When the continent of Africa is mentioned, most often than not the first Image that comes to the average person’s mind is one of a “dark continent” characterized by primeval irrationality, tribal anarchy, civil war, political instability, flagrant corruption, incompetent leadership and managerial ineptitude, hunger, famine and starvation as well as rampant diseases, especially AIDS. Africa is seen as a homogenous entity comprising of uncivilized and heathen peoples who are culturally, intellectually, politically and technically backward or inferior, who are incapable of governing themselves, or at least embracing democratic principles of governance. The African continent is depicted as the “dependent Africa”, “crisis driven Africa” and “hopeless” or “pitiable Africa”. Without exception, the images have been negative and then sensationialize the “dark” side of Africa War, Poverty, famine, HIV and so on. This is the Africa that most people know, and believe to be true. However, though some of these negatives exist, on the contrary the general picture of what Africa truly is very far from this image that has become attached to it.
Africa is the second largest continent both in terms of land area and population, but unfortunately it is the poorest and least developed of them all. Many people in the Western world generally display a significant lack of knowledge about Africa. They have never visited Africa and most certainly, they never will. Yet in their minds, most of them have certain images of Africa that they hold to be “true” or “real”. They possess these images courtesy of the Western media through its representations of Africa – via television programs and documentaries, the movie industry, the Internet, as well as the print media including the newspapers, magazines, journals and books.
The persistent phenomenon of how the Western Media have continued to treat Africa negatively is as topical today as it was nearly two decades ago when many Africans and other aggrieved proponents campaigned for the adoption of a new world information order as the best corrective approach. This stereotyping archetype unfortunately has remained a hallmark of Western collection and dissemination of information about Africa. In many instances, Western media practitioners present fatalistic and selectively crude images of Africa to prove to their already misinformed audiences that they have visited the continent or are knowledgeable about its activities. This has impacted and continues to impact the continent politically, economically and socially….
(via monochromaticblack)
