Africa: Stereotyping Africa - From Impoverishment to 'Africa Rising'

analysis

"Always use the word 'Africa' or 'Darkness' or 'Safari' in your title." These are the opening words of a famous satirical essay by the Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina in How to Write about Africa. It was widely acclaimed when it first appeared in 2005 and poked fun at the repeated stereotypes in the international media reporting of Africa.

The same theme was addressed in the TED talk by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She spoke about the danger of a single story in the way that clichés about poverty, famine and disasters dominated reporting and understanding of Africa. There was rarely a rounded, balanced or nuanced approach. She described how when she arrived to study at a US university, her roommate expressed astonishment to meet someone from Africa who was not a starving victim. Such was the one-dimensional way that the continent was reported on and understood.

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