Whose Report will you Believe?

 The Western media for has decades depicted Africa as a continent synonymous with genocide, disease, corruption, poverty, ignorance, deprivation, banditry, brigandage, slaughter fields, child soldiers, gang-raped girls, harassed mothers and wasted children. The continent is even at times referred to as the ‘dark’ continent.  Surely, we are plagued by some of these challenges as a result of our own attitudes and leadership but also as a result external forces.

Nevertheless, such one-size-fit-all description is irresponsible, to day the least Some countries and sub-regions have made significant strides but these are never reported and the western media doesn’t seem to be interested even if they can get this news for free.

It will take a lot of energy and time to expunge this mindset about our continent and people. I have a role to play and so do you. We’ve got to graciously but aggressively challenge people when we know they are wide of the mark. But this requires that we arm ourselves with the best facts and figures about our people and continent.

How many times have you heard someone recounting African as a country that is in a civil war? Both are false. The truth is that Africa is not a country and Africa is not in a civil war. Perception becomes a reality if it is not confronted.

How long do you think it should take for us to let people know that:

1. Africa is a continent of 54 independent countries with nearly 1 billion people (about 3 times population of the US)
2. That the size of the African continent (30,3 million km²) is larger than the combination of China (9,6 million km²), the US (9,4 million km²), Western Europe (4,9 million km²), India (3,2 million km²) and Argentina (2,8 million km
3. That African’s population consists of blacks, Arabs, whites, and Indians?
4. That Africans abroad remit back home about $40 billion annually and still manage to pay their mortgage and credit cards.
5. That English, French, Arabic, Portuguese are used as medium of instructions right from kindergarten in most countries.
6. That like Brazil, Peru, and Australia, the Democratic Republic of Congo has one of the richest ecosystems in the world (have you ever heard something good about the DRC?)
7. That Africa is not a parasite on the western economy but rather make significant contributions to the global economy, with an estimated combined purchasing power of more than $2.5 trillion [source: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)].
8. That Africa has the only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace prize winners. It is Vilakazi Street, Soweto, South Africa. Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have houses on the street (that’s significant, I think).
9. That Africa is not all slums. From Johannesburg to Dakar, Dares Salaam to Nairobi, Accra to Cairo many African cities boast of towering skyscrapers, complex infrastructures, 21st Universities and a sizzling nightlife that will amaze any first time uninformed tourist
10.  That the continent can boast of some of the most talented athletes on the planet. Every major club in Europe can boast of a couple of African athletes and most European stadiums are empty (permit a little exaggeration) for the 4 weeks African athletes leave for the African Cup of Nations.

The more we’re able to communicate some of the positive values, customs, cultures and achievements, the more we will see tourist choosing Zambia or Tanzania for their vacation. The ripple effect is that hotels and places of attraction will cash in, hire more people who will then spend more.  It is time to uncover the Africa they don’t know. I take pride in that and benefit from it too, and I think you do also.

So whose report will you believe?

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