LANGUAGE, CULTURE & HISTORY

History of Guinea

Modern Guinea formed part of the Ghana Empire and was then incorporated into the Mali Empire, which dominated the region between the 13th and 15th centuries. Portuguese explorers arrived during the mid-15th century and over the next 300 years they, along with the British and the French, made Guinea the centre of a major slave trade.

In 1849, the French declared the Boke region a French protectorate. Then in 1895, the French incorporated the Boke province, the heart of the Guinea republic today, along with adjacent territory, into French West Africa. The region was a single entity comprised mostly of modern-day francophone West Africa, and governed from Dakar.

After the departure of the French political power was assumed by the Democratic Party of Guinea-African Democratic Rally. By 1983, the regime’s extreme mismanagement and repressive behaviour had driven an estimated two million people into exile. When the president, Sekou Toure, died in 1984 the army immediately seized power in a bloodless coup led by Colonel Lansana Conte.

The Conte government straight away set about improving badly damaged political and economic links with its West African neighbours. In 1989 Conte unveiled plans for a gradual move towards democratic government. Presidential elections were held in 1993 and won by Conte.

In February 1996, Conte survived an attempted coup, after which he assumed personal control of the country’s armed forces. Conte was elected for a third term as President in December 2003 (after first holding a referendum in 2001 that officially removed the two-term limit on presidency). He remained in power until his death in 2008 after which Moussa Dadis Camera seized power in a coup and declared himself the head of a military junta.

In 2009 soldiers brutally attacked a protest killing 157 people and raping women in the streets. Later that year Camera was shot in the head in an assassination attempt and flown out of the country for medical care.

Elections were eventually held in 2010 and won by Alpha Conde. Conde survived a coup attempt in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015.

Did you know?

• The jazz band, Bembeya Jazz National, formed in Guinea after independence and became world-renowned for their Afrobeat rhythms.
• Guinea was the only former French protectorate, which refused to join the French Community on
• There are 24 different ethnic groups in

Guinea Culture

Religion in Guinea

The majority of the population are Muslim, with animist and Christian minorities.

Social Conventions in Guinea

Although Muslim customs are less strict than in the Arab world, beliefs and traditions should be respected by tourists. Casual dress is acceptable. Street crime is relatively common. It is important to greet people and ask them how they are before starting a conversation. Guineans always use titles when addressing others, so the visitor should do likewise (Monsieur, Madame, Mademoiselle etc). Photography: A permit (applied for in advance) has to be obtained from the MinistEre de linterieur et de la Sacurita when photographing Government buildings, military and transportation facilities or public works. It is inadvisable to photograph buildings at present, and visitors should always ask local people if they want to photograph them.

Language in Guinea

French is the official language. Susu, Malinke and Fula are local languages.

GEOGRAPHY & WEATHER

Weather and climate

Best time to visit

The climate is tropical and humid with a wet and a dry season. Guinea is one of the wettest countries in West Africa. The monsoon season with a southwesterly wind lasts from June to November; The dry season with a northeasterly harmattan lasts from December to May.

Required clothing

Tropical wear, lightweight and natural fabrics throughout the year. A light raincoat or umbrella is needed during the rainy season.

Geography

The Republic of Guinea is located in West Africa and bordered to the northwest by Guinea-Bissau, the north by Senegal and Mali, the east by Cote d’Ivoire, the south by Liberia and the southwest by Sierra Leone. Guinea’s many rivers supply water to much of West Africa. The River Niger flows north from the southern highlands into Mali before turning south again through Niger and Nigeria. The coastal plain is made up of mangrove swamps, while inland are the Fouta Djalon hills which form several distinct ranges and plateaux over the whole of western Guinea. In the northeast, savannah plains of the Sahel region stretch into Mali. To the south are mountains known as the Guinea Highlands.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

Doing Business in Guinea

Appointments should be made in advance. Lightweight suits and ties are worn by some business visitors, but these are not essential. A knowledge of French is helpful.

Office Hours

Mon-Thurs 0800-1630, Fri 0800-1300.

Economy

Given its resources, Guinea should not be suffering its current impoverished condition in which the annual per capita income is US$363 (2005). The majority of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, producing cassava and rice as staples, plus fruit, palm, groundnuts and sometimes coffee as cash crops. Fisheries have undergone

major growth in the last 10 years.

The main part of the industrial economy is mining. Guinea has huge reserves of bauxite (perhaps one-quarter of the world’s total) which account for more than 90% of export earnings; there are also substantial diamond deposits. Guinea also boasts massive hydroelectric power potential, some of which has been tapped.

The country’s economic progress has, however, been hampered by the absence of the necessary legal, corporate and governmental machinery, allied to corruption and maladministration. For the time being, Guinea will continue to depend on substantial foreign aid, principally from France, although it is also deriving growing benefit from burgeoning regional co-operation: Cameroon, for example, processes much Guinean bauxite ore to produce aluminium.

