I Came across this great article and thought of sharing as done people still think Africa is a country. In this day and age you would think those in the west have the knowledge but alas...
Hey, interesting what these people think of Africa, eh? "No, Africa is not a country"; "Yes, we do have cars"; "Not everyone lives in mud huts"; "Yes, Charlize Theron and Dave Matthews are real Africans"...
Welcome to a day in the life of an African living in the USA! Over the years, an abundance of these and many other shockingly ignorant and bewildering questions have led me to ask myself, why is Africa so grossly misrepresented in the USA?
When Will Smith returned from filming Ali in 2001, he went on American TV and explained how he felt duped and misinformed when, upon arriving at Jan Smuts's airport, he found that the Africa he had been taught in school and seen on TV was NOTHING like what he had come to experience first hand. Like Smith, many Americans who do finally set foot in Africa, fall head over heals in love with her beauty, hospitality, and splendour, and most continue to return.
"A piece of your soul stays in Africa", explains Michael, an Attorney in Atlanta, Georgia. As many Africans in the USA will tell you, we often find ourselves going on the defensive, trying to speak up on behalf of a continent which, though burdened by its fair share of turmoil and strife, is by far the most beautiful and spiritual places on earth. We have found ourselves indignantly whipping out photo albums to show them our beautiful lush homes, our hypnotic Jacaranda trees, the awe-inspiring Table Mountain and the majestic Victoria Falls. Many Africans find themselves having to explain certain attributes about themselves, as if being African renders them unworthy of these qualities.
A close Zimbabwean friend of mine was recently branded a pariah in his workplace after an exchange he had with one of his new African American compendres, "You're from Africa? Wow, I am surprised you speak such good English!" the American quipped. To which my proud friend retorted, "I am surprised you speak proper English too!"
Another South African acquaintance found he had to prove he is a 'real' African simply because he is white. Frustrated by these and many other incidents, I set out on a quest to unravel this mystery and get to the bottom of this misinformation. Surely we cannot lay all blame at the foot of the mass media machine...or can we?
Over the course of a week, I took to the streets and randomly picked 10 Americans from different walks of life and asked them each 4 simple questions:
1. What 2 words spring to mind when you hear the name Africa?
2. Name 5 African countries
3. Name 2 positive things you associate with Africa
4. Would you ever visit Africa? If not, why?
What I unearthed was a vacuous, narrow-minded viewpoint, which left me even more baffled than I was going in.
All 10 of my respondents named AIDS as the word that immediately sprung to mind when they thought of Africa. The other common words were civil war, famine, female genital mutilation, Mandela, slave trade and wild animals.
When it came to naming countries, the most common were Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, Nigeria and Liberia, (sprinkled with a misguided Guyana here and Chile there!). Most struggled to name 10. The positive (surely something good has come out of Africa!) they thought, were; the Lion King (I'm serious!),
Ancient Egypt, Mt Kilimanjaro, preservation of wildlife, and the beautiful African women. One "enlightened" African American actually said (to my face), that slavery was a positive thing because without it, he'd still be living in Africa "without running water or toilets".
The majority were nonchalant about visiting Africa, with several saying that despite Africa's strife, they consider a visit to Africa to be a pilgrimage which every black person should make at least once in their lives.
Honestly, I was hurt! I felt as if they had insulted my family. I wanted to tell each one of them how sad and misguided they were...how disappointing it was that they saw the world through such short-sighted lenses. How infuriating it was that people in Africa strive to emulate the American culture and idolize American celebrities, yet they in turn could not look past a biased news report, documentary or "Save the Children" food drive, complete with fly infested, snotty nosed, malnutritioned babies.
But then something dawned on me... WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT TO REPRESENT AFRICA? I realized that as long as we allow other people to tell our stories and comment on our issues, we shall forever be branded and placed into a box which best suits them. I cannot be angry at these people, it's not their fault. Because too few of us have stepped forward and tried to tell our positive, inspiring and diverse stories we have been relegated to the notions and opinions of someone! else.
Once I realized that I had the power to change the negative perception of Africa, I felt positive and empowered, and hopeful that one day the world would come to view Africa and Africans as the multi-dimensional and majestic people that they are.
(i don't know the original author)
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And I may add that the mighty Victoria Falls is not in South Africa but shared by Zambia and Zimbabwe. Mandela was not president for Africa...Eish!
Sent from Mobile Gmail by HTC for Matongo Maumbi, Zambia.
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