Man, beyond all his attributes is a communicating animal. It is through communication that his intentions become bare. Invariably, man is speech and speech is man. But for a speech to be properly man's, there is need to pay heed to contexts. It is only in context that our utterances yield the needed results. A word uttered out of context is likely to achieve the opposite of what was was intended and if this occurs, it runs contrary to the reasons for inventing words. Words are to work for man and not against man.
The need for context-mastery becomes pertinent as the influence of globalization meant that we now 'face ourselves more than ever before'. In this constant facing, we need to mind the feelings and idiosyncrasies of others in order to keep living in peace. After all, the root meaning of Communication is 'to make common or to share'. This being the case, communication should bind us rather than tear us apart. In aspiring to maintain the much needed peace, we are to in addition to mastering of words, master signs, symbols and behaviour as they readily help us arrive at commonality of meanings.
If one closely observes the Nigerian situation and many hate speeches that abound, one could only arrive at a possible clue: a dysfunctional application of words. Nigeria is a heterogeneous society with well over three hundred ethnic groups and languages. As if this is not enough a burden, she hosts over thirty different religions with varying doctrines and beliefs! And all these multifaceted areas of engagement are piloted with nothing else but words such that if one is not mindful, he misses it and for every miss, the polity is heated up. Any wonder why we live in atmosphere of squabbles given the above explanations?
In attempting to rejig the use of words in our polity, we need to return to what Michael Foucault refers to as language in its 'naked state'. This is because words and phrases in their very reality have an original relationship with truth and this truth can only be found in its naked state as expressed by the owners of the words, doctrines etc. How then do we master the languages of the people in their naked given that we may not originally belong to the said group?
In cross cultural communication or communication across borders, truth is a sine qua non. This being the case, communicative actors are expected to utter what is true in order that the person they intend to share meanings with truly share in their meaning and vice versa. This being the case, Nigerians are to master the norms of the given people/ethnic nationalities in order to be able to engage in communication, share meanings and reach understanding. Put in another way, actors are to be communicatively competent, truthful and willing to hear the other people out. The essence of hearing the other people out is to get the meaning of their expressions, concepts presuppositions and rules that guide their culture.
It is no longer news that the social media is awash with all manner of vituperations and name callings among the ethnic groups in Nigeria. This is taken to an all new height as each tries to protect their kit and kin- who siphon monies that are meant to develop the country. The way they defend these bad leaders makes one feel that the defenders understand what they are doing. But on a closer observation, one sees that there is lack of communication etiquette on the part of the avengers who after all, are at the receiving end of the consequences of bad policies emanating from those they defend.
There is no denying the fact that to master people's contexts takes a long while and a no easy task. However, it is not undoable. The government sure has a big role to play in this regard. Intercultural communication is greatly needed in our country today. Rogers and Steinfall define intercultural communication as the exchange of information between people who are culturally unalike. The multiplicity of cultures and the constancy of encounters make it necessary for us to master other people's ways of life for peaceful coexistence. In playing her role, government should look out for both foreign and local experts in communication and get them to our schools and colleges to inform the students. In addition to this, as it is not everyone that is in school, government should run an educative programme on our television stations during the peak hours in order to sensitize the general public. If needs be, the campaign can be taken to the streets and markets in order to touch as many people as possible. This way, we must have succeeded in making people know how to make words work in their favour and not against them.
The author wishes to state here, that paying heed to other people does not in any way mean uncritical acceptance of their postulations. Rather, the piece stresses the need for us to first hear them out and then give our own suggestion or opinion. In this manner, we must have created an enabling environment for communication to thrive. After all, one of the hallmarks of a good communicator is the willingness to listen more rather than talk.
When we listen, we give the speaker the belief that his own reality makes sense and he in turn will be willing to listen to us. Good listening skills promotes healthy environment on the discussion table as no one is suspected to be an advocate of ethnocentrism (the tendency to see one's culture as superior that of others). Invariably, a communicative approach to be adopted in the Nigeria sociopolitical sphere must be normative in approach. It sure has to a culture by its own contexts while at the same time giving room for debates in order to arrive at a common understanding. It is through these debates, with the hope that the actors are sincere that we will arrive at inter subjective mutuality which yields understanding.
The advantages of the above will no doubt help us to arrest a possible outbreak if inter tribal wars in our country. Make no mistake about it, the wars on the social media is so much that it the actors might one day decide to bring out to our streets. Most revolutions were planned in one corner of a room and people bought into it and boom! Institutions and governments that were hitherto seen as untouchable came crashing down. How much more if keep treating the war of words going on in our land with kid's gloves.
There certainly is an urgent need for context mastery in our sphere today. It is up to the government to decide on how she wants to go about it. She can start by calling representatives of the people from various parts of the country with the ultimate target being to get to the people who are at the grass roots. This way, we must have gone a very long way to restoring our nation to a peaceful track while we hope that the government does other tasks that she has continued to fail.
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