7 worst misconceptions about Africa
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Ever since I arrivedin China in 2014, the series of questions that I have been asked by different people finally got me thinking. Then I said to myself, “why not write something about Africa since am a native African (Nigerian)”. The sad truth is that I didn’t really care much about the rest of the countries in Africa, until I arrived in China and then I realized that ‘world’ too didn’t care about which country in Africa I came from. They only knew that I was from Africa. Then I realized that indeed I am an African and only that matters. But this article is not about me, it is an enlightenment piece to enlighten some people about the misconception they have carried over a great continent (Africa) even in this 21st century. So what are these misconceptions about Africa?
1. Africa is a country.
It’s rare to ask people, “Which continent are you from”? Yet it’s not rare to hear “Are you from Africa? “The truth is that Africa is the second largest and second most populated continent besides Asia. There are 54 official countries in Africa. But when a big media like CNN wants to report draught happening somewhere in one African countries, knowing fully well that putting the country’s name will not make a great news, they title it ‘draught in Africa,’ so, many have been deceived to think that Africa is a country.
2. Everyone from Africa is poor and hungry.
This misconception have gotten so deep into many people that when they see a black person, all that they can think of is poverty. I will never forget a teacher in my school who said in front of the whole class “food is not a cause of stress maybe only in Africa” but such teacher forget that most African students in China pay their tuition fees by themselves. Africa’s richest have a combined wealth of $80.96 billion, a drop of $13.04 billion from $94 billion in 2015 (www.africanexponent.com). To set the record straight, Africa’s richest man is Aliko Dangote who is richer than Donald Trump 4.5 billion, Oprah Winfrey $3 billion and Roman Abramovich – owner of Chelsea FC (7.6 billion) put together (Forbes 2016). Of cause there are some poor people in Africa and so are there in China and in any other part of the world.
3. Africans are always behind in all of the trends.
Believe me: many people in Africa get access to a new technology gadget before some people in an 'advanced country' even hear about it.
4. Africa is a huge desert/rainforest.
This is a sorry misconception people hold about Africa’s geography. Africa is not just the Sahara desert or the rainforests. It certainly isn't searing hot everywhere, neither does it perpetually rain all year round. Geographically speaking, the African continent has the unique distinction of stretching from the northern temperate zone to the southern, with the Equator running through it. The geographic diversity of Africa is simply breathtaking. As an example, we've got you the Victoria Falls, the Blyde River Canyon, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and a view of the Indian Ocean as seen from Cape Town (www.buzzle.com).
5. Animals roam the streets everywhere in Africa.
So many Chinese have told me they want to visit my country because they want to see animals and am like “really?” As someone from western Africa (Nigeria), the only place I have seen animals like lion and tigers are in zoo. A significant part of Africa's wildlife lies safely ensconced in its many game reserves. Now, these parks and reserves could be located a few minutes outside the cities, but this does not mean that citizens have regular encounters with lions and giraffes in their backyard.
6. Africans live in huts.
Many people believe that all African people live in mud and dung huts. There are buildings and towns and cities in every country in Africa. That is also not to say that no people in Africa live in huts, as there are a lot of tribes that still choose to live in their traditional villages in huts, but the bulk of each country have become westernized and civilized. For anyone in doubt, I will like to invite you to my city (Abuja Nigeria).
7. Africans speak one language.
This is one of the most ridiculous misconceptions I have ever heard. The number of languages spoken in the entire African continent is quite enormous. According to research, it is estimated to range between 1,500-2,000 languages. I think Africa is the most diverse continent in the world. Just in my country Nigeria, there are over 300 different languages. The case is the same with other African countries, which is why the official language is English for the Anglophone and French for the Francophone countries.
If I try to narrow down the misconceptions that people have about Africa to only 7, I will be making a great mistake that’s why the comment section is open for you to add to the list. But if you are not an Africa, what are some of the misconceptions people have about your continent?
Source:
http://answersafrica.com/africa-facts.html
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/top10-misconceptions-about-africa.html
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/7-common-misconceptions-about-africa.html
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