What is with people referring to Africa as though it’s one big country?! This has got to be my biggest pet peeve. Get it right. It is a continent. A continent with 54 independent countries [*].
I'm always so thrown off when I ask the question “Where are you from?” and get “Africa” as a response. Or even worse, when someone is oblivious enough to ask a question like "Do you speak African?"
And this isn’t an attack on people who do come from a country within Africa; I know it’s easier for you to respond that way because every time you do answer with “Burkina Faso” or “Tanzania” you get a confused or startled look.
Stop being so ignorant people! Africa is a continent with 54 countries; that is to say, 54 sovereign nations – each with its own history, culture, and traditions. You can’t group the entire set of countries into a single identity. If its wrong to assume Italians and the British are the same simply because they’re both in Europe, why is it any more acceptable to do so with Egyptians and Congolese?
We are, of course, products of our upbringing and environment. Besides sheer ignorance, I think this is a problem rooted in our education system. I really think courses in elementary to high school need to stop focusing on the US so that students can actually start learning about the rest of the world.
Getting educated is easy… you can start by looking at a map!
[*] Debates exist about the number of countries in Africa due to classification disagreements concerning the island countries (e.g. Madagascar, Mauritius) and Southern Sudan
On a different note, this was posted on a blog I follow in response to all the Kony hype. Made me chuckle!
Well written and very true
ReplyDeleteIt is so true. When I came here, when asked where I was from, naturally I replied Tanzania. You get a blank stare. You then explain it is a country in Africa. Then they ask, How come you are not Black!!
ReplyDeleteGreat post and it is all so true! It's sad that most people think its okay to distinguish between countries in Europe, but not in Africa. Yah sure there are a lot of them and people are lazier now a days, but it is not very hard to sit in front of a map, whether on paper or on your computer, and at least learn some names of the countries.
ReplyDeleteI called to make my appointment with the travel clinic this week and I told the lady I was going to Botswana. And she was like you need yellow fever and you need to go to another clinic for that one. I knew that for Botswana we do not need yellow fever vaccination but the lady was trying to say that for Africa in general you need yellow fever, and I felt like saying "no you do not, Africa is not one country!"
That's terrible! The nurse needs a geography class. With that being said, I remember having to memorize the countries for a grade 9 geography class (in french, of course). I think it's good that it was at some point part of our curriculum, but it was not well enough enforced. These are things we should be learning at much earlier ages instead of in high school!
DeleteGood for you for finally saying something about this! It's honestly ridiculous how many times I've seen Africa being referred to as a country. The education system definitely does have a lot to do with it, but I'm going to have to say more than anything else the 'media' is to blame. It's when influential celebrities make documentaries talking about their trip to "Africa", or when NGO's market to the public about raising funds for the "children in Africa". It is this notion that they have created that the continent of Africa is one big place that needs aid. The comment above by Munir even furthers my point. Most of media shown of places in Africa are of Black people. Like all continents around the world Africa is multicultural and has people of all races and religions living there!
ReplyDeleteI could go on, as this comment has turned into my own little rant, but I think you get the point.
You mentioning the media is brilliant, it definitely plays a vital role in our perceptions of well, just about everything. Something else that I was thinking about: This whole lack of education/awareness is much more prevalent in Canada and the US than Britain, for example. Tying it back to the education system, the British are much more aware because they learn so much about colonization and its history in their classes.
DeleteVery well written blog post. Couldn't have said it better! It is very important that we learn the history of different countries in Africa. Africa is the second-largest and second-most-populated continent. All of the countries in Africa have a deep history, pluralistic number of tribes and cultures, diverse traditions and beautiful identities. We can't categorize all the problems and issues that countries in the continent of Africa face as one. And we can't provide a one size solution to these issues. There is room for all of us to improve, be less ignorent and learn about the geography in the continent of Africa. :)
ReplyDeleteLove it :)
ReplyDeleteyou can always look at it as Africa being a country: one united continent...
ReplyDeleteMunir Uncle your comment was really funny, someone said the same to me too.
Hey Nafisa, I do agree with your article but I wanted to point some light as to why the conglomeration might take place in (even educated) people's minds. First of all, as a continent, Africa is in the news all the time with reports of conflicts in this country, riots in that, starvation here and droughts there. With so much negative news being thrown at our generation growing up, it is understandable (unfortunately) that some tend to conjoin all the problems they hear into one big cesspool known as Africa. In reality that is not the case, there are beautiful landmarks and culturally significant places and people in Africa just as much as Europe. If we start to bring forth a positive side of events I believe we can start erasing that picture of a starving child needing western help that people tend to think about when they think of the land mass below Europe and slightly to the left of Asia.
