Ignorance about African cultures can lead to accidental breaches of etiquette. Shown here is a group of schoolboys in Ethiopia, a country whose diverse population includes many Muslims and Oriental Christians.

As expectations regarding good manners differ from person to person and vary according to each situation, no treatise on the rules of etiquette nor any list of faux pas can ever be complete. As the perception of behaviors and actions vary, intercultural competence is essential. However, a lack of knowledge about customs and expectations within African cultures can make even the best intentioned person seem rude, selfish, or worse. Image File history File links Nakempte_Boys. ... Image File history File links Nakempte_Boys. ... The Culture of Africa encompasses and includes all cultures which were ever in the continent of Africa. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Ethiopian Church in jerusalem The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (in transliterated Amharic:Yäityopya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan) is an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia that was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of... It has been suggested that Office etiquette be merged into this article or section. ... Look up faux pas in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In psychology and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information. ... Behavior (U.S.) or behaviour (U.K.) refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment. ... Intercultural competence is the ability of successful communication with people of other cultures. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... It has been suggested that Convention (norm) be merged into this article or section. ... expectation in the context of probability theory and statistics, see expected value. ... The Culture of Africa encompasses and includes all cultures which were ever in the continent of Africa. ...

Generalizations

Although Africa represents an enormous expanse of geography with an incalculable amount of cultures and customs, noting the following points of etiquette can be useful when dealing with people around the world who have been raised according to African traditions: A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

Expectations

• Many travelers to Africa find their expectations about ordinary life dashed by the realities of much of the continent. In many regions, schedules for such things as trains and buses should be regarded with skepticism. When one enters a taxi, even the expectation that the vehicle can make it to the destination without breaking down might be overly optimistic, never mind believing the driver’s claim that he knows of the destination.^[1]Many Africans are remarkably resilient in dealing with these realities. Allowing oneself to become angry can be a breach of etiquette that alienates the people upon whose assistance one must depend.
• On the other hand, life in places such as South Africa is more akin to that of places like the United States than uninformed people might realize. As was the case in the United States and Australia, Europeans established their culture in Africa centuries ago and it has largely replaced indigenous culture in many regions. Suggesting that an inhabitant of Johannesburg, South Africa or Nairobi, Kenya comes from a remote region or should worry about lion attacks on the way to work would almost certainly be an unwelcomed breach of etiquette.

This article is about trains in rail transport. ... This article is about the form of transport. ... For specific countries see Taxicabs around the world. ... The indigenous peoples of Africa are those peoples from the African region whose way of life, attachment or claims to particular lands, and social and political standing in relation to other more dominant groups have resulted in their substantial marginalisation within modern African states. ... // This article is about the city in South Africa. ... Nairobi (pronounced IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. ... For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation). ...

Islam

A number of countries in Africa have many traditions based in Islam and share values with other parts of the Muslim world. As such, guidelines regarding etiquette in the Middle East are often applicable to these places. This holds especially true in Muslim majority countries which include many of the West African nations such as Senegal, Chad and Mali. Even though most people would consider themselves as Muslim, many mix it with local animism. Animism is based on the belief that natural objects and idols or fetishes have magical power. Many, whatever their religious adherence, to some extent believe in supernatural forces and that certain people, primarily doctors, herbalists, diviners, or marabouts (religious figures) have the power to utilise these forces. It is common to see people wearing amulets (called “gris-gris”) around their waist, neck, arms, or legs. People consult with diviners or marabouts to protect themselves against evil spirits, to improve their financial status or bring them love, to cure chronic illnesses, to settle disputes, or to place a curse on another person.^[2] For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Nations with a Muslim majority appear in green, while nations that are approximately 50% Muslim appear yellow. ... The Middle East contains a multitude of societies with different traditions regarding etiquette. ... Nations with a Muslim majority appear in green, while nations that are approximately 50% Muslim appear yellow. ...

Luck

Certain customs regarding good and bad luck are important to many Africans. Although these might be regarded as superstitions by some, these customs are often tied to religious traditions and are an important part of certain belief systems, even among well-educated folk and affluent sectors of society. They should be respected accordingly. This article is about fortune. ... For other uses, see Superstition (disambiguation). ... Various Religious symbols, including (first row) Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Bahai, (second row) Islamic, tribal, Taoist, Shinto (third row) Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jain, (fourth row) Ayyavazhi, Triple Goddess, Maltese cross, pre-Christian Slavonic Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith in a spiritual... A world view (or worldview) is a term calqued from the German word Weltanschauung (pronounced ) Welt is the German word for world, and Anschauung is the German word for view or outlook. It implies a concept fundamental to German philosophy and epistemology and refers to a wide world perception. ...

