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Stereotypes of Africa

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For the inhabitants of the United States, see Stereotypes of African Americans.

Stereotypes about Africa, Africans, and African culture are common, especially in the Western World.[1][2] European imperialism was often justified on paternalistic grounds, portraying Africa as less civilized, and Africans as less capable of civilizing themselves.[3][4][5][6][7] As of the 2010s, these stereotypes persisted in European media.[8][9]

History

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Europe

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Several countries, such as France and Portugal, tried to 'civilize' Africa by colonizing it.[10][11][12]

Belgian cartoonist Hergé depicted Africans as childlike in Tintin in the Congo.[13][14]

The Germans falsely credited African accomplishments to a 'Hamitic' race descended from European settlers.[15] Some Italians stereotype Africans as illegal immigrants and beggars.[16] Poles' understanding of Africa is influenced by its press, which often dwells on bad or alarming news.[17]

Northern America

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In the 19th century, scientific racists such as Josiah C. Nott and George Gliddon likened Africans to the non-human apes. This comparison was used to justify the former's inferior status.[18][19][20]

Present

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Australia

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Australians often view Africa as primitive and homogeneous. This view is influenced by stereotypes of African Americans.[21]

East Asia

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Japan sees Africa as a continent in need of help,[22][23][24][25] as does China.[26][27][28] In Chinese internet culture, unlucky or incompetent video game players are called 'Africans', a reference to the association of black faces with bad luck.[29]

United Kingdom

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Research by the British Council showed that from the perspective of young Britons, the African continent as a whole, is either idealized or demonized. Decades of images and stories in the news media and by charities highlighting themes including famine, drought, disease, inequality and instability have contributed to a perception of African countries as impoverished, dangerous, and lagging behind the rest of the world socio-economically and in terms of human rights. Factors commonly used to explain these issues included endemic local corruption, the historical and contemporary exploitation of Africa by foreign countries and private interests (including the UK and British companies), and the perceived remoteness and isolation of Africa relative to the rest of the world.[30]

United States

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In the United States, Africa is seen as primitive and full of disease.[31][32] Africans are seen as peculiarly vulnerable to disease.[33][34][35] Also, Africa is seen as a sparsely-peopled jungle full of wild animals.[36] American cinema is blamed for disparaging stereotypes of Africa. [37]

Themes

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Environment

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Outsiders may imagine Africa as mostly uninhabited savanna, with many wild animals.

A common stereotype is that much or all of Africa is an inhospitable jungle or desert,[38] inhabited only by wild animals like Elephants and Lions.[39] Alternatively, many believe that wild animals are ubiquitous and familiar, like domestic animals. Although Africa has many wild animals, among them big game animals, most Africans see them only in zoos and safaris.[40][41]

Homogeneity

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Africa is often mistaken for a single state,[39][42][43] whereas it is a continent with 54 UN member states and two de facto states. This mistake can lead people to think that all Africans belong to one ethnic group, or to apply disparaging stereotypes about one group to another.

Outsiders may have the misconception that there is only one language, known simply as "African". In reality, there are more than 1,000 African languages.[40] Swahili is the single most widely spoken Indigenous African language.[44]

Poverty

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Africa is often considered primitive and impoverished.[45][46] Though poverty exists in Africa, many countries have fast-growing economies.[47]

Many people believe most Africans live "in a mud house in the middle of nowhere".[40] Forty-three percent of Africans live in urban areas,[48] slightly below the global average of 55%.[49]

Technology

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Internet usage in Africa (2015) varies greatly from country to country.

