The Africa They Show

            This video is of an example of  how Africa has been reprieved to be for a very long time. Just like how advertisements have silently impacted people's ideas about what beauty is, this video has impacted people's understanding of what an African looks like. Believe me there are many many many many other videos like this. There are some that are even worse than than this. Yes, that is how bad it gets. I feel  extremely insulted just looking at the cover of this video; an obese Caucasian on one side and a sad starving African child on the other. Seriously?!!! If  you have seen this video or any other that looks like this and you are wondering if all African children are suffering from starvation, I am sorry, but you have been deceived.

             No!!! Glory be to God, this is not true. There are many people in my country in Africa, who are FAT! Yes!!! Even children. I am not kidding you, there are chubby children in Africa too. It might sound crazy if you did not know, but it really is not.  It is very heartbreaking that this is all that some people see of Africa. However, it is no fault of theirs. This is all what the media shows them about Africans and the continent itself. It therefore doesn't surprise me too much when somebody asks "is it poor where you grew up?"  

A Continent NOT a Country

 I have been approached by many different surprising and sometimes appalling images and ideas some people have about Africa. Perhaps the most surprising of them all was when someone had mentioned to me that they never knew Africa was a continent not a country. I was so surprised; no, shocked rather. I almost walked into a bar. This is what happened: a friend asked me about the language I spoke and if it was called "African". I giggled slightly and told her that there are many languages in the countries in Africa, and out of those languages I spoke only one. She turned her head sharply in disbelief. Confused, she argued that Africa was a country.

I honestly could not believe what I was hearing; "Africa, a country?" I said to myself. Unfortunately she wasn't the only one who thought Africa was not a continent. After that incident, I have come across many other people who thought Africa was a country, and I believe there are still many people out there. So just to clear the confusion, AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY, IT IS A CONTINENT(A RICH ONE) WITH MANY COUNTRIES IN IT!!!
On this note, I would like to welcome you to My Dear Africa. Akwaaba oo!!