Guinea

Greetings

Men greeting Men – A warm handshake with the right hand and prolonged verbal greetings like how are you, how is the family, how did you sleep etc., is common. Hugs are common between good friends and family. Handshakes tend to linger a bit and it is common to see some men continue to hold hands throughout their conversations. This is purely a sign of close friendship. If greeting someone with higher status, it is customary in some groups to bow slightly so that your head is lower than theirs which is a gesture of great friendship/respect. In other group like the Kissi, placing your left hand under your right forearm during a handshake is a sign of respect.

Women greeting Women – A warm handshake with right hand and prolonged verbal greetings like how are you, how is the family, how did you sleep etc., is common in many situations. Hugs are common between good friends and family. Some women exchange two kisses on the cheek as well.

Meetings between Men and Women – A warm handshake with right hand and prolonged verbal greetings like how are you, how is the family, how did you sleep etc., is common in many situations. Note: Some men will not shake hands with a woman for religious reasons and vice-versa. As a foreigner it is best to wait for the woman to offer her hand, if at all. When/if you can’t shake hands, clasping both of hands in front of your heart is an acceptable substitute.

Communication Style

• The Guinean communication style can depend on which tribe/ethnicity one is dealing with, but for the most part Guineans tend to be more indirect than direct in conversations. Reading between cultural lines to hear what they are really telling you is often the case.
• Guineans tend to be reserved yet polite during initial meetings so it best to ask too many personal questions other than the ones used for greetings.
• It’s best to avoid discussing politics, religions, sex and gender issues until a strong bond has been established, and even then it may be difficult.
• Sarcasm doesn’t tend to translate well so it’s best to use simple easy to understand humor.

Personal Space & Touch

• About an arm’s length of personal space is common during conversations. This space may be less between members of the same gender and a bit great between members of the opposite sex.
• In public spaces, like waiting in line, people tend stand much closer and brushing up against someone is relatively common.
• There is a fair amount of touching during conversations between members of the same gender. It is common to men holding hands in the street or having their arms draped around each other in casual conversation.
• Interactions with the opposite sex have much less physical contact – mostly just the handshake.
• Good friends and family members will drape themselves around each other a lot, casually embracing as they talk or sit.

Eye Contact

• Direct eye contact is acceptable, but not as much when talking to an elder or a boss, where it is a sign of respect to avert your eyes. This may be the case with women talking to men as well.

Gestures

• People beckon one another by taking the whole hand extended outward, palm down, and curling fingers inward like a scratching motion.
• Hissing (hsst) is a common way to get someone’s attention.
• The single finger wag is very common gesture in a disagreement. It usually means no or that is not right.
• A form of hospitality is to offer food, and it is polite to accept. If you do not wish to accept, take a small portion if you can and then pat your belly and say that you’re full but it was very good.

Views of Time

• In most business and social situations it is not rude to be late. People tend to give their time pretty freely as time is not viewed as a valuable commodity. That being said people work hard.
• The time of people with little power or money is especially not valued. For example, people will wait for more than a day to see a doctor because the doctor is too busy. Time is the one commodity that the poor can afford to spend, and so it is one of their few bargaining chips – so they will wait a long time to be served, or for their needs to be addressed. By putting in the time, they win some of the right to be recognized by the person in authority.
• In the rural areas there are little to no expectations of timeliness. Hardly anyone wears a watch or has a clock and punctuality is virtually irrelevant. It is seen as more important to not rush social situations merely for the sake of punctuality as people give their time very freely in nearly all circumstances. It is viewed as odd for people wanting to be by themselves or take time for themselves.

Gender Roles

• Women hold a number of positions of power in the government as well as the corporate world, even though salaries tend to be lower.
• In many rural/tribal areas, women are subordinate to men, and it is generally the husband who decides how many children that the woman will bear. She is essentially his property in many ways.
• Foreign women are expected to be somewhat less submissive as they are seen as a cross between a man and a woman, in a way, since they are educated and often wear men’s clothes, like pants.

Taboos

• In most areas any explicit sexual behavior, kissing in public, showing a lot of skin, discussion of sexual matter with religious figures or during special religious days is considered taboo.

Law & Order

• Persons violating Guinean laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned.
• Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.
• The enforcement of many laws depends on the local authorities, many of which tend to be corrupt.
• Driving laws are notably not enforced and many issues such as premarital pregnancy are dealt with through the village elders.

Dress

• For Men- A business suit or “complet” in French. These are not usually high class suits but a coat and slacks which match are appropriate in the cities. Collared shirt and nice pants without tie and jacket may be acceptable as well.
• For Women- Conservative dress is most common. Dresses and skirts that fall below the knee/calf with a nice blouse is a good choice. Pants may be acceptable in many situations. Avoid wearing anything tight fitting or revealing.
• Jeans, shorts, and less casual attire are usually not worn in business settings.

Titles & Business Cards

• The most formal title possible is appropriate. At they very least use “Monsieur”, followed by the last name for men or “Madame”, followed by the last name for women. If they’re a doctor, call them “Docteur”.
• For a boss or company head it is common to us Mr. Director or Director followed by the last name.
• Avoid using first names until being invited to do so.
• There is no set protocol with the giving and receiving of business cards, but it is always advisable to give and receive cards with the right hand.

Meetings

• It is best to show up on time for meetings even though you may be kept waiting.
• It’s protocol to greet the most important person first with a handshake, and without delay. It is not necessarily polite to wait for someone to finish some business before greeting them as greeting is very important and often takes precedence over everything else.
• Formality is often of high priority, so the most important person should run the meeting, including beginning and ending it.

Negotiations

• Decisions are made from the top and tend to take a long time to be reached. They also tend to be changed frequently.
• Personal relationships and trust are key to a successful negotiation.

Gift Giving

• In social situations it can be polite to bring a gift when returning from taking a trip.
• It is a sign of prestige to give something and allow the person to show off what they received, so a public opening is usually best.

In the Classroom

• Most schools start in October and end in late May/early June, depending on when the national exams are set. There is about a week off for Christmas as well as a week and Ramadan and Tabaski are also holidays.

• Most university students don’t have uniforms but tend to dress well. Shorts, jeans, flip-flops, tank-tops are not generally acceptable.

• Grades are usually given on a scale of 0-20. A failing grade depends on the institution but the average is often around 10, and a 20 is almost impossible to get.

• Lecture is most common form of teaching.

Other Observations

• Learning a few words of greetings in the local language will get you a long way.
• Many customs depend on the local ethnicity.
• Guinea is primarily a Muslim country so all the usual customs regarding Muslim countries tend to be applicable.