In rich countries, Africans are often seen as having no access to modern technology.[40] As of 2013, 80% of Africans had a mobile phone.[50][51] Internet use in Africa grew by 20% in 2018, reaching 59% of North Africa, 51% of Southern Africa, 39% of West Africa, and 45% of East Africa.[52]

Another common stereotype is that Africans, particularly Nigerians, commit online fraud.[53][54] The most well-known African scam is the advance-fee scam, nicknamed the "Nigerian prince scam".[55]

References

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  1. ^ Grinker, Roy Richard; Lubkemann, Stephen C.; Steiner, Christopher (17 May 2010). Perspectives on Africa: A Reader in Culture, History and Representation. John Wiley & Sons. p. 98. ISBN 9781444335224. Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Tamale, Sylvia (23 June 2011). African Sexualities: A Reader. Fahamu/Pambazuka. ISBN 9780857490162. Retrieved 16 May 2017 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Afrophobia: Europe should confront this legacy of colonialism and the slave trade". Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  4. ^ Amy Clarke (June 2012). "People of African Descent in Europe : A UKREN Briefing Paper" (PDF). Ukren.org. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  5. ^ Gates, Henry Louis Jr. (4 February 2017). "Opinion - The History the Slaveholders Wanted Us to Forget". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Invisible Visible Minority" (PDF). Kisa.org. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  7. ^ Abbattista, Guido. "European Encounters in the Age of Expansion European Encounters". Ieg-ego.eu. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  8. ^ Olusoga, David (8 September 2015). "The roots of European racism lie in the slave trade, colonialism – and Edward Long - David Olusoga". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Africa Stereotypes in the European media". En.ejo.ch. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  10. ^ Burrows, Mathew (March 1986). "' Mission Civilisatrice ': French Cultural Policy in the Middle East, 1860–1914". The Historical Journal. 29 (1): 109–135. doi:10.1017/S0018246X00018641. ISSN 0018-246X.
  11. ^ Kuper, Hilda (5 March 1964). "The Colonial Situation in Southern Africa". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 2 (2): 149–164. doi:10.1017/S0022278X00003979. JSTOR 158816. S2CID 154471688.
  12. ^ Henriques, Joana Gorjão (12 September 2011). "Portugal is race blind, but not for the right reasons". The Guardian.
  13. ^ "Tintin 90 years on: Belgian comic book stirs racial controversy". Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  14. ^ Waterfield, Bruno (7 August 2007). "Tintin book accused of colonial racism". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  15. ^ Scholz, Anton (31 August 2015). Hutu, Tutsi and the Germans: Racial Cognition in Rwanda Under German Colonial Rule (Thesis). hdl:1887/35741.
  16. ^ Rossella Falanga; Maria Elvira De Carolia; Elisabetta Sagone. "WCPCG 2013 : The relationship between stereotypes and prejudice toward the Africans in Italian university students" (PDF). Fmag.uniict.it. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
  17. ^ Ndiayea, Iwona Anna; Ndiayea, Bara (2014). "Sociocultural Stereotypes in Media and Intercultural Communication (Africa in the Polish Media)". Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 154: 72–76. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.10.114.
  18. ^ John P. Jackson, Nadine M. Weidman, Race, racism, and science: social impact and interaction, 2005 p. 48
  19. ^ Dewbury, Adam (January 2007), "The American School and Scientific Racism in Early American Anthropology", in Darnell, Regna; Gleach, Frederic W. (eds.), Histories of Anthropology Annual, vol. 3, pp. 141–142, ISBN 978-0803266643
  20. ^ Mills, Charles W.; Hund, Wulf D. "Comparing black people to monkeys has a long, dark simian history". The Conversation. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Stereotyping of Africans is everywhere, but Australians are particularly clueless". The Guardian. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  22. ^ Sato, Makoto (2005). "Japanese Aid Diplomacy in Africa : An Historical Analysis" (PDF). Ritsumeikan Annual Review of International Studies. 4: 67–85. S2CID 33086945.
  23. ^ Capobianco, Paul (1 June 2015). "Confronting diversity: Africans challenging Japanese societal convictions". Contemporary Japan. 27 (2): 189–212. doi:10.1515/cj-2015-0011.
  24. ^ Lumumba-Kasongo, T. (26 April 2010). Japan-Africa Relations. Springer. ISBN 9780230108486. Retrieved 4 March 2019 – via Google Books.