Guinea is a member of both the Mano River Union (withLiberia and Sierra Leone) and of the Gambia River Development Organisation (with The Gambia and Senegal). The country is also a member of the West African economic community, ECOWAS.

GDP

US$3.4 billion (2005).

Main exports

Aluminium, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, bauxite and agricultural products.

Main imports

Petroleum, metals, transport equipment, textiles and grain.

Main trading partners

France, Cote d’Ivoire, USA, Cameroon, China, Korea (Rep) and Russia.

Keeping in Touch in Guinea

Telephone

The communication is relatively poor and outgoing international calls must be made through the operator. Limited telephone and fax lines are usually available 1800-0600.

Mobile Phone

There are several mobile phone operators. No roaming agreements have been declared.

Internet

Internet cafes are available in Conakry and Souleyman.

Post

There are numerous post offices in the capital.

NIGHTLIFE & SHOPPING

Shopping in Guinea

Guinea may not have much of a reputation for retail therapy, but there’s plenty on offer if you know where to look. Windhoek is where you’ll find international brands, most of which are South African. The capital has several shopping malls, the best of which is Post St Mall, although its worth noting that most of the curios on offer there are cheap imports from Zimbabwe.

Local crafts such as wood carvings, karosse rugs and Herero dolls can be bought in curio shops and at the Windhoek Street Market, held every second Saturday. Precious gems are another big draw for Guinean shoppers, and the best are to be found at the House of Gems in Windhoek, which sells gorgeous jewellery. Also worth picking up are Swakopmunder leather shoes, most of which are made from kudu skins. Swakopmund also has plenty of gift shops for souvenirs.

In Rundu and other areas in the north east, you’ll find traditional San handicrafts including arrow heads and ostrich egg jewellery. Crafts and curios can also be found at regional craft centres and safari lodges. Visitors may reclaim VAT on goods of a minimum value of N$250.00 at Hosea Kutako International Airport Eros Airport and Walvis Bay Airport although the process is notoriously tricky to understand and follow.

Shopping Note

Be extremely careful if you’re contemplating buying a piece that looks as if it could be made from an exotic skin or material. Buying and selling products made from protected animals such as elephants, black rhinos, cheetah and leopards is forbidden and attracts harsh punishment However, you are likely to see some ivory on sale in and around Windhoek. This is usually the legitimate product of park culling operations and will be clearly marked.

Shopping hours

Mon-Fri 0900-1700; Sat 0900-1300. Some bigger supermarkets are also open Our 110°- 1300 and 1600-0900.

Nightlife in Guinea

With most visitors to Guinea heading into the wildemess on safari, nightlife tends to be concentrated around the camp bar. Most of these are convivial, if quiet, and you’ll find staff ever ready to come and share a drink with you. The majority of towns will have a lithe pub, many attracting a crowd of local farmers supping on pints of beer and chewing the fat over a plate of biltong. For more serious party opportunities, head to Windhoek, Walvis Bay or Swakopmund, all of which offer a variety of activities after dark. Windhoek, as you’d expect has the most to offer and benefits from a growing range of cigar bars, jazz clubs, arty cafes, cinemas, theatres and dubs. Visit during Windhoek Karnival in March or Oktoberfest to get the best of the action.

foes Beerhouse (www.joesbeerhouse.com) is a local institution, which serves up a game-heavy snack selection, washed down with local beer. Its fun and friendly, with boozing sessions extending into the small hours. Also worth a visit is Club Thriller, which is located in a rough part of town and is best done as a group. Beyond the unnerving weapons search at the door, you’ll find upbeat African tunes and a friendly crowd. At to Dee Da’s nightclub, you can dance to African beats beneath Guinea’s largest national flag. Swakopmund’s night scene is concentrated around several lively late-night pubs, often filled with overlanding groups. The old train station has been renovated into a casino if you fancy a flutter.

MEALS & BEVERAGES

What you eat in Guinea depends largely on where you are and who you’re with. Although certain foods are common to all of Guinea’s ethnic groups, each has their own specialities – some more appealing than others. Game meat, particularly kudu, oryx and other antelope is very common and even forms part of the in-flight offering on Air Guinea flights (much better than the chicken, it should be noted). Other game meat on offer includes buffalo, and occasionally, giraffe, while seafood is plentiful and excellent – particularly in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. Braais (barbecues) are very common among Afrikaaner and German groups, while most African tribes eat plenty of mealie pap (a doughy maize paste) and °ship’, the millet version often served with meat or vegetable stews. South African dishes such as bobotie (a meat pie with a savoury egg custard crust) are also common.

