Many people view Africa as a place full of diseases, wars, and famine. It is hard for Americans to view Africa as a nice place. Citizens are constantly bombarded with negative images of Africa on television showing children with their mouths open with dirty flies everywhere.
The question that people should ask themselves is why they think poorly of Africa. Is it something that is programmed in the minds of people or are people unknowingly branded with the concept of Africans being less intelligent than the Europeans?
It's hard for people to think positively about Africa due to the stereotypical image the media creates of a sad, defeated people in need of intervention. So how does one escape from the media's unnecessary hype? For one, keeping an open mindedness towards others is essential.
Carol Pineau is a journalist who has done a decade of numerous reports about Africa for CNN. Pineau understands the problems of Africa and how the media has portrayed the continent as one body rather than 54 countries that are different and similar to one another in many ways.
In Pineau's article "The Africa You Never See" she writes, "Yes, Africa is a land of wars, poverty and corruption. The situation in places like Darfur, Sudan, desperately cries out for more media attention and international action. But Africa is also a land of stock markets, high rises, Internet cafes and a growing middle class."
These are positive aspects of Africa that Pineau explores in her documentary "Africa Open For Business." The film premiered in April 2005, and it shows the media's neglect on the booming business of major entrepreneurs in the business world of Africa.
The documentary details the business moguls of 10 different individuals from different countries in Africa who have reached an enormous success, from animation to mobile phone businesses employing millions. The documentary is a far cry from the war, famine and the abnormal living the media have successfully made "normal" for the outside world's judgment of Africa.
Pineau was interviewed by National Public Radio (NPR) host Ferai Chideya on why she chose to undertake this eye-opening project. Pineau said, "I wanted to show the Africa that has high rises, stock market, internet coffee shops, an Africa that is not so different from America in certain places."
On the radio, Pineau also addressed the misconception people have of Africa and how growing up as children, "we are constantly taught Africa is a victim." The documentary breaks down common misconceptions people have of Africa.
The documentary offers a different side of Africa than the media's coverage of the usually ill and deformed children or the famine stricken communities in need of help from the outside world.
It is the duty of a news reporter to tell all sides of a story from every angle; however, many journalists have failed in addressing the concerns of Africa, turning it into one problem rather than being fair and telling both sides of the story with negatives along with positives. Many journalists have chosen to take the easy road by simply identifying Africa as a crisis rather than reporting balanced, accurate information from all aspects of a story.
The film is an eye opener for individuals who perceive Africa with negativity. Pineau said, "The whole purpose of the film is to change perceptions and encourage investment."
However; the film has done more than this. It has encouraged many journalists to look beyond Africa as just a "problem." In journalist Drake Bennett's article "Africa Rising" he said, "By many standards, Africa is doing better than it has in decades. The number of democratically elected governments has risen sharply in the past decade, and the number of violent conflicts has dropped. African economies, and African businesses are starting to show impressive results, and not just by the diminished standards the rest of the world reserves for its poorest continent."
It is very alarming and consciously dangerous when the former Prime Minister of England, Tony Blair says, "The state of Africa is a scar on the conscience of the world."
Tony Blair is an important figure; he is an individual who is supposed to be a leader of the people and a guide to correcting misconceptions. However, he has fallen into the stereotypical pool. Maybe he needs to view "Africa Open For Business."
In journalist Luyton Driman's article "Is Africa Open for Business" he said, "Clearly the developed world sees Africa as one, with no inherent borders, therefore all the countries collectively are tarred with the same negative points as afore mentioned."
It is visually clear that the media has tainted the world's core conception of Africa. Nevertheless, documentaries such as "Africa Open For Business" depict the side of Africa that has never been told before in the media.
The side of Africa that is presented does not just include begging or starving people. Instead, it depicts the positive aspect of Africa that is able to be strong enough to get by without intervention or help from the outside world.
A good journalist must escape from the unknowingly branded imperialistic thinking of the white men's burden that Africa cannot stand without international intervention.
We are living in a time where humanity has already suffered enough from slavery, colonization and holocaust, among many other things. Journalists should strive to study the past and present problems of the world in order to prevent the ignorance of dehumanizing a continent through the media by telling one side of a story that is far more complicated than simple.
Yasmine Farah is a Collegian columnist. She can be reached at yfarah@student.umass.edu.
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