Colombia

     Colombians tends to live as collectivist society and daily life revolves around the family. Family comes first, and homes are often multigenerational, however socioeconomics often determines that and gender roles. In lower class families, the extended family member may continue to live with each other, while in wealthier families the young adults may move out after marriage. The elderly are respected and looked after in old age. Neighbors usually help each other out (Colombian - Core Concepts, 2018).

     Catholicism is the primary religion practiced in the country thanks to Spanish colonization. 

    Colombian architecture, and culture has been greatly influenced Spanish, African, and Indigenous influences. The Colombian people are known for their joy of life and are known to make a party out of anything. This is referred to as the "rumbero spirit". They are very charismatic and expressive people (Colombian - Core Concepts, 2018).

     Colombians embrace the arts including colorful paintings, sculptures, and jewelry (Colombian - Core Concepts, 2018). They also love music and to dance. The most popular local musical styles are Vallenato, Salsa, Merengue, Cumbia, and Bambuco (Wikipedia contributors, 2024). 

     Soccer, or futbol, is a passion of most of the country's inhabitants (Colombia — History and Culture, n.d.).

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Colombian - Core concepts. (2018). Cultural Atlas. https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/colombian-culture/colombian-culture-core-concepts

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Colombia — history and culture. (n.d.). https://www.iexplore.com/articles/travel-guides/central-and-south-america/colombia/history-and-culture

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Wikipedia contributors. (2024, March 8). Culture of Colombia. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Colombia

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     Political, social, economic, and financial sectors have informal decision-making groups called "roscas".  Roscas link influential individuals and institutions so that universities, banks, industries, and agricultural interests may be coordinated and controlled by a few people. Inclusion in these such groups is limited to members of the upper-middle and upper classes (Culture of Colombia - History, People, Clothing, Traditions, Women, Beliefs, Food, Customs, Family, n.d.). Who you know is how things get done in Colombia and "palancas" are often used. A palanca means leverage and is when an influential friend or relative tries to help an individual gain a position (Culture of Colombia - History, People, Clothing, Traditions, Women, Beliefs, Food, Customs, Family, n.d.). 

     Men still dominate the higher levels of business and leadership roles, as Colombian gender roles was marked by traditional latino machismo. Thing are starting to change as more women have entered the work force and are holding higher paying jobs. In business groups, people tend to work as collectivist, working together to meet business goals. 

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Culture of Colombia - history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family. (n.d.). https://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Colombia.html

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     The primary language in Colombia is Spanish. Colombians can be quite expressive and are open with their emotions. They listen well and avoid interrupting others. They use very descriptive language and can be quite animated. They can be indirect and long-winded. Using diminutives is very common to show affection. There are more formal ways of speaking within business, formal settings, or with people of a higher status. Humor is often used in conversation; however, men reserve the crude stuff for when women are not around.

     Physical communication is common with very expressive gestures, like hand movements or even a nudge. Eye contact is usually direct and expected. Colombians do not always respect personal space and may get very close in conversation. 

     A firm handshake and eye contact is appropriate for most greetings; however a hug and a kiss are also common once acquainted. This is often followed with "Buenos dias", "Buenas tardes", or "Buenas noches" (Colombian - Greetings, 2018).

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Colombian - Greetings. (2018). Cultural Atlas. https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/colombian-culture/colombian-culture-greetings

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     When most of the world thinks of Colombia, the first things that come to mind are the national soccer team, the jungle, dancing, the bright colors of the flag, and unfortunately Pablo Escobar's reign as the world's most influential drug trafficker. When most people in North America think of Colombia, they immediately think of the Netflix series Narcos, drugs, and political corruption. This is a small minority of the Colombian population, and it is highly offensive to many Colombians to be associated with that. Many Colombians were negatively affected by the drug cartels in Colombia as well (Colombian - Do’s and Don’ts, 2018). 

     Colombia is still viewed as having an unstable economy, and a corrupt unstable government.