First of all, let's start by stressing that Africa is not one country but 54 distinct ones and that each country represents a diversity of ethnic and linguistic backgrounds that may be totally unexpected to uninformed visitors and negotiators.
Remember that the current map of Africa was randomly drawn at the time of the famous partition, without taking into account demographics or the ethnic groups that were separated, and of course without asking their opinion.
This means that each country that has been created is a mosaic of a population emanating from villages with nothing to link them, except perhaps wars and attacks, and also the trade in goods and slaves.
Each ethnic group has its own traditions, its own language or dialect and its own way of trading. Some are settled farmers, others nomadic herders. Some tribes are known as fierce warriors, others as pacifists. This influences the way they perceive trade and negotiate.
Far from presenting an exhaustive list of the peoples of the African continent, a selection of a few, representative of the different major geographical regions, is offered here.
From north to south, the following are or will be mentioned:
Arabs
Tuaregs and Berbers
Peoples of the Sahel (Peuls, Bozos, Dogons...)
The Mandingues of West Africa
Peoples of the Gulf of Guinea (Fons, Ewe...)
Ethiopians of the high plateaus (Amhara...)
Mursis, Bana, Caro and other peoples of southern Ethiopia and Sudan
The Afars of the Horn of Africa
The Hymbas and Hereros of southern Africa
The Austronesian peoples of the Madagascan plateaus from Southeast Asia and the "coastal" peoples from the African continent.
So, as a rule of thumb, before starting a negotiation, do your homework and find out what ethnic group your opposite number is, and prepare accordingly.
I'm not saying that all Afars are alike and negotiate in the same way, but there are common roots to be aware of. You can't negotiate with a Fon in the same way as with a Bambara or an Ewe.
If you've got a negotiation coming up and would like some assistance, don't panic: our experts will be on hand to prepare you for it, and even to help coach you through the process. Contact us by clicking on the red enr button below.
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