As ethnic identity is important to many African people, etiquette demands a respect for these affiliations and a sensitivity to issues surrounding them. Shown here is a Maasai man in traditional attire.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 64 KB) Kenyan man. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 64 KB) Kenyan man. ... Language(s) Maa (ɔl Maa) Religion(s) Monotheism including Christianity Related ethnic groups Samburu The Maasai are an indigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. ...

Tribal and ethnic groups

Africa is home to innumerable tribes, ethnic and social groups, some representing very large populations consisting of millions of people, others are smaller groups of a few thousand. The political map of Africa bears little resemblance to the "cultural map" of Africa, and national borders often cross through territories of people who consider themselves unified. Many Africans identify more closely as a member of a given ethnic or linguistic group than as a member of the nation in which they were born and hold citizenship. Accordingly: http://www. ... An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. ... In sociology, a group is usually defined as a collection consisting of a number of people who share certain aspects, interact with one another, accept rights and obligations as members of the group and share a common identity. ... “Citizen” redirects here. ...

• Oppugning someone's ethnic identity through ignorance or deliberate intention can be a grievous breach of etiquette. Africans themselves may engage in vicious slander along these ethnic lines, even between ethnic distinctions which seem trivial to an outsider, so tread carefully.
• Adoption of a "Western lifestyle" has little to do with a person's affinity with their ethnic group. A lawyer in a three-piece suit en route to London, able to converse in Afrikaans and English, may also be a native speaker of Zulu and as proud and assured of his specific ethnic identity as the Welshman sitting next to him is of his own.
• Conversely, pride in tribal identity means that wearing traditional dress does not necessarily indicate a lack of education or an unfamiliarity with the ways of the world. A man dressed in traditional Maasai attire may have been educated at a university in Canada.
• As many Africans self-identify in terms of tribal or linguistic identity, Black people who visit from other parts of the world expecting to be accepted with a feeling of affinity may be disappointed. Acting on a naïve assumption about such a reception may offend the very people whom one hoped to feel kinship.

For the fish called lawyer, see Burbot. ... At the Treaty of Versailles signing, in 1919, the heads of state wore morning dress and lounge suits for informal meetings, but frock coats for formal daytime meetings. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Look up Wiktionary:Swadesh lists for Afrikaans and Dutch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... English is a West Germanic language originating in England, and the first language for most people in Australia, Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (also commonly known as the Anglosphere). ... Zulu (called isiZulu in Zulu), is a language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority (over 95%) of whom live in South Africa. ... The Welsh are, according to Hastings (1997), an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language, which is a Celtic language. ... Language(s) Maa (ɔl Maa) Religion(s) Monotheism including Christianity Related ethnic groups Samburu The Maasai are an indigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. ... For the community in Florida, see University, Florida. ... Though most indigenous Africans possess relatively dark skin, they exhibit much variation in physical appearance. ...

See also

• Culture of Africa
• Etiquette in Asia
• Etiquette in Australia and New Zealand
• Etiquette in Canada and the United States
• Etiquette in Europe
• Etiquette in Latin America
• Etiquette in the Middle East
• Worldwide etiquette

The Culture of Africa encompasses and includes all cultures which were ever in the continent of Africa. ... In Asia, many points of good etiquette are derived from religious beliefs. ... As expectations regarding good manners differ from person to person and vary according to each situation, no treatise on the rules of etiquette nor any list of faux pas can ever be complete. ... As expectations regarding good manners differ from person to person and vary according to each situation, no treatise on the rules of etiquette nor any list of faux pas can ever be complete. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... As expectations regarding good manners differ from person to person and vary according to each situation, no treatise on the rules of etiquette nor any list of faux pas can ever be complete. ... The Middle East contains a multitude of societies with different traditions regarding etiquette. ... As expectations regarding good manners differ from person to person and vary according to each situation, no treatise on the rules of etiquette nor any list of potential faux pas can ever be complete. ...

References

1. ^ Virtual Tourist
2. ^ Senegal - Etiquette and Customs