Africa, surprisingly enough, is not a country. Worryingly, a lot of people seem to think so.
“So, you’re from Africa right?”. No. I am from Nigeria, one of 54 countries in Africa. A continent with 1.2 billion people; the cradle of civilisation (argue with your history teacher); second biggest continent in terms of size and population. Put some respect on Africa’s name.
Next time you meet someone from Africa, ask them “So what country in Africa are you from?”. You’ll get a more engaging and welcoming interaction afterwards.
Moving on from ‘the country of Africa’, believe it or not, all Africans aren’t related and come in all different shapes and sizes, white, black, Asian, Arabian, mixed race, and many more. And no, I don’t know your Kenyan tour guide’s little nephew. The likelihood of two Africans knowing each other especially when they are from different countries is very slim. The next time you meet someone from Ghana and bring up someone you met at the gym from Mali, it will end a conversation rather than start one.
It’s a vast and diverse continent. We also have a variety of different languages, different cultures, beliefs, food and to be honest, really what brings us together is our similar colonial masters. For instance, my home country Nigeria has more than 250 languages, but English is the official first language which breaks down the language barriers.
Another cringeworthy conversation starter has to be “I would love to go to Africa one day, just for the safaris”. African safaris are probably the most wonderful things to experience, but there is so much more to Africa than the safaris and zoos. There are the amazing islands and beach resorts in Mauritius; the lofty Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania; the beautiful Victoria Falls in Zambia – the list is endless. Our nightlife too is like no other: stunning resorts, first-class hotels, amazing festivals and great food. I haven’t been to half of these places but Africa has so much to offer other than safaris – don’t get me wrong, they’re an amazing experience, but it’s not all we have here.
“So do you guys all live in villages?”. No disrespect, but the first university in the world was built here many years ago. Before the slave trade we were one of the richer parts for the world. We built the pyramids without JCB or modern cranes. We aren’t this poor continent, as we’re portrayed on TV screens, with The Red Cross claiming to ‘help’ poor children in the continent. The problem is that we are poorly managed by our leaders, which leads to large income gaps and inefficient use of our resources. Many would say repatriations from colonialism would help, but that’s a story for another day. Yes, some people live in villages like they do in the UK, but a lot of people live in modernised cities, also like they do in the UK.
These are the main misconceptions from the British and most of the west about African countries and their citizens. I hope this helps to demystify Africa and correct some wrong assumptions. We aren’t perfect – a lot of our countries only recently received their independence – but the myth that we are as backwards as the media suggests should be dismissed. When you visit, you’ll understand what I mean.
Ayokunle Arikawe
@ayokariks
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