African American Culture

If my roommate had made such statements about Africa out of ignorance, I would not be surprised. Many Americans have preconceived ideas about what Africa is like, despite never being immersed in its culture. This is perpetuated through media outlets such as movies, magazines, etc. in popular culture. As outsiders, we make generalizations and think that Africa is a land of starvation, desert, poverty, and many other negative aspects. However, our thoughts could not be more wrong. Africa is a wonderful place, but is under negative judgment by many people who lack the knowledge to understand the continent. Many of these notions can be disproved with just a small amount of research. This kind of judgment is simply not fair, and Africa deserves
to be acknowledged as a modern society with much more history than countries like America. Many people do not value African people as intellectual equals. This effect is the product of past racism and prejudice toward the African people. The way Africans were perceived during the past eras had been extremely negative, and this trend has been passed down through generations. This brings us to today, where our general thoughts on Africa remain closely related to those of the past. This can only be prevented through awareness concerning African culture. We need to adopt a modern understanding of Africa and get rid of the old assumptions. If more people knew about the history and progression of Africa, the continent would not be subject to such harsh judgment. The media places a lot of emphasis on the negative aspects of African life. They portray the continent as one that is in serious need of aid from other countries. With a great amount of coverage placed on poverty. This coverage allows Americans to make the assumption that Africa as a whole is in need of help from the “better” or “more established” countries. For example, many organizations are formed to assist various impoverished countries in Africa. While this gesture is an incredibly generous one, the commercials for such foundations as Red Cross or the Christian Children’s Fund are the only glimpse of Africa that Americans see. This leads many to believe that the majority of Africa is in dire need from other countries. This is just not the case. Many countries in Africa today are economically sound and are not in need of aid from other countries or institutions. However, when we hear about one poor country in Africa, we assume the whole continent is in need. The misconception about Africa’s economic status as a whole is an issue that needs to be corrected by learning a bit about African countries’ real economic statuses. Much exposure in the news about Africa comes from the health problems that are plaguing certain countries in Africa. There is a lot of emphasis on HIV/AIDS and more recently, the Ebola virus. We view the entire continent of Africa as an unsanitary land of disease, but this could not be farther from the truth. Many African countries are free from the bind of diseases, with the exception of a few countries. This deters potential tourists from wanting to visit Africa, simply because of the notion that all of Africa has AIDS or some other deadly disease. African countries lose potential revenue every day simply because of this negative exposure by the press. Africa is also a source of entertainment for those in other countries that do not know much about the continent.
This is because of exoticism. Magazines, movies, and even publications like National Geographic display the more unique sides of Africa simply because it is more entertaining. This exotic portrayal allows the viewers of this material to generalize and believe that all these exotic qualities are the standard in African culture as a whole. For example, the same type of misconception happens regarding American culture as well. Many people that are not familiar with the American lifestyle assume that sex is extremely easy to come by. This belief originates from American movies and the popular culture that other countries are exposed to. The exotic and entertaining parts of America are rooted in sex and scandalous behavior, and many people in other countries think that this is standard behavior in our country. The exotic parts of Africa like the animals and rituals that certain cultures perform are the qualities of Africa that viewers like best. This is because it is entertaining and interesting. Unfortunately, the generalization that comes from the exposure of exotic Africa hurts the African culture as a whole. Africa is seen as a primitive continent because of the entertaining and exotic factors shown on television and in magazines. Africa is actually a very modern country with generally normal behavior. Many African people live in civilized societies, but that is
not what is displayed to the viewers. This type of framing incorrectly shapes our perception of African culture as a whole. Self-definition is also a contributing factor to the mistaken views on Africa. In order to gauge how we see ourselves, we naturally use others as a mirror to form a comparison. Mainly individuals use this technique to develop a self-concept about themselves, but countries practice this as well. Different countries are compared in this larger adaptation of self-definition. Americans feel the need to compare their country to that of the whole continent of Africa. We like to believe that we are the mightiest country on Earth, and comparing ourselves to the poorest countries of Africa secures us on our high horse. We can’t be rich without being compared to the less fortunate, so this is how we boost the concept of our country. We view the African communities as underdeveloped and feel as though they are living in the past, making us believe that we are a more modern culture. We make these mistakes of comparison as a part of self-definition because we feel the need to compare our nation with the least advances part of Africa. In doing so, we make even more harmful generalizations about the continent as a whole. Most of our learning on African culture comes from sources that are not exactly reputable. We constantly are taking information in about Africa from movies, television, cartoons, etc. These productions, as discussed before, sacrifice accuracy for entertainment. The more exotic and entertaining parts of Africa are the marginal qualities of the continent. This faulty print and multimedia are simply not credible sources of knowledge concerning the African culture. However, viewers and readers choose to believe that these are the main parts of Africa due to what they view. In order to learn the true qualities of Africa, people must turn off the television and have an unbiased view of the continent. Immersion in the culture would be the best strategy for gathering knowledge about Africa, but many people cannot hop on a plane and observe it firsthand. However, if many would just take a few minutes to look into how modern Africa really is, they would be utterly surprised at how unjust our judgments on Africa are. The word “tribe” is one of the first words to come to mind upon hearing the word Africa.
This word is an inaccurate word to use while talking about Africa. The word implies that the members of the community are uncivilized. This is not an accurate representation of Africa. Contrary to popular belief, there are no actual tribes in Africa. This word is one of the most misused words in the discussion of the topic of Africa. These small African communities, which people refer to by the incorrect use of the word “tribe,” are represented inaccurately. The small communities in the continent of Africa are more advanced than they are portrayed in the media. The modern people of Africa would be appalled to hear themselves referred to as “tribes” because of all of the strides they have made to stop the negative connotations associated with Africa. After learning all about the actual qualities of Africa, I would certainly be upset by an ignorant statement concerning the continent. Countries in Africa are constantly fighting negative perceptions, and it does hurt them economically. African people have an extremely interesting history that rivals the history of many other civilizations, and that quality alone deserves recognition. Whether it is through media, popular culture, or word of mouth, the negative voices that are incorrectly labeling Africa need to be
silenced.