Cutting good deals with Africans depends not only on how skillful you are at negotiating and drawing up a contract, and how professional your partners are. African people are an extremely diverse community. Each nation has its own distinct mentality, culture, traditions and way of life. And knowledge of seemingly minor nuances can prove decisive in forging ties with African business. We talked to experts of the Minsk State Linguistic University about the intricacies of the African cultural code.
Centre for African Studies
The Linguistic University knows about Africa firsthand. More than 80 Africans currently study here thanks to the ‘Russian Language for Partnership with African Countries’ programme. Two years ago MSLU launched a Centre of African Studies tasked to explore African culture and traditions, promote the knowledge of the continent’s linguistic diversity, and help guests fr om distant exotic countries adapt to the Belarusian milieu.
First – of family and weather
Students arriving to Belarus to study under the MSLU programme come from absolutely different corners of Africa. Many of them, having lived in Minsk for some time, say that Belarusians and Africans are very similar in mentality.
African nations mostly belong to a collectivist culture, which means that family, tribal relations, social justice and equality are valued here above all. Much attention is paid to the preservation of national traditions, customs and ceremonies. Ubuntu philosophy is widespread here, which says: I exist because we exist. Such an approach is not alien to the Belarusian people.
That is probably why the ideology of capitalism inherent in Western European nations, with its focus on individualism and quick money-making, did not take root on the African continent. Africans tend to interpret as a rush the urge to make deals deliver as soon as possible, and this can play a fatal role. They are generally more focused on the process than its outcome.
This is well illustrated by African languages. For example, the Amharic language grammatically has no future tense. Therefore, one must realise that if something does not exist in a language, it is also absent in the speaker's worldview. And since it is always present tense, it is important to agree each time about ‘now’, although this ‘now’ can last quite a while.
When meeting African counterparts, don't jump to figures, supplies and contract terms right from the start. First inquire about families, personal matters, and discuss the weather. One should be prepared that such small talk can take a very long time. One needs to be patient, because this is the way to build trust between the parties of the future deal.
If this is not your first meeting with the person, do not forget to follow up on what you have heard previously: whether his/her son entered the university or if the grandmother has recovered, how was the family holiday, etc.
Sometimes everything appears to be going well, the African partners are enthusiastic, keen, nodding in agreement, but in the end the contract remained unsigned. The reason may be exactly in that one failed to ask the right “personal” questions but went straight to business. As a result, trust has not developed.
Let's talk shop
As soon as you get down to brass tacks, one needs to elaborate on the purpose of one’s visit, even if all participants are thoroughly aware of it. Such rules exist, for example, in Ghana. Here, even the bride is introduced to every guest at the wedding as if they see her for the first time.
The person who negotiates on behalf of a foreign company in Africa should be a man of status. Africans are very scrupulous about the negotiator’s age, because, according to African philosophy, aged persons have more wisdom, life experience and stronger ancestral ties and therefore, are better placed to take right decisions.
It is vital to treat all African partners as equals. Colonialism and post-colonial period left a sad mark on the African soil, so showing empathy and attention to people, respect for local culture and traditions, rather than looking down on them can significantly benefit the development of trade and economic relations with African countries. One slight wrong gesture can make the entire visit go down the drain. There were cases when European and American businessmen who ignored the rules of the host country left empty-handed. They read and re-read their contracts afterwards but never understood what the problem was.
Following up on visits by emails may not always be effective. Africans value meetings in person. The importance of live communication is emphasised through many local languages. For example, a greeting in the Zulu language literally means ‘I can see you and I can touch you’.
Greeting as a ritual
Each people in Africa may have its own ways of greeting guests. Somewhere a usual handshake is a norm, although with varying degrees of strength. Some have a tradition of greeting with two hands. It is worth remembering that Africans are tactile people. Personal boundaries are erased there, so it is quite normal to get a shoulder pat or a hug while shaking hands.
Some peoples have very peculiar greeting customs, up to the point that your counterpart may spit to the side before shaking hands, to show you deep respect.
Such rules exist, for example, in Kenya. Someone may want to sniff you for their own safety - remember that Africans take spirits and supernatural forces seriously. How to respond? Just take it easy and pretend there is nothing out of the ordinary.
Sometimes a greeting turns into a whole performance. If one is invited to take part in it, e.g. to dance or wear national costumes, they are well-advised to accept or at least show interest in unusual customs.
Negotiation nuances
Meetings in Africa are usually scheduled for early morning, around 8-9 A.M., when it is not hot yet and quite comfortable for bargaining. Locals, by the way, also tend to go to bed early.
It is not customary for Africans to invite other people to their homes. Therefore, all talks and conversations about personal matters are held in offices or other convenient places. But what is customary, is to immediately offer a person who has entered the room to sit down - it is a sign of respect for the interlocutor.
Africans are always keen to take a picture at the end of the meeting as a souvenir. Therefore, don’t be shy and always accept to take part in such photos.
A woman in the team
Women frequently participate in negotiations on the African side. The way of communicating with them is different from what we are used to. For example, it is not customary to greet the woman first: one should wait until she takes the initiative. A man enters the room first, and then a woman. This is due to the fact that the man is believed to open for the woman a zone of safety: everything is quiet inside, you can step in.
Choosing gifts
When bringing gifts to Africa, one should keep them inexpensive, otherwise Africans would feel obliged to give similarly priced souvenirs. Not all countries can afford it. It is best to choose something related to the national culture. Our Belarusian wood crafts, caskets, straw products, linen goods are suitable options.
Attention to language
Of all the languages widespread in Africa two are most familiar to us: English and French. However, the population often uses local languages and dialects, of which there are more than two thousand. The largest of these is Swahili, spoken by more than 200 million people according to UNESCO. It is not a must to master these languages perfectly, but a partner would always appreciate it, if you try to say a kind word such as ‘hello’ or ‘thank you”, in the ‘African way’.
Working with names of the goods to be exported to Africa deserves special attention. The point is that a colourful brand name in one language may have a negative meaning or sound awkwardly, or be altogether unpronounceable, in another. This happens very often with languages other than European.
Therefore, while contracting exports or seeking import licences from African countries, it is important to check how your product name or promotional materials are rendered in local languages. For this purpose a linguistic examination is necessary. If the findings are disappointing, it is better to change the name of the product or even the brand itself. Such a practice exists and is quite common.
The biggest myth about Africa
Africa is often underestimated. A widespread cliché is that it is a poor, backward place wh ere hunger, wars and droughts are rampant. And this misconception prevents business from working with this destination. Companies and states that see the true picture of the Africa’s socio-economic potential pave the way and push for stronger relations with these countries across the board.
Today, African economies show rapid and sustained growth. Many of them virtually ‘leap-frog’ in their technological development thanks to investment inflows and catch up with the rest of the world, skipping many interim stages. Africans commit all their labour and financial resources to take their economic activity into new areas.
Therefore, it would be extremely myopic to ignore the high dynamism of Africa and undervalue Africans as trade partners.
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