has been an opportunity for
most Russians to break free from the habit of not initiating a conversation. Whenever I attended
a FanFest, I noticed that most of the people there were Russians who were in jerseys of different
countries and joining the supporters of those countries on the days Russia was not playing. As a
foreigner, we were approached many times and asked about which team I was supporting. When
it happened that my favorite team was the same as theirs, that was enough to start a friendship
relation. When our views were different, I will be flooded by many other questions whose aims
were to convince me to be on their side.
Although Ghana, did not qualify for the recent world cup, their performance during the three
previous world cup competitions (2006, 2010, 2014) has left good memories about Ghana in the
minds of Russian football fans. Whenever I identified myself as a Ghanaian, I got amaze to hear
some of them mention the name of key Ghanaian players and describing how they find their
performance. The behavior exhibited by Russians during the world cup, has facilitated the
sojourn of all the fans who travelled from many different cultures in the world.
In terms of hospitality, Ghanaians also display similar behavior. Ghanaians are known for their
peace and tolerance for foreigners. As a developing country, we are open to foreigners and have
a greater willingness to learn from them. For some of us who have the opportunity to live in
developed foreign countries, most of our conversations with our native friends is based on
exchanging ideas in order to make our countries better. I have received many ideas from my
Russian friends which can relatively help improve some issues on our continent. They also seek
my opinion on issues such as career path, places to visit in Africa, etc. this willingness to learn
from others makes Ghanaians more flexible and friendly to foreigners.
With regard to identification, every society like people who they can identify with. In Russia, the
first and most important step to identify with them is your ability to speak their language —at
least to make an effort to understand them. Most of my friends from Ghana who are proficient in
the Russian language have been living in Russia as their home country. Some are even married
into Russian families. In Ghana, on the flipside, speaking the local language is not the first
priority to identify with the population, though it may be an advantage to speak the Twi language
when a foreigner goes shopping at the market.
Unlike in almost all shops or markets in Russia where there are price tags on every item,
Ghanaian sellers do not put price tags on their items. A buyer will need to have bargaining skills
to get an item at a reasonable price. I will recommend that when you are buying an item in
Ghana, always ask for reduction when the first price is quoted. In most cases, after asking for a
reduction, the seller will ask you how much you are willing to pay for the items. Start bargaining
by quoting half the price they asked you pay earlier. The real market price of the product is
usually around half the amount the seller will quote first. When you are able to speak the Twi
language this price will be reduced for you because they will appreciate your effort to speak their
language.
Another way to identify yourself with the Ghanaian population is to dress in their traditional
clothes. The Ghanaian traditional wear carries a lot of meanings that help us identify with our
tradition as well as showing our patriotism. We usually dress in cloths with different patterns
designed on them. Each pattern carries a specific meaning. Two cloths are traditionally worn to
grace important occasions. These are the Gonja smock and the Kente (See pictures in appendix);
both of which are man-made and cost higher than other traditional cloths. Ghanaians get happy
whenever they see foreigners, especially people of different colors wearing these cloths. Google
image provides a wide collection of Ghanaian dressing style. The modern ones blend Ghana’s
traditional cloths with western clothing20.
Another key thing to consider for a successful acculturation in the Russian is the political
environment. Unlike in Ghana where every citizen can express their opinion on political issues at
any time, depending on how they feel at that moment, in Russia it is totally different. In Ghana,
media outlets provide the opportunity every day for citizen to join in to air their opinions about
issues pertaining to the country. Many of us use the media to convey our message to the office of
the president. For instance, when there is a bad road in a community, it is best to report it to a
radio station. In this way the office of the President will hear and order the appropriate body to
resolve the issue. This practice has been rooted in the country to the extent that even school
children can also express their opinions about government. We call it “oman yᴐ”, which literally
translates as “building the country”. That is not the case in Russia. Russians also build their
country. But the Government does not receive many comment and opinions from the people. The
Russian Government knows their duty, and the citizens knows theirs. No one is to tell the other
what to do. This is also due to the high-power distance in Russia, which causes everyone to give
due respect to the authority and not talk anyhow one wants.
Similar practices can be noticed in Russians schools. Due the high-power distance, students
cannot easily express their dissatisfaction on issues they are not happy with. In my school for
instance, it is commonplace to hear statements such as “this is how it works in Russia.” Upon
hearing such utterance, what you understand by that is: if you want, comply; if you don’t, go.
But it is amazing how as time go by we become use to the system, and things that seem abnormal
to us become normal.
Conclusion
This essay has presented on the general features of both the Ghanaian culture and the Russian
culture. It emerged that both cultures have many cultural dimensions in common (Power
distance, Femininity, Collectivism and Uncertainty avoidance). However, they differ in terms of
Long term orientation and Indulgence. Since culture is dynamic, this essay has provided other
important factors to consider based on my personal remarks of the cultures in questions. The
purpose of the overall description of the cultures is to give a foreknowledge which enables
individuals of these cultures to take the appropriate dispositions for a successful acculturation.
The evidence from this study suggests that a successful acculturation into any of these cultures
will depend mainly on the individuals’ willingness to acculturate. Therefore, they have to make
efforts to be mindful and they have to develop competences to be able to adapt themselves
successfully.

20
http://nationalclothing.org/africa/64-ghana/143-traditional-attire-of-ghana-bright-african-
patterns-with-deep-meaning-form-great-authentic-garments.html
Appendix

1. Former President Mahama (first on the right) and other men wearing the Gonja cloth.
Source : http://nationalclothing.org/africa/64-ghana/143-traditional-attire-of-ghana-bright-
african-patterns-with-deep-meaning-form-great-authentic-garments.html
2. Late President Nelson Mandela and the King of the Ashanti kingdom, both wearing the Kente cloth
designed with different patterns. Source: Google image