ReplyDeleteHere are some map games that we should all play to learn!-
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Africa/Africa_GL_1024_768.html
http://www.purposegames.com/game/countries-of-africa-quiz
Nafis, this is a great point but I think it's not just that the issues reported are about several countries in Africa, but more so about HOW they're being reported. I have to agree with Alyyah (four comments above this one) that the media has a lot to do with the view of Africa being one big country.
DeleteWith regards to your comment about reporting only negative things, I don't think that's the problem here. Negative events can be reported while still clearly pointing out an individual country's dynamics. I think only reporting negative events is a totally different problem, and one of misinformed victimization. However, I guess this relates to the misinformation aspect, which once again points fingers towards the media.
There's definitely no excuse for the ignorance of people regarding the many countries in Africa, but I think it's important to note that a lot of these boundaries were defined by European colonialism and perhaps some citizens of these countries do not identify with their supposed nationality.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this type of ignorance is wide spread. I know this because I am partly a victim too (Woops there goes my credibility). Evidently it isn't just about Africa, people have been asked if they speak Chinese or if I am Indian. As much as I believe in people getting that knowledge from elementary, middle and high school, I see a trend (or maybe it is only in my mind) of moving to a global country; especially after watching documentaries that speculate how large or mysterious our universe is. In that light, the importance of knowing segregation's diminishes and like Nafis mentioned it is convenient for us to group certain pieces of information in a short easy-to-remember way. It does not still excuse us from making an effort to gain that knowledge because I would assume a high positive correlation of such people's general knowledge to their awareness of current global events. If all else fails, we can always blame the media!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that you brought this ignorant aspect up ! I have many friends from the African continent and it always amazes me that while introducing them to people, others tend to ask them whether they speak "African" or not ! When I tell people I am from India, they always ask me "Oh how come you speak English this well ?" We may come from developing nations, but this does not imply that we aren't educated ! People just need to become aware of regions apart from their own native lands, and when they do these incidents shall cease to occur.
ReplyDeletecheers
Great Article! Being a Tanzanian it is really difficult when people are not aware that there are so many different countries in Africa (54 to be precise!); and that Africa is actually a Continent and not a big Country! The phrase "Do you speak African?" just amuses me... I mean when I came here I didn't go up to everyone and ask them if they speak Canadian?!?! I strongly agree with Nafisa that the education system in North America is very self centered - it's like they live in this bubble and America is the world to them. I mean I studied in Tanzania and yes I obviously learnt a lot about Africa but we were even taught about different Countries and Continents across the globe with different cultures, traditions, beliefs, religion, race etc. People in North America should be more aware of the world outside that bubble like Nafia - Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog Nafisa! I am totally guilty of doing this, and after reading your blog I have come to realize that I need to stop. I have grown up in a society where I am privileged enough to be able to attain high quality education so there really is no excuse. I agree with the fact there is a flaw in our education system so much so that we are not taught about the different parts of Africa, its culture, and society. Originally, my background does come form Kenya, Africa. The only way I was ever able to learn about my heritage was through my parents. It would have been nice to have learned about this in school as well, just as we learn about the European society and the various parts that make up Europe. It kind of makes me wonder if the people living in those African countries refer to us as North Americans or Canadians? Overall, great blog nafisa!
ReplyDeleteVery true. Every where I turn, whether its reading my tweeter feeds on or watching one of those hollywood movies to watching American stand up comedians Afica is talked about as though its was one big country.
ReplyDeleteI agree some people do it out of sheer ignorance. Some, however are very much aware but engage uin the role of perpetuating the belief that Africa is one big country.
Not only do they speak of Africa as a country, but they tal of it as one big bowl of wreak, havoc, misery, poverty, war, corruption. That is not the case. Sure some african countries have their own share of these, but almost all in the Southern Region enjoy peace and such stability that even some of us are surprised or even oblivious at the atrocities committed in some African countries. Thankfully the 2010 world cup showed the world what African countries have and can achieve, we are not some premitive group of people with bows and arrows. We are competition, a power to be reckoned with.