- Always be courteous and treat others the way you like to be treated.
- Expect to bargain for everything.
- It is common to remove your shoes when entering a building.
- Do not wear revealing clothing at any time.
MEN
-
Men is Somalia wear basically casual business wear on a
daily basis.
-
They wear dress shoes and never tennis shoes.
-
Wearing jeans is not as common and generally not worn.
-
Casual slacks such as khakis or other colored dress pants
are worn everyday.
-
Men leave their shirts always un tucked unless wearing a
tie.
-
Their casual style is a reflection on their laid back
attitudes.
-
Men are not to shake hands with women unless close relative
or family member.
WOMEN
-
Woman should wear conservative cloth, mostly skirts or
dress.
-
Women do not wear
anything too revealing and keep to the conservative colors
-
Women must wear a headscarf at all times in Somalia.
It leaves only their face available to be seen.
-
Wear flat shoes or low heels for everyday business.
-
Woman are not to shake hands with men unless close relative
or family member.
-
The official language of Somalia is
Somali yet Arabic, English and Italian are also
very common.
-
English is more common on the north
of Somalia and the Italian is more common in the
central and south of Somalia, where as Arabic is
through out the country.
-
You must be able to speak Arabic to
graduate from high school in most parts of the country.
-
Generally, English and Italian are
both tough in private schools only in the evenings
and some times in the weekends.
-
The most common way of greeting in
Somali is ASSALAMU ALAIKUM which simply means "peace
be with you"
-
Hugging and shaking hands with the
opposite sex is not common.
-
Avoiding to much of eye contact with
the opposite sex is considered respect.
-
A normal business week in Somalia is Saturday through
Wednesday.
-
Thursday and Friday are considered their weekend days such
as our Saturday and Sunday.
-
Depending on your career, as an occupant in Somalia you may
work on Thursday but absolutely no one works on Fridays.
-
A normal business day in Somalia is between the hours of
7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. hours.
-
Once again, the laid back attitude and lifestyle are
reflected in daily life.
-
In general meetings start within 30 minutes of the schedule
time. This gives time for any one running late for whatever reasons.
-
In general most Somali people prefer not to schedule meeting
on Fridays.
-
Every Friday is considered a holiday. People visit
friends and relatives and as well as spend time with family.
- Only eat with the right hand.
- Do not offer anything to another person with your left hand.
- Sharing a meal and eating in the same plate is the best way to get to know
someone.
- Be sincere and show appreciation.
- Don not start eating before others if invited.
- If hosting guest, you are to start the eating to show that others can
start as well.
-
The capital of Somalia is Mogadishu.
-
The main religion in Somalia is Islamic. It is a
religion that is shared by the vast majority of the population.
-
Somalia has a very homogeneous population which is also
reflected in the laid back attitude. Everyone is friendly and willing
to help everyone else; for the most part.
-
It is not acceptable to drink alcohol or eat pork in
Somalia. This is because religion forbid such things.
-
If one is caught making business on alcohol or port
products, he or she could be punished and more importantly.
-
One who drinks alcohol or eats pork can bring bad reputation
for his or her family, since the reputation of your family makes difference
on how people see you as a person.
-
Families might disown one who engages in drinking alcohol or
eating pork.
Sources
A summary of this information can be found at Hejleh, Open Site, and Arabji.
For more information go to:
http://www.hejleh.com/countries/somalia.html
http://www.open-site.org
http://www.arabji.com/Somalia |
