RE IMAGINING AFRICA

A close friend of mine was born in Lagos, Nigeria
and arrived in England aged 3. In preparation for
starting school, her parents ensured her
command of the English language (both orally
and in writing) was perfected.
When her parents attempted to enroll her in
school, they were met with some resistance. The
Head Master asked a number of dubious
questions, which in hindsight were based on pre-
conceived stereotypes.
He presumed having just left Nigeria, my friend
would be academically regressive. Her parents
were understandably deeply offended and
insulted by the insinuation that their child was
anything but highly intelligent.
Her parents insisted she should be tested and
after much convincing, she was admitted into a
Catholic Primary School.
I recall that memory not with much fondness but
with curiosity. I realise that the teaching
profession in England had and still does have a
negative image of Africans, in terms of the
quality and level of educational attainment.
Low quality and high dropout rates led to the
perception that many African children leave
school without having obtained a sustainable
level of basic reading, writing and numeracy
skills. I am fully cognisant of the fact that not all
children in Africa benefit from education and
literacy rates in certain countries (I.e. South
Sudan, Burkina Faso and Niger) are significantly
below acceptable levels.
However, standards are improving. Africa’s young
people are better educated than ever before.
Primary school enrollment has risen to 80% and
youth literacy rates in sub-Saharan Africa, which
are the lowest of any region, have improved over
the past 20 years and are now about 70% (World
Economic Forum, 2016).
This poor perception of Africa's educational
standards are of course rooted in a concerted
effort by the western media to present and
perpetuate a false image and narrative of Africa
as being backward and under-developed.
Many of us in the UK who have little connection
to Africa, automatically think of war, famine,
insecurity, political strife and corruption when we
think of Africa. But how many of us ask why we
think that, or bother to question whether that
conception is based in reality?
There is a powerful propaganda machine at play
that Africa is nothing more than a disease ridden
primitive place, with malnourished children.
I beg to differ!
After decades of the British media barely sparing
a second thought for the African continent
beyond charity advertisements portraying starving
children. There is rarely any meaningful
discussion of the impact of decades of British
backed coups, reckless weapons proliferation and
agenda-driven endeavors by former colonial
powers to replace every organic government with
puppet politicians - which has ultimately played a
large role in creating the perpetual instability
that plagues certain regions of Africa.
No-one talks about the Structural Adjustment
programmes or the exorbitant loans African
countries are still repaying, which could be
invested in better resources, educational
facilities, research centers, hospitals etc. When
you pillage and loot a Continent for 400 years,
one could assume it would take an equal amount
of time to restore it.
There is never any real discussion of the millions
of Africans who live in peace and prosperity; of
burgeoning economies and peaceful transitions
of power; no discussion of the trials and
tribulations that the nations of Africa have
overcome in the past forty decades.
The perverted perception of Africa is a part of
ingrained white supremacy and cultural
imperialism. This must change!
Africans are aware of their problems. Instability
with governments, poor environmental
management, threats of civil unrest,
misappropriation of funds, structural issues such
as transport, power, water, food and fuel
scarcity, ethnic tensions and a lack of
employment opportunities.
However, these problems are universal. No
country is devoid of these issues. And we need a
more balanced world view.
Africa is on the rise and is becoming a force to
be reckoned with. Owing to its large and youthful
population, an expanding middle class, increasing
urbanization, influx of expatriates and
multinational companies - these factors have
become key drivers of demand for commercial,
real estate and entrepreneurial growth.
In the first decade of the 21st century, the tide
has turned: six of the 10 fastest growing
economies in the world are in sub-Saharan
Africa: Mozambique, Rwanda, Angola, Nigeria,
Chad and Ethiopia.
According to the World Bank, which compiles a
ranking of countries’ business environments, five
of the 10 fastest reformers in the Bank’s latest
report on the ease of doing business are in
Africa.
Maybe it's time to re-imagine Africa as a
destination for only tourism, but wealth creation,
as trailblazers in fashion, food and music, a
beacon for democracy, with highly esteemed and
revered institutions and at the forefront of
technological, scientific and medical
advancements.
"Africa is rich in natural resources. Africa’s
knowledge base is expanding. Africa could still
ultimately reclaim the position it occupied when
the Portuguese explorers first arrived. But that
story will be told not only in national income
statistics. It is also a story of Africa’s cultural
renaissance and the inevitable birth of a new
African personality".
If you had political power for one day, what 5
things would you change in your country of origin
and why? Share your thoughts and comments
below
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