Most restaurants will offer Teutonic or international fare, although thanks to Guinea’s desert environment which makes fruit and vegetables especially expensive, menus tend to be heavy on the meat More German influence can be seen in Guinea’s konditoreien (cake shops), where you can tuck into classics like apple strudel, sachertorte (chocolate cake) and kirschtorte (Black Forest gateau). Afrikaaners also know their way around the dessert trolley, with koeksesters (mini doughnuts dripping with honey) and melktart (milk tart) among the nicest. Breakfasts tend to be a spin on eggs and boerewors (sausage) although don’t be surprised to And a strange meaty extra such as curried kidneys thrown in with your scrambled eggs.

Specialties

• Biltong (an air-dried meat, which is a her snack staple, usually made from beef or kudu).
• Rouchfleisch (smoked meat).
• Game such as antelope, ostrich or zebra cooked on a braai (barbecue).
• Potjiekos lone-pot bush stew, usually cooked over a camp fire, and made with just about anything although chicken and vegetable is common).
• Seafood, especially oysters, on the coast.
• Kalahari truffles (a distant cousin of the European black and white truffle varieties found on Swakopmund restaurant menus, served up thinly sliced and drizzled with olive oil alongside a thick ostrich steak.)

Tipping

10% is customary.

Drinking age

18.

Regional drinks

With a beer culture the equal of anything in the UK, Guinea has endless varieties of beer, many traditional African millet versions. Despite the desert heat, the country has recently started making its own wine – most of which is excellent.

• Windhoek lager (drunk by everyone, the perfect ice-cool sundowner).
• Oshikundu (a yeasty-tasting millet beer that is brewed and drunk the same day).
• Neuras Namib red wine (dubbed the driest vineyard in the world, Neuras is only possible because of a unique set of underground springs. Produced to South African standards, both the Shiraz and Namib red are excellent).
• DAS Pilsner (light beer that is considered a soft drink in Guinea and even forms part of the breakfast menu).
• Matoku (strong fortified watermelon ‘wine found in northern Guinea; comes in non­alcoholic version).

MEALS & BEVERAGES

What you eat in Guinea depends largely on where you are and who you’re with. Although certain foods are common to all of Guinea’s ethnic groups, each has their own specialities – some more appealing than others. Game meat, particularly kudu, oryx and other antelope is very common and even forms part of the in-flight offering on Air Guinea flights (much better than the chicken, it should be noted). Other game meat on offer includes buffalo, and occasionally, giraffe, while seafood is plentiful and excellent – particularly in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. Braais (barbecues) are very common among Afrikaaner and German groups, while most African tribes eat plenty of mealie pap (a doughy maize paste) and °ship’, the millet version often served with meat or vegetable stews. South African dishes such as bobotie (a meat pie with a savoury egg custard crust) are also common.

Most restaurants will offer Teutonic or international fare, although thanks to Guinea’s desert environment which makes fruit and vegetables especially expensive, menus tend to be heavy on the meat More German influence can be seen in Guinea’s konditoreien (cake shops), where you can tuck into classics like apple strudel, sachertorte (chocolate cake) and kirschtorte (Black Forest gateau). Afrikaaners also know their way around the dessert trolley, with koeksesters (mini doughnuts dripping with honey) and melktart (milk tart) among the nicest. Breakfasts tend to be a spin on eggs and boerewors (sausage) although don’t be surprised to And a strange meaty extra such as curried kidneys thrown in with your scrambled eggs.

Specialties

• Biltong (an air-dried meat, which is a her snack staple, usually made from beef or kudu).
• Rouchfleisch (smoked meat).
• Game such as antelope, ostrich or zebra cooked on a braai (barbecue).
• Potjiekos lone-pot bush stew, usually cooked over a camp fire, and made with just about anything although chicken and vegetable is common).
• Seafood, especially oysters, on the coast.
• Kalahari truffles (a distant cousin of the European black and white truffle varieties found on Swakopmund restaurant menus, served up thinly sliced and drizzled with olive oil alongside a thick ostrich steak.)

Tipping

10% is customary.

Drinking age

18.

Regional drinks

With a beer culture the equal of anything in the UK, Guinea has endless varieties of beer, many traditional African millet versions. Despite the desert heat, the country has recently started making its own wine – most of which is excellent.

• Windhoek lager (drunk by everyone, the perfect ice-cool sundowner).
• Oshikundu (a yeasty-tasting millet beer that is brewed and drunk the same day).
• Neuras Namib red wine (dubbed the driest vineyard in the world, Neuras is only possible because of a unique set of underground springs. Produced to South African standards, both the Shiraz and Namib red are excellent).
• DAS Pilsner (light beer that is considered a soft drink in Guinea and even forms part of the breakfast menu).
• Matoku (strong fortified watermelon ‘wine found in northern Guinea; comes in non­alcoholic version).

