Culture guides provide valuable insight

by Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane
U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa

12/16/2013 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- In the military, if you are told to be somewhere at 4 p.m., you may arrive 15 minutes early. In different cultures, showing up early may be frowned upon.

Servicemembers traveling to Africa need to understand the do's and don'ts of the many various cultures within the continent.

"It's not one size fits all," said Lt. Col. Brant Folken, U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa personnel readiness deputy. "Africa is so diverse, and there is no single guide that can be effective for every country."

He added that Africa can't be lumped into its own category. Niger is different from South Africa which is different from Morocco. It would be like comparing the U.S. and Mexico.

The Department of Defense saw a need for cultural education for our deploying servicemembers. To help educate them, the Air Force Culture and Language Center created hand-held guides that would assist anyone traveling to those areas.

"The need for a culture guide was recognized when we started operating in the Middle East," said Folken. "The cultures were so different from what we were used to as Americans. The bottom line is it makes you more effective in the local communities when you understand their culture and their history."

Africa is an emerging theater that the U.S. is focusing on. It is vital that everyone working on the African continent understand the cultural environment.

The AFCLC has guides for 14 African countries. Folken said that five more will arrive soon and another five are in development.

The guides have been successful in Africa because, despite living in an age of technology, not everyone has access to information at their fingertips there.

"You can't really just Google the information you need to look up cultural information," said Folken. "A culture guide is effective because it is low tech. It is a quick reference that you can keep in your pocket. No electronics required."

These days when people deploy to a new country or region, they will pack their uniforms, hygiene products and their handy culture guide.

"The culture guides will really open people's eyes," Folken said. "Not everyone thinks like an American. In order to be effective, we need to understand the differences between our cultures."