Africa is the second largest continent covering about 30.2 million square kilometers and containing over 1 billion people from over 50 countries. It has an extremely young population with 50% being under age 19. The continent has immense cultural, linguistic, ethnic, and religious diversity with over 2000 languages spoken and a variety of traditional beliefs, in addition to modern religions like Christianity and Islam. Arts, crafts, cuisine, and family structures vary widely between different regions and groups in Africa.

1. • Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous
continent. At about 30.2 million km2 (11.7 million sq mi) including
adjacent islands, it covers six percent of the Earth's total surface
area and 20.4 percent of the total land area. With 1.1 billion people
as of 2013, it accounts for about 15% of the world's human
population.The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea
to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai
Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and
the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The continent includes Madagascar
and various archipelagos. It has 54 fully recognized sovereign states
("countries"), nine territories and two de facto independent states
with limited or no recognition.
• Africa's population is the youngest among all the continents; 50% of
Africans are 19 years old or younger.

3. • People and Culture
When one thinks of Africa, many ideas come into the
mind. Its culture consists of largely tribal communities
living in harmony with nature, with unchanged
lifestyles. Also, other popular themes about Africa
emphasize its natural wealth in the terms of flora and
fauna over diverse landscapes such as deserts,
grasslands, rain forest and coastal plains. Africa even
today stands out as a continent marked by violence,
AIDS, underdevelopment and poverty, amidst vast
resources of minerals and natural wealth.

4. • Diversity
Africa has a rich and diverse presence of humanity which has
adapted to different ecological zones, complex socio-economic
spheres and has managed to still preserved its culture and
traditions in the face of a hoary and often turbulent past. Linguistic
diversity is seen in the number of languages and dialects spoken in
Africa, up to two thousand. Numerous tribes, ethnic and social
groups, are indigenous to Africa, some representing very large
populations consisting of millions of people and other smaller
groups of a few thousand. Some of the tribes and ethnic groups are
engaged in different forms of activities such as hunting and
gathering, pastoralism, horticulture and farming. Other social
groups are engaged in activities such as trade and commerce.

5. • Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts have a rich tradition in Africa.
Wood, metal, and leather are used for
fashioning all types of work. African arts and
crafts include sculpture, paintings, pottery,
ceremonial and religious headgear, ritual
articles, musical instruments, weapons, and
dresses.

6. • Religion and Beliefs
African religions include many beliefs including
animism, spiritual beliefs, witchcraft and
Shamanism. Some are also influenced but not
completely taken over by modern religions such
as Christianity and Islam, which are often added
to the core belief systems, and traditional rituals.
Modern religions such as Islam and Christianity
still have a large number of traditional adherents.
There are many other religions and belief systems
in Africa.

7. • African Food
African cuisine largely consists of local influences
and colonial additions and includes vegetables,
fruit, meat and dairy products. Grains, cassava
and yams form the basis for many meals. Stews
of vegetables and meat are quite popular.
Influences from migrants and immigrants such as
Arabs, Indians, Europeans, etc. add to the kind of
food and cuisine available.

8. • The Family in South Africa
The basic unit of South African society is the family, which
includes the nuclear family and the extended family or
tribe.
• In traditional African society, the tribe is the most
important community as it is the equivalent of a nation.
The tribe provides both emotional and financial security in
much the same way the nuclear family does to white or
coloured South Africans.
• The coloured and more traditional Afrikaans cultures
consider their extended family to be almost as important as
their nuclear family, while the English-speaking white
community places more emphasis on the nuclear family.

9. • Meeting Etiquette
There are several greeting styles in South Africa depending upon the ethnic heritage of the person
you are meeting.
• When dealing with foreigners, most South Africans shake hands while maintaining eye contact and
smiling.
• Some women do not shake hands and merely nod their head, so it is best to wait for a woman to
extend her hand.
• Men may kiss a woman they know well on the cheek in place of a handshake.Greetings are leisurely
and include time for social discussion and exchanging pleasantries.
•
Gift Giving Etiquette
In general, South Africans give gifts for birthdays and Christmas.
• Two birthdays - 21 and 40 - are often celebrated with a large party in which a lavish gift is given. It is
common for several friends to contribute to this gift to help defray the cost.
• If you are invited to a South African's home, bring flowers, good quality chocolates, or a bottle of
good South African wine to the hostess.
• Wrapping a gift nicely shows extra effort.
• Gifts are opened when received.

10. • Business Negotiations
• It is imperative to develop mutual trust before negotiating.
• Women have yet to attain senior level positions. If you send a woman, she
must expect to encounter some condescending behaviour and to be
tested in ways that a male colleague would not.
• Do not interrupt a South African while they are speaking.
• South Africans strive for consensus and win-win situations.
• Include delivery dates in contracts. Deadlines are often viewed as fluid
rather than firm commitments.
• Start negotiating with a realistic figure. South Africans do not like haggling
over price.
• Decision-making may be concentrated at the top of the company and
decisions are often made after consultation with subordinates, so the
process can be slow and protracted.

11. • African consumer habits are changing, with high-earning Africans doing most of their shopping in
major shopping centers, visiting open-air markets only occasionally and
mostly for cheap items such as bread, AllAfrica reports.
• Super-affluent Africans go on shopping trips to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Europe for luxury
goods and clothes, according to McKinsey & Company. Its 2012 report, “The Rise of the African
Consumer,” explored the African markets, their consumers, and how best to serve them.
• Sub-Saharans tend to be loyal to a specific brand while North Africans are loyal to several brands.
• Accordingly, 35 percent of Sub-Saharan Africans say they are willing to try new products or services,
while the same is true for 43 percent of North Africans.
• When it comes to brand type, Sub-Saharan Africans have no problem supporting local brands while
North Africans want international brands.
• But the right brand means nothing to African consumers if it’s not delivered at the right price,
AllAfrica reports. In Nigeria, for example, more than 70 percent of consumers say they regularly
check rice prices. In Ethiopia, more than 50 percent of survey respondents say they spend a lot of
time searching for the lowest-priced item when shopping.
• - See more at: http://afkinsider.com/58794/how-african-consumer-habits-are-
changing/#sthash.beicdrng.dpuf

12. • The oldest and most successful African eCommerce company is
eShopAfrica.com, from Ghana, started in 2001, selling arts and
crafts from Ghana, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Mali to consumers in
USA, and UK. Products are made in Africa, and sold to fat-wallet
middle class consumers in developed world, who can pay with
credit card, Paypal and can access Internet at any time.
• The second most successful African eCommerce company is Skinny
laMinx, from South Africa, which sells highly designed crafts to
consumers abroad. 80% of “Skinny laMinx” sales comes from USA
and Australia. To accelerate their growth, they moved their shop to
etsy.com, and recently opened an offline boutique in in central
Cape Town, at 201 Bree Street.
• The third most successful African eCommerce is again a craft
company, Rwanda Partners, which sell hand made baskets and
jeweleries from Rwanda in the USA market. I love Rwanda basket,
and the quality of their products.

13. • commerce became successfully around the Africa for 3 main reasons :
• 1. Convenience (You decide when to buy, how to buy, from the
convenience of your home or office, at your own pace)
• 2. Lower Price (Consumers usually get better price than going to a local
store)
• 3. More choice (Online stores usually carry more inventory than their
traditional store)