This thesis has been carried out with a grant from the Swedish bank Sparbanken Alfa. Without the grant this task would have been difficult to accomplish. The thesis examines the construction of intercultural communication between the Swedish and the Zambian people connected with Swedish aid-programmes. The intercultural communication material is from fieldwork among urban people living in Lusaka and Chipata, the Tumboka-people in a rural area in north-eastern Zambia, and also among Swedish aid-workers who have worked, or work, with aid-programmes in Zambia. The thesis is also written with the aim of examining if aid-workers can increase the result of their work by improving the understanding for intercultural communication. Is the adaption on this subject sufficient to achieve the purpose of aid from the rich countries? The respondents view of this matter is concordant. As a field research intercultural communication, with focus on understanding and handling intercultural situations, is only a few decades old. Researchworkers agree it is necessary to be acquainted with other cultures in order to communicate successfully. This thesis mainly focuses on a theory by Gert Hofstede to illustrate how different aspects of cultures can lead to misconceptions in verbal communication. The dimensions by Hofstede are based on universal resemblances between people, similar to all of us, but also show differences in power distance, masculinity and femininity, collectivism and individualism and strong or weak uncertainty-avoidance. A minor part of the thesis focus on Richard D Lewis theory where cultures are divided into three different categories; linear-active cultures, multi-active cultures and reactive cultures. Two diametrical cultures have been compared and the concepts of Hofstede’s dimensions are as expected. The Zambian people are more collectivistic, whereas the Swedish people focus on individuals. The Zambian people have a higher extent of social hierarchy. An ideology of male dominance is analysed in terms of hegemonic masculinity. The ideals of a powerful man and a successful society buttresses the gender and age hierarchy. The examination reveals a tendency on one exception to the Hofstede theory – the Swedish people extent of uncertainty-avoidance. Time, money and punctuality cannot be too highly praised among the Swedes. Preciseness is a normal pattern of behavior for the Swedish people. This tendency differs