The Impact of Cross-Cultural and Cross-Linguistic Differences on Refugees Integration: A Study of Mahama Camp in Rwanda

This study investigates and provided solutions to cultural and linguistic challenges in Mahama Camp where refugees and camp staff are from various cultural backgrounds. The specific objectives that guided the study are: to discover the causes and effects of cultural and communication challenges in Mahama Refugee Camp; and to investigate potential strategies and interventions to address these challenges. The theories that underpin this study are Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT), Cultural Dimensions Theory (CDT) and Sociocultural Theory (SCT).To achieve above-mentioned objectives, questionnaires and interviews were dispatched to refugees residing in Mahama Camp, camp staff, non-governmental organisations and the hosting community members. The data collected were coded in SPSS software, analysed and presented them using tables and figures. The findings revealed that refugees in Mahama Refugee Camp face cultural and communication challenges including cultural diversities (82.4%), language differences (85.3%), overcrowding and lack of privacy (66.7%), discrimination and racism (21.6%), and ethnocentrism (31.4%).The findings also showed that effects of multicultural challenges to refugees include culture shock (67.6%), increased stress and anxiety (88.2%), sense of isolation and depression (75.5%), loss of identity (36.3%), and feeling of displacement (29.4%). The study recommends all the actors involved, including the government of Rwanda, non-government organisations, and refugees, to provide psychological preparedness training, organize regular community dialogues, provide intercultural integration trainings, cultural immersion workshops and festivals, and organize mass sports activities in order to overcome multicultural challenges in the camp.