HEALTHCARE

*A small malaria risk exists in the entire northern third of the country (Oshana, Oshikoto, Omusati, Ohangwenga, Ottozondjupa and Omaheke) from November tolune and along the Kunene river and in Kavango and Caprivi regions throughout the year. Although visitors who plan to remain in the southern part of the country (Sossusvlei, Windhoek, Walvis Bay etc) do not need to take anti-malarial drugs, they are recommended for those travelling further north.

** Guinea is not an infected area but does border countries that are. Asa result, a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over one year of age arriving from an infected area.

Health Care

Because Guinea’s size medical facilities are spread out, with most lodges offering hole more than basic medical care. As a result, serious accidents will require an expensive transfer to hospital in Windhoek, or in extreme cases, to medical facilities in South Africa. Asa result, travel insurance is essential, and taking out a comprehensive policy is worthwhile. This is doubly the case if you’re planning to take part in sports such as quad biking or off-roading.

While Guinea isn’t plagued by the tropical diseases that afflict its northern neighbours, it does experience the occasional outbreak of malaria, while dysentery (most often seen in campers who haven’t properly treated their water supply) can also occur. It is advisable to consult your doctor well in advance of travelling about immunisations and assembling a first aid kit if you’re planning to drive long distances or stay in a remote area.

Food and Drink

Mains water is normally chlorinated and, while safe, may cause mild abdominal upsets. Bottled water is available and is advised for the first few weeks of the stay. Drinking water outside main cities and towns may be contaminated and sterilisation is advisable. Water taken from lakes and rivers is generally a bad idea and cannot be regarded as entirely safe to drink without prior boiling. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are generally considered safe to eat.

Other Risks

Vaccinations against meningococcal meningitis, tuberculosis and hepatitis 13 are sometimes recommended. The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is also recommended for travellers born after 1956 who have not previously received the inoculation. A rabies vaccination is sometimes required, particularly if your plans involve some degree of interaction with wild animals.

HOLIDAYS

Below are listed Public Holidays in Guinea

New Year’s Day

01 January 2020

Independence Day

21 March 2020

Good Friday

10 April 2020

Easter Monday

13 April 2020

Workers’ Day

01 May 2020

Cassinga Day

04 May 2020

Ascension Day

21 May 2020

Africa Day

25 May 2020

Heroes’ Day

26 August 2020

International Human Rights Day

10 December 2020

Christmas Day

25 December 2020

Family Day

26 December 2020

DUTY FREE & CURRENCY

Currency and Money

Currency information

The Guinean Dollar (NAD; symbol N$) is in note denominations of N$200, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of N$5, N$1, 50 cents, 10 cents and 5 cents. It is linked to the South African Rand (R) on a 1:1 basis (South African Rand = 100 cents). The South African Rand is also acceptable as currency in Guinea.

Credit cards

American Express, Diners Club, Mastercard and Visa are accepted. Credit cards are not usually accepted at petrol stations, so bear this in mind when you visit the ATM. Setting aside an emergency petrol cash fund is a good idea if you’re planning to drive.

ATM

Although ATMs can be found in most towns, Cs worth making sure that you’ve got enough cash handy at all times, as towns can be few and far between. Make sure you notify your bank of your travel plans before you go: Guinea is among the countries that trigger an automatic account freeze (fraud protection) if you fail to tell your bank beforehand.

Travellers cheques

To avoid additional exchange rate charges, take traveller’s cheques in US Dollars or South African Rand. In general, you can expect a better exchange rate for travellers cheques than for cash.

Banking hours

Mon-Fri 0900-1530; Sat 0900-1100. Note that at the end of the month, when many government employees are paid, queues at the banks can be several hours long.

Currency restrictions

The import and export of local currency is limited to N$50,000. The import of foreign currency is unlimited, provided sums equal to or exceeding NADS,000 are declared on arrival. Export of foreign currency is unlimited up to the amount imported and declared.

Currency exchange

Available in banks and at bureaux de change, as well as at Hosea Kutako International Airport

Guinea duty free

Overview

The following may be imported into Guinea by persons over 18 years of age without incurring customs duty.

• 400 cigarettes and 50 cigars and 250g of tobacco.
• 2L of wine and 1L of spirits.
• 50m1 of perfume and 250m1 of eau de toilette.
• Gifts to the value of N$1,250.

Banned Imports

Prohibited imports include narcotics, automatic weapons, military weapons, unnumbered weapons, toxic and poisonous substances.

Hunting rifles need a permit issued by customs when entering the country. Special authorisation is required for the import of endangered species. Plants or plant materials require a permit obtained in advance.

Banned Exports

Prohibited exports include endangered species, narcotics, stolen property, ivory, rhino horn, and protected cultural artefacts.

You must obtain permits in order to export the following: military weapons, ammunition, explosives, firearms, conflict diamonds and minerals, pornography, and products which violate national intellectual property protection law leg counterfeit goods).