  25. ^ Engel, Ulf; Olsen, Gorm Rye (10 November 2004). Africa and the North: Between Globalization and Marginalization. Routledge. ISBN 9781134315888. Retrieved 4 March 2019 – via Google Books.
  26. ^ Brown, Warner. "Map: China's Stereotypes of Africa, from 'Chaotic' Somalia to 'Awesome' Gambia". Foreignpolicy.com. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  27. ^ Madrid-Morales, Dani. "China's media struggles to overcome stereotypes of Africa". The Conversation. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  28. ^ Madrid-Morales, Dani; Madrid-Morales, Dani (27 February 2018). "China's media is struggling to overcome its racial stereotypes of Africa". Quartz Africa. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  29. ^ "In China's gaming world, 'Europeans' and 'Africans' expose stereotypes". South China Morning Post. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  30. ^ Tom, Curran (March 2020), New Narratives Report (PDF), British Council, p. 6
  31. ^ "The Africa Stereotype". Nydailynews.com. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  32. ^ "Africa: Beyond the Stereotypes". Smithsonianmag.com. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  33. ^ "Ebola and the History and Politics of Pointing at Immigrants as Potential Disease Vectors". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  34. ^ "The Representation of Africa in Western Media: still a 21st century problem". Researchgate.net. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  35. ^ Manya, Sheba Anili (20 February 2017). U.S. Mass Media Portrayal of the African Continent: The African Perspective (Thesis). hdl:11310/104. OCLC 989162479.
  36. ^ Zimmerman, Jonathan (9 July 2014). "Americans Think Africa Is One Big Wild Animal Reserve". The New Republic. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  37. ^ Jesudason, David. "Is Hollywood ready to stop stereotyping Africa?". Bbc.com. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  38. ^ Amy E. Harth. "Representations of Africa in the Western News Media: Reinforcing Myths and Stereotypes" (PDF). Pol.illinoisstate.edu. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  39. ^ a b "Americans Think Africa Is One Big Wild Animal Reserve". The New Republic. 2014-07-09. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  40. ^ a b c d Kelland, Zoe; Sanchez, Erica (12 January 2018). "15 Reasons African Countries Aren't 'Shitholes'". Global Citizen. Global Poverty Project. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  41. ^ "Beyond Wildlife: Teaching about Africa and Stereotypes". Socialstudies.org. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  42. ^ Teo Kermeliotis. "'Africa is not a country': Campaign dispels stereotypes". Cnn.com. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  43. ^ "Why Africans worry about how Africa is portrayed in western media | Remi Adekoya | Opinion". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
  44. ^ "Top 11 Most Spoken Languages in Africa". Africa Facts. 2017-10-18. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  45. ^ "Young Africans embrace Chinese gadgets, shatter stereotypes - Business". Chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  46. ^ "AFRICA BY THE AFRICANS: Young Tastemakers Aim to Challenge Stereotypes - EBONY". Ebony.com. 2016-07-22. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  47. ^ Bremmem, Nur (2014-12-18). "7 African countries with booming ecommerce markets". Venturebur.comn. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  48. ^ "Urbanization in 2018, by continent". Statista.com. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  49. ^ Meredith, Sam (2018-05-17). "Two-thirds of global population will live in cities by 2050, UN says". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
  50. ^ "African mobile penetration hits 80% (and is growing faster than anywhere else)". VentureBeat.com. 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  51. ^ "TA Telecom White Paper: Africa Telecom Market 2013 Report". scribd.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-13. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  52. ^ "Digital in 2018: Africa's internet users increase by 20%". Africanews.com. Retrieved 2018-11-07.
  53. ^ Jenna Burrell. "Problematic Empowerment: West African Internet Scams as Strategic Misrepresentation". Itidjournal.org. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  54. ^ "JILT 2009 (1) - Olowu". Warwick.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  55. ^ Mikkelson, David (17 August 2001). "FACT CHECK: Nigerian (419) Scam". Snopes.com. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
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