Tunisia

Greetings

Man greeting Man - Men shake hands when greeting one another and usually kiss once on each cheek if they are good friends or family. Handshakes tend to be warm and may linger a bit. If you do not know someone at all or are in a formal setting, a hand shake or a simple nod is appropriate. When greeting friends, it is common to ask how the family is doing and touch on other general topics.

Woman greeting Woman- A light handshake is common during initial meetings. Good friends and family usually greet each other with kisses, once on each cheek. If you do not know someone at all or are in a formal setting, a hand shake or a simple nod is appropriate. When greeting friends, it is common to ask how the family is doing and touch on other general topics.

Greetings between Men & Women- A simple handshake is common during initial meetings. It is best to allow the woman to extend her hand or offer her cheek first. If the hand is not extended, than a slight bow or nod is the polite thing for men to do. Good friends and family usually greet each other with kisses, once on each cheek. When greeting friends, it is common to ask how the family is doing and touch on other general topics.

Note: It is taboo for religiously observant men to touch women and vice-versa.

Communication Style

• Tunisians are generally direct in their communication style but are not confrontational. One should never criticize another publicly as it can cause shame on oneself and one’s family.
• As gracious hosts, it tends to be hard for Tunisians to say no, so in this regard they are not direct and would rather appear to agree with you rather than overtly state their disagreement.

Personal Space & Touch

• Tunisians are generally quite close to each other when speaking. Less than an arm’s length between strangers is normal, for example, a normal distance to maintain is as if you are sitting next to each other on an airplane. This distance tends to be greater when speaking with members of the opposite sex.
• Touching during conversations is acceptable if you know the person otherwise, touching is reserved for family members. There tends to be more touching between people of the same gender.
• It is taboo for religiously observant men to touch women and vice-versa.

Eye Contact

• Direct eye contact is a sign of respect and one should certainly make eye contact when being introduced.
• Many Tunisians may avoid making direct eye contact when speaking with elders or superiors. This is viewed as a sign of respect and deference.
• Many women will avoid direct eye contact with men they don’t know or have just met. It is polite for men in this case to not attempt to establish eye contact.

Gestures

• Flattening your hand with the palm down and wiggling it slightly is a common way to say, “comme si, comme ca,” or “so-so.”
• Sweeping your hand away from your body in a downward motion means, “casse-toi” or “go away."
• Tipping your hat, even if you aren’t wearing one, means “bravo” or “congrats.”
• Placing your right hand on your chest is a common gesture meaning either “thank you” or is used during greetings to express “thanks be to god.”

Views of Time

• As in many Mediterranean countries, time is viewed loosely in Tunisia. Being punctual to class, parties, coffee dates or a meeting is not a common occurrence.
• Expect things to take longer than you are used to when doing business, things tend to run on their own time in and that may not always coincide with your time frame.
• Trains and buses usually run on time and are generally well kept and reliable, if a bit old.

Gender Roles

• Before gaining independence from France in 1956, women were expected to stay at home with the kids and do housework. Tunisia’s first president changed that role of women, encouraging education, restricting arranged marriages, banning polygamy, and forbidding the veiling of women at academic institutions.
• Currently, it is common to see women in any profession and very rare to see them veiled. 20% of parliament is reserved for women parliamentarians.

Law & Order

• Alcohol is forbidden to Muslims and it is often viewed poorly in public. However, alcohol is easy to find and widely sold, especially locally produced wine, beer and aperitifs.
• Tunisia does not having a legal drinking age or a minimum age set for buying cigarettes and tobacco.
• Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.
• Tunisian law includes penalties for failure to respect government officials. Individuals, including citizens, have been sentenced to jail for cursing at police officers.

Dress

• Appropriate attire depends on the profession. If working at a bank or in government, a suit is expected. If working in the service sector, such as professors or computer consultants, jeans may be acceptable.
• Women are not allowed in government buildings if they are veiled. In general, women are well covered and conservative in their dress.
• Businesspeople tend to dress well, opting for the latest styles.
• For Men - Formal suits and ties. Darker colors are the way to go.
• For Women - Conservative yet stylish is a good choice. Avoid wearing overly expensive accessories, dresses/skirts cut above the knee, and sleeveless attire.

Titles & Business Cards

• It is common to address people with “Monsieur" (Mr.) or "Madame"(Mrs./Ms.) followed by the family name. “Si” is also used as a title of respect, meaning Mister.
• There is no formal protocol surround the giving and receiving of business cards.

Meetings

• It is best to show up on time for initial meetings even though you may be kept waiting.
• Lengthy small talk is expected and appreciated at the beginnings of meetings.
• There are often frequent interruptions throughout meetings; unannounced people may walk in, the conversation may go off on various tangents, etc. It is best to just go with flow rather than try to bring people back to the "point".
• Agendas tend to be loosely followed, if at all.

Negotiations

• Decisions come from the top down, even though there is ample room for listening to the group’s opinion and deliberating.
• Avoid hard selling and any sort of conflict or confrontation.
• Saving face is important to Tunisians and they tend to respond much better to the soft sell with indirect communications.

Gift Giving

• If invited to a Tunisian household, it is common to bring a small hostess gift, such as pastries, flowers or fruit.
• It's best to not bring alcohol unless you are absolutely certain that the host drinks.

In the Classroom

• The school year begins in September and is finished in May.
• There is a winter break in December, a two week spring break in March and summer vacation.

• At the university level, western dress is normal, while some students in less urban areas may dress more traditionally. Dress in general is more formal and conservative.

• The grading system follows the French 20 point scale, 0 being the worst and 20 being perfect. It is rare to score a 20 and one must attain at least a 10 to pass.

• Teaching style depends on the subject studied. Large literature classes or history courses are generally lecture style while smaller computer classes and engineering rely on more hands-on work.

Other Observations

• Tunisians are extremely friendly, so get to know some locals.

• You can buy alcohol at any large super market but they may stop selling alcohol an hour or so before the store officially closes.
• If invited to a Tunisian household, it is common to bring a small hostess gift, such as pastries, flowers or fruit.
• During the month of Ramadan, work hours often become abbreviated, staring around 9 am and ending around 2 pm.
• A common way to travel between cities is in a mini-van called un louage. Relatively cheap, and faster then buses or trains, these are a good travel option.

• Expect things to take longer than you are used to when doing business, things run on their own time in and that may not always coincide with your time frame.