Botswana | Culture, Etiquette and Customs

The Basics

Shaking hands is a common greeting. The most common spoken greeting is "Dumela Ma" to a woman and "Dumela Ra" to a man.
It's best to always greet people even if you do not know them.
Different tribes have different ways of greeting. When greeting a colleague in a business environment, it is customary to shake hands with both men and women.
In northern parts of the country when greeting an elderly person you have to kneel down and give them both of your hands if you find them seated. If they are not seated you can just bow a little and give them your two hands.
In other places you can greet another person by shaking hands. And in some cases, men and women will give each other a kiss on each cheek.
Once you have made a friend, a handshake upon meeting may turn into holding hands for the duration of the conversation.This is more common between members of the same sex.

The easiest and safest topic to talk about is the weather. And if a person opens up to you, then you can talk about where you come from and maybe about your family as well.
Avoid talking about tribal issues, as some tribes feel they are treated as minority groups. It's also best to avoid discussing your personal relationships with a person you have just met. This includes issues of sexual orientation as homosexuality is taboo for many.

Ethnic background and place of residence are important factors in determining peoples’ level of comfort with touching and gestures.
Most people generally don’t mind talking to a person very close to them but they usually keep a distance of about an out-stretched arm from each other. Distance can be even greater when speaking or dealing with strangers.
It is best to carefully observe each person’s degree of comfort with touching and their preference for personal space.

Regular eye contact is used in judging whether a person is trustworthy. People will not always maintain constant eye contact, but it usually considered a sign of dishonesty if a person refuses to or is reluctant to make eye contact.

Some gestures that are considered rude include showing the middle finger erect, waiving a pointed index finger, and pointing at someone.
When people do not understand the language that is being spoken, they will most usually use hand gestures to communicate.

In times past, women were expected to stay home and take care of the children and the family properties. These days women also work and many hold high positions too. Some co-workers, especially men, might think that they shouldn’t be supervised by a woman and this might lead to frictions in the work place.

Men and women tend to dress conservatively in the workplace, both in summer and in winter. But dress might be different according to the organization a person is working for; some workplaces are informal and one can wear jeans to work.

Colleagues and even supervisors are often addressed as Mr. or Ms. with the last name. This form is usually more appropriate for addressing a supervisor and should be used unless told otherwise.

The guides describe what people tend to do. The work at culturecrossing.net is about what you do.