Universal Gestures

          There are four main gestures/behaviors to avoid in Africa that we, as westerners, find completely socially acceptable. To read more on the four click here. The four main thing not to do while in Africa include somethings that might be intuitive, like respecting an elder and not getting into disagreements with them. But others may be less intuitive, such as not giving the thumbs up or not letting the soles of your feet face someone while talking to them.

            The dissonance in the way African (and of course I’m generalizing here) cultures, and western cultures behave is very interesting to study. There are some very good reasons behind not using a left hand to greet someone or pass an item to someone with his/her left hand. It stems from a desire to be healthful because the left hand is what is referred to as the unclean hand. The left hand is used for personal hygiene and the right hand is reserved for greeting and shaking hands with other people.

            What struck me most is the stark difference in meaning between the gesture of giving someone the thumbs up. I always thought of the thumbs up as the universal sign for doing a good job, yet just an ocean away it’s considered to be equal to the middle finger in America. The difference in communication between cultures constructs a barrier between two people.

          Fonzie from Happy Days is pictured in the above picture giving his signature thumbs up. There is nothing the slightest bit threatening about Fonzie in this photo to us, yet we see a change in the way people feel as we move across cultures.

            Smiling was thought to be the universal language in the 1990s, but there are plenty of people, such as Dr. Warren M. Krutchick and Erin Cooper who would vehemently argue against that. Smiling in places like Thailand or China emotion is not expressed through a smile, but more through eyes.While Thailand and Africa are not the same thing, it's still important to understand that cultures are different and communicating with people from different cultures can be difficult.

           African gestures vary from American gestures in a big way and when communicating with Africans needs to be very cautious. Offending the people you're talking to in a village can make a good trip poor. It is important to do your research before traveling to another place because as we know: a smile is NOT the same in every language.