Some differences between Africans and Westerners

As I mentioned in my last post, this book is wonderful. It is extremely insightful, practical, and sociological--3 of my favorite things. =)

I thought I would share some of the highlights from the book about the differences between African culture and Western. Note: yes, these are generalizations. Nothing is "across the board" when talking about groups of people. And we never use 'never' or 'always.' The guy who wrote this has lived in many different African countries for over 30 years. It was written in 2001. He does a great job of not lifting one culture above the other but simply observing characteristics of African cultures and how they differ from their Western counterparts.

The following is almost completely verbatim from the author, with a few of my own inserts. . . .

(Note: I would say the two underlying differences running throughout all 99 observations is the fact that African culture is founded on interdependence/ solidarity and ambiguity, whereas Western culture is founded on independence and directness/certainty.)


--Africans find security in ambiguous arrangements, plans, and speech. . . Westerners find security in clearly defined relationships, arrangements, plans, and speech.

Ambiguity is an art in Africa. Africans speak naturally, with eloquence, and without hesitation or stumbling over words, but their language is often imprecise and their numbers inexact.

Westerners like to “lay their cards on the table,” “face the facts,” “call a spade a spade.”
The confrontive, direct approach that many of us have been trained in is inappropriate here. First of all, you won’t pick up what people are trying to tell you. Secondly, people will find you offensive.

"The westerner who would want to resolve a problem in one minute [directly stating the facts of a problematic situation and getting right to the point] and with a handshake without dialoguing, would leave a residual feeling of animosity. Dialogue is the solution to many problems. Some people say Westerners communicate but do not dialogue. In communication a no is a no and a yes is a yes. What counts is that the other person comprehends the message that is being transmitted. In dialogue, on the other hand, the heart of the matter is looked for, going beyond the words to address the feelings and the passions. Dialogue is therefore stronger than communication because it permits one to put himself in the place of the other, to understand from the interior and not just the exterior."
[Written by an African]

(This is probably the most concerning observation for me personally because it is going to effect my day-to-day, moment-to-moment life there. Anyone who knows me knows I am one of the most direct, get-to-the-point type of person they know. I am not very good at casual conversation. I want to get to the meat! I ask direct, specific questions. I have been trying to get better at this direct approach, and I feel that I have, but I think/hope I will experience an extreme amount of growth in this area.)


--Africans are more hospitable than charitable and Westerners are more charitable than hospitable. Charity is defined here as giving that is impersonal and planned. Westerners give billions to charitable organizations, but individually may not want to offer a meal to someone not invited or planned for. Africans will offer a meal to all who drop in, but give little to charities.

I found this observation very interesting. I already have a distaste for our oh-so-impersonal way of giving. Let other people do the hard, life-changing work while we just write a check. (I'm not condemning writing checks to charities, I'm just wondering if there is a better way.. . .like, should our charity stop when we cross our X's on the check?) If we ALL personally knew, loved, and took care of the people all around us who are in need, would we have a need for charities? Or maybe the reason why so many Americans just write big checks is because they just do not know anyone in need. Which is a huge problem in itself. . . Anyways, this is one of those observations that makes me want to figure out to have a culture that takes the hospitality from Africans and charity from Americans and make something beautiful. =)

--Success in life for Africans is attained through personal relationships, through connections with people in positions of power and authority whereas success in life for Westerners is attained through ability, hard work, education, delayed gratification, established within the framework of a just society.

Americans often fail to recognize how much their realization of personal success is dependent upon elements outside themselves: educational and employment opportunities, a dynamic and entrepreneurial economy, stability of government, the rule of law, and countless other factors.

More to come in the next post.....