Facts and misconceptions of Africa you/someone you know has

Discuss the September 2017 Book of the Month, Bluewater Walkabout: Into Africa: Finding Healing Through Travel by Tina Dreffin.


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walter7
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Re: Facts and misconceptions of Africa you/someone you know

Post by walter7 »

We can't just judge places with negative thoughts like that. I am from africa and I love my country. Not every places has only the best interest.
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Post by jenjayfromSA »

Hi Juliet, couldn't agree more. I live in South Africa, in Johannesburg, a big, modern, fast, technological city, but I've travelled through our incredibly beautiful country and up north. Yes, there are problems - we are a society very much in transition - but there is an energy and vibrancy here that I couldn't feel when I visited Europe. If you want the upmarket route, there are some supremely luxurious hotels, game lodges etc. The middle-class live much the same wherever you go, in the rural areas you will still see traditional huts etc. We're a diverse bunch, but we respect. I've worked in many multi-racial environments and people are people.

-- 28 Sep 2017, 07:18 --

By the way. Africa is a BIG country. I do not know anyone who lives in Cairo. It's quite a distance away. Yes we do have a lot of languages (nine official in South Africa), but English is always acceptable, although in some areas with a lot of immigrants you can use French. No, we don't have wild animals everywhere, although some schoolkids in England managed to convince locals that they had a pet elephant in the backyard (the wonders of smartphone pix). Wild animals are in the parks, game farms and the zoo. In some areas monkeys can be a problem, smart and destructive, they can come into your kitchen and trash everything. We're much like everyone else!
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Post by eelavahs-jay »

A lot of people are under the impression that everyone from Africa has kwashiorkor, ebola and are dirt-poor. I think part of the reason for this is the representation of Africa in the media. Often times we're told about the ills plaguing African societies rather than the success stories and/or great discoveries. Not everyone from Africa lives in a hut or belong to a tribe. It's so terribly frustrating to explain this to people. Even though I'm not from the continent the misconceptions and prejudiced against people from Africa grates on my nerves.
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Post by meteku4 »

There are indeed great misconceptions about Africa, probably because many of such people have never visited the continent, or that they had some bad experiences in the hands of some Africans, or that the books written about Africa by non-Africans have not told the truth. People need to be open minded and do well to avoid stereotypical comments.
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Post by Zohaib imtiaz »

people think there are wild animals everywhere but that's not true
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Post by ifeoma obike »

The major misconception of Africa is that it is a rural area, full of ignorant people. A lot of people also think that Africa is very unsafe, a place where there is no security and a lot of diseases.
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Post by Sally_Heart »

I know of a person who was once asked whether people in Africa put on clothes.
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Post by meteku4 »

Salsabila wrote:I know of a person who was once asked whether people in Africa put on clothes.
Interesting! And what was your answer?
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Post by Colleen0701 »

Londera wrote:There is a misconception that Africa is a poor country. It has some of the more resources and precious materials in the world. It is just that these resources are often stolen by those who claim to be "doing good". Also alot of people think that only Black people live in Africa. Also it is not one big country, but a continent is a continent with many different countries and regions.
There is no misconception thinking that Africa is a poor continent. It is. A reader from South Africa pointed out Johannesburg as a world class city. Right next to Johannesburg is Soweto which is a third world city, at best.
There are many poor countries in Africa and most of them are led by fascist dictators. Zimbabwe being a case in point, Mugabe really has run it down the toilet. And then to the North, Kenya, Nigeria and their problems with pirates, Islamic fundamentalists and other terrorists who use their countries as a base. Need I mention drought stricken Ethiopia and the Sudan, north and south with their problems?
If you're in a first world country, you have a lot to be thankful for.
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Post by Anjum »

Mosubi wrote:Unfortunately, many people have no idea that Africa is a very beautiful continent. Few misconceptions don't change the facts.
Yeah, I have seen many people who think that Africa is just a tribal continent.
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Post by ritah »

I know someone (we are not close or anything) who thinks Africa is plagued with diseases. I tried to show him the light but the man was too deep in his ignorance.

-- 18 Oct 2017, 06:07 --

I know someone (we are not close or anything) who thinks Africa is plagued with diseases. I tried to show him the light but the man was too deep in his ignorance.
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Post by Star88 »

I have heard people refer to Africa as being one country with the same culture. I don't think many people realize how diverse Africa really is. It has so many different people, cultures, countries, and biomes.
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Post by powergirl »

I heard that people believe that in Africa there is only wilder people,poverty,diseases etc...but it is not the case.Reason why when people came to visit there they have good feeling and want to come back again.
"To be or not to be that's the question" William Shakespeare
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Post by HouseOfAtticus »

I think the tribes thing is the main one. For me, tribes and orality are two things i associate Africa with. I know it is pigeonholing, but it helps me form the first impression.
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Post by AdaJude »

Colleen0701 wrote:
Londera wrote:There is a misconception that Africa is a poor country. It has some of the more resources and precious materials in the world. It is just that these resources are often stolen by those who claim to be "doing good". Also alot of people think that only Black people live in Africa. Also it is not one big country, but a continent is a continent with many different countries and regions.
There is no misconception thinking that Africa is a poor continent. It is. A reader from South Africa pointed out Johannesburg as a world class city. Right next to Johannesburg is Soweto which is a third world city, at best.
There are many poor countries in Africa and most of them are led by fascist dictators. Zimbabwe being a case in point, Mugabe really has run it down the toilet. And then to the North, Kenya, Nigeria and their problems with pirates, Islamic fundamentalists and other terrorists who use their countries as a base. Need I mention drought stricken Ethiopia and the Sudan, north and south with their problems?
If you're in a first world country, you have a lot to be thankful for.
I get your point. But its part of a common misconception. Considering that more 'lone gunmen' have killed more people this year in USA than supposed terrorists have in Kenya over the past decade. Slum-like neighborhoods exist even in first-world nations in Europe and the Americas.

The major misconception I've heard is Africa being a homologous society. While studying in Germany some classmates thought I'd get along with a Malian, am Kenyan. They assumed we speak the same language/tribe. Malians speak French, Kenyans speak English in formal settings, neither of us could understand each other. For some reason our German hosts couldn't understand why.

There are as many countries than Europe and Americas combined, with just as differing societies and languages. Not all people from Africa come from the same place or know each other.
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