Gifts are messages. They can express care, love, gratitude, hope, and a lot more. They may recognize an accomplishment or a milestone achieved. They can be a memory, such as the recognition of a birthday. Gifts are as much a part of human culture as is eating and sleeping. And in Africa, gift-giving is a social art, reflecting multiple forms of communication as well as emotion.
Of course, like anywhere else, there are classic gift moments, such as a wedding, the birth of a child, or a birthday. However, gifts are frequently woven into African culture for introduction, friendship, social messaging, support, and more. So, it’s no surprise that African tradition has adapted to modern tools today as well to maintain the same ideas and customs across geographic distances.
Gifts are Part of Social Identity
The concept of gifting with money for different occasions as well as social connections isn’t limited to one particular country, such as Mali or Ethiopia. It’s a regional, shared approach, crossing boundaries and repeated from one African culture and society to the next. However, the nuances and methods of messaging can still be very unique from one society to another. Fortunately, the digital tools available to make gift-giving happen for those far distances away from home solve the problem of absence and inability to gift in person.
Making It Easier for Generational Gifts
African culture utilizes gift-giving heavily for generational transfer. For example, many elderly people and grandparents think nothing of real-time gifts of cash bundles to younger relatives as a way of passing on good luck as well as fending off bad elements. However, this gets complicated if generations are literally countries apart. So, utilizing trusted money transfer providers solves this challenge, making it still possible to provide a cash gift without having to hop on a plane, drive a huge car distance and then do it all over again to get back home. With placement and presence in hundreds of countries and with safe transfer channels and mechanisms, African relatives can gift cash without problems of fear of theft in transit.
Why a Trusted Service Provider Matters for Africa
Unfortunately, there are also plenty of characters, including businesses, that advertise themselves specifically to Africans abroad, promising specific services for cash transfer without the guarantees or protection customers need. This is the big difference between a trusted cash transfer service provider and many other players; trusted providers are licensed in all the countries they operate, they have a long-standing record of performance, comply with all local and international laws are followed, and protect and guarantee their services work, specifically the money moving from point A to point B. Africans abroad who want to use cash transfer tools definitely need to consider these factors to protect themselves and their gifts in transit.
The protection issue is even more pronounced today than ever. The Internet makes it extremely easy to move cash electronically, but it also makes it easy for scammers and fraudulent parties to reach out to African communities abroad and take advantage of familiarity. Use of private channels to avoid fees and maybe save a few dollars oftentimes backfires when the entire cash gift ends up stolen in these instances, and online theft is almost impossible to recover from.
Don’t be a Target
Cultural traditions and gifting matter tremendously; it’s what keeps people connected despite being located huge distances apart. Don’t let a bad player make it impossible to continue your African traditions of gifting with money. Use a trusted money transfer provider and protect more than just your money. Protect your link with your family and friends in Africa.
