Eritrea

Greetings

Men greeting Men – A handshake is appropriate in most situations followed by the word, “Selam”, which means “peace”. An appropriate response is the “Selam”. Handshakes tend to be energetic and very often linger a bit. Good friends and family may hug or tap each other’s right shoulder.

Women greeting Women – A handshake is appropriate in most situations in most situations followed by the word, “Selam”, which means “peace”. An appropriate response is the “Selam”. Good friends and family may hug and/or exchange a kiss on the cheek in some situations.

Meetings between Men and Women – At a first meeting a handshake or nod of acknowledgment tends to be the norm.. It is best to wait for the woman to extend her hand. Good friends and family may hug and/or exchange a kiss on the cheek in some situations.

Note: Always use your right hand when shaking hands. A traditional ex-fighter greeting (from (the war with ) is to grab right hands, then bring right shoulders together for 1-3 bumps.

Communication Style

• Eritrea tends to be a very welcoming, open society, especially once you get to know people.
• Conversations often start with lengthy greetings, how is your family, friends, how is work, etc. At initial meetings these questions may include which town are you from.
• It is customary to spend some time asking about one’s family and work, after which you can be very direct in communicating.
• It is best to avoid speaking about religion, politics and the war with, until a strong relationship has been established. Once you get to know people, you will generally find that the will be more comfortable to open up and speak candidly.

Personal Space & Touch

• Less than an arm’s length of personal space tends to be the norm during conversations. Between men and men and women and women it may be even less.
• It is common to see men holding hands with other men while walking and talking. This is a sign of friendship
• Touching while talking is accepted for men with men and women with women, but between genders there is usually no touching and more personal space given.

Eye Contact

• Direct eye contact is common among friends and family.
• During initial meetings it may be appropriate to avoid excessive eye contact as it could be interpreted as disrespectful.
• Looking away or down during conversations is generally viewed as a sign of respect and admiration to the speaker.

Gestures

• To beckon someone it is common to hold the hand with palm down and curl fingers into the hand quickly in a scratching motion.
• Raising your eyebrows during conversations generally means ‘yes’.

Views of Time

• Transportation services do not tend to run on time.
• Meetings and gatherings rarely start on time even though as a foreigner it is polite to be punctual.
• In rural areas, very few people have watches and/or clocks.

Gender Roles

• The guerilla war, where many women were fighters, changed attitudes and liberalized the roles of women to a certain degree. That being said, there are still defined roles for women such as keeping the house, raising the children, and for the most part women were not free to socialize in bars with men or other women.
• In rural areas, the only women out at night, in bars, tended to be the working women (waitresses/barmaids/prostitutes).
• Most women who are seen out a night get a bad reputation. This can be true with foreign women as well.

Taboos

• Avoid showing the bottoms of feet, soles of shoes, and moving or touching objects with the feet when interacting with Eritreans who are Muslims or follow Islam.

Law & Order

• The legal drinking and purchasing age is 18 and is not heavily enforced.
• There are strict laws against homosexuality; punishable by imprisonment.
• Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.

Dress

• For Men- A suit is common for formal business situations. Generally, business casual attire is appropriate. In rural areas, khakis and a nice collared shirt are usually acceptable.
• For Women - A suit is common for formal business situations. Generally, business casual attire is appropriate. It is best to avoid sleeveless attire and skirts that are knee length or above.
• Jeans, shorts, and very revealing clothing are generally not appropriate in business situations.

Titles & Business Cards

• At initial meetings it is best to use "Ato" (Mr.),"Weizero" (Mrs.), or Weizerit (Miss) followed by the person’s first name not the last.
• When dealing with government officials and other professionals like doctors, it is best to use their title.
• It is customary to wait to be invited to call someone solely by their first name.

Meetings

• It’s best to show up on time for a meeting even though you may end up waiting.
• It is best to pay respect to the highest ranking person in the room and then follow accordingly.
• Always start with the requisite greetings – how are you, how is your family, how is work, etc. This can go on for minutes before getting down to any business
• The person who is hosting the meeting should open and close the meeting.

Negotiations

• Decisions tend to be made from the top down.
• In the market place, negotiating and haggling is expected. It’s common practice. to over-act, act offended, act surprised, walk-away three times, joke, etc., while negotiating a price.

Gift Giving

• In social situations, if invited to someone’s house or meeting someone for the first time, it is best to bring a gift. Sugar, tea, coffee, or something small but useful is a good choice.

In the Classroom

• Dress at most universities is somewhat like business casual attire. Long pants, nice jeans or dress pants for men and dresses or pants for women. More casual clothing like shorts, flip-flops, or ragged t-shirts are generally not acceptable.
• Lecture is the most common form of teaching.
• Grades are given on an A-F scale, with F being failing.