Yesha Bhojak

Grade 9A
Language and Literature
Image of Africa, persuasive essay

The single story of Africa

Over the years, Africa has continuously been maligned, ridiculed, and portrayed in a negative
light, by westerners and other global citizens. (see Media Portrayals Of Africa Promote
Paternalism) The stereotypes and the stories about Africa, have been circulating for a long time
and don’t look like they are going to stop anytime soon. Most of the people present in the globe,
view Africa as one single country with jungles and forests surrounding the provinces and land.
(see 10 Common Misconceptions And Stereotypes About Africa - africa.Com) These
stereotypes and stories regarding Africa are mostly all biased and uneducated guesses that have
been made by people who have never visited the place. What most people don’t seem to realize
is that Africa is a continent with 54 different countries, which each have their own rich culture
and history. The people living in Africa are not uncivilized and almost live the same lifestyle as a
common westerner. It is a fast growing and developing place, with technology found all around
the continent, and new ones being discovered. It is a place with high buildings that touch the
clouds, and roads bustling with pedestrians and cars. (see Debunking Common Myths About
Africa - Aperian Global) The stories that disseminate around Africa are wrongly portrayed and
in this essay the dangers of a single story, representation of Africa, and ways to change the
negative perception about Africa, will be discussed and brought into light.

Firstly, the dangers of a single story is a very prominent and existential issue when it comes to
Africa. The concept of a single story came from the famous Nigerian author called Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie. “The single story makes stereotypes and the problem with stereotypes is not that
they are untrue but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” (see
The Danger Of A Single Story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) This quote is from an excerpt of
her Ted Talk called “The danger of a single story”. This quote talks volumes on the current
situation that is currently prevailing in Africa. People often make misinterpretations and
judgements on Africa, even though they haven’t even been. This is because they have
Yesha Bhojak
Grade 9A
Language and Literature
Image of Africa, persuasive essay

continuously been fed stories about Africa that manipulate them into believing what they heard is
true. (see Africa, Dangers Of A Single Story, Amizade) These stories often talk about Africa’s
beautiful landscapes, jungles and forests. The wild animals lurking in every nook and corner, the
continuous war, people starving and the whole continent infested with AIDS, HIV, Ebola, and
other hazardous illnesses. A place where nothing has developed or grown and has remained the
same while all other global countries prosper. (see 10 Common Misconceptions And Stereotypes
About Africa - africa.Com) All these stories that have been heard about Africa circulate around
only one main point and it is an important prospect to study and analyze other stories as well,
and not to base your whole understanding on one itself.

Secondly, most of these stories and perceptions regarding Africa mostly come from literature that
was written by Westerners and other global citizens. (see The Danger Of A Single Story |
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) These were mainly written during the colonialism period, and
these perceptions that these authors portrayed have still stuck even after hundreds of years. An
example of a quote is from a person named Thomas F Dixon Jr, who was a Southern Baptist and
also an author. According to his opinion, all citizens of Africa followed a similar ideology and
lifestyle which was: “He lived as his fathers lived–stole his food, worked his wife, sold his
children, ate his brother, content to drink, sing, dance, and sport as the ape!” He viewed the
people of Africa as men who were uncivilized and uncultured and had a very strong opinion
towards them, which is considered to be extremely biased and untrue. (see "9 Of The Worst
Quotes About Africa, blessed”)A second quote that portrays Africa and its people in a dim and
negative light is by Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi was a famous Indian activist who was
the leader of the Indian Independence against the British rule. However righteous and selfless he
was, he was known to be extremely racist towards black South Africans and Africa in general.
He viewed them as people whose “occupation is hunting, and whose sole ambition is to collect
a certain number of cattle to buy a wife with and, then, pass his life in indolence and
Yesha Bhojak
Grade 9A
Language and Literature
Image of Africa, persuasive essay

nakedness.” (see "Was Mahatma Gandhi A Racist?, BBC news”) His view on Africa and its
people is very apparent, biased as well as racist. He referred to the citizens of Africa as
“savages”, troublesome people and also draws the comparison that they live just like animals.
(see Anti-black quotes Gandhi, India M) There are hundreds of quotes that are smilier to these
ones and are written by racist men and women from all around the world. These quotes present
the historical prejudices against the African continent, and these prejudices still remain today.

Lastly, it is a necessary and important movement to change the negative perceptions that
circulate around Africa. These perceptions are extremely powerful and as well as damaging and
hurting someone’s culture, lifestyle and wrongly assuming facts, they have been there for way
too long without any serious action being taken. (see "Negative Perceptions Slow Africa’s
Development”) The main reason people perceive Africa to be a continent full of poverty, death,
and other untrue factors are mainly because of the media. The media continuously portrays
Africa in a morose limelight which ends up resulting with a negatively based assumption of
Africa by other countries. It is important for the media to talk not only about the negatives of
Africa, but also to focus on the more positive and aspirational parts of it. The media should
include the new trading deals and investments that Africa continuously makes. It should talk
about the bright minded youth of Africa who create and explore new discoveries everyday. It
should talk about the fast and growing technology of the place, with new buildings being built
everyday. It should talk about so much more rather than the wrongs and problems that Africa
goes through. ("How Do We Change The Negative Perceptions About Africa small starter) It is
extremely important to change the mindset that people currently possess when it comes to Africa,
and it is equally important to take new initiatives to end and break this mindset.
Yesha Bhojak
Grade 9A
Language and Literature
Image of Africa, persuasive essay

In conclusion, the image of Africa should be improved and should be picked off the ground from
where it currently lies today. The stereotypes and the stories people narrate about Africa are
mostly wrong and biased with no evidence to support their claims. It is important not to only
focus on the bad negatives about Africa but to also treat it like any other western country, and
give the continent and the people the respect they all deserve.
Yesha Bhojak
Grade 9A
Language and Literature
Image of Africa, persuasive essay

BIBLIOGRAPHY
2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/03/05/media-
portrayals-of-africa-promote-paternalism/?utm_term=.a3969b78d54e. Accessed 31
Jan 2019.

"The Danger Of A Single Story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie". Youtube, 2019, https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg.

"Debunking Common Myths About Africa - Aperian Global". Aperian Global, 2019,

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Africa.Com". Africa.Com, 2019, https://www.africa.com/10-common-misconceptions-
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https://amizade.org/danger-of-a-single-story/.

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"Was Mahatma Gandhi A Racist?". BBC News, 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/

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India, Mystery. "Anti-Black Quotes Of Gandhi | Mystery Of India". Mystery Of India,

2019, http://www.mysteryofindia.com/2014/07/anti-black-quotes-of-gandhi.html.

"Negative Perceptions Slow Africa’S Development". One African Voice Amongst A

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Watch This! - Smallstarter Africa". Smallstarter Africa, 2019, http://
www.smallstarter.com/get-inspired/how-do-we-change-the-negative-perceptions-
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