Facts and misconceptions of Africa you/someone you know has

Discuss the September 2017 Book of the Month, Bluewater Walkabout: Into Africa: Finding Healing Through Travel by Tina Dreffin.


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micoleon13
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Re: Facts and misconceptions of Africa you/someone you know

Post by micoleon13 »

That safaris are just like in wildlife documentaries, when theres often a lot of tourists all surrounded around a prode of lions or a herd of zebra.
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Post by GPM »

Juliet Esther wrote:I'm from Africa,Kenya to be precise so i should know of all the misconceptions ignorant people have. One is they think that Africa is one big jungle and Africans live with the monkeys and stuff, another one I've heard times and times before is that all Africans are hungry and suffering, another one is that Africans are ignorant people and you can easily dupe them, and also that Africans are filled with diseases and when you land in Africa you're likely to be immediately infected with those deadly diseases. There are so very many misconceptions I've heard but i cant mention them all here some of them really make me angry and i do wonder that with all these technology,internet,education and stuff why would someone still think like that? Anyways some people from other continents who have visited African countries really loved it and learned a lot. P.S i would never judge any country or continent that i have never visited before,i would love to travel far and beyond some day then make my judgements later
Its not just you who heard that, and some people really are insensitive. I have met some Africans and they were nice. Good thing that you do not do the same.
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Post by Gikonyo Caroline »

Misconceptions that africa is a poor and dark continent
fact is Africa is endowned with vast amount of resources, with great gifted, knowlegeable and creative people. Africa has many challenges but which continent doesn't ?
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Post by Lest92 »

I'm always stunned when people think we live in the wilderness or that everyone is black. I have met people who were surprised to learn that South Africa has any kind of modern technology and cities. When I was in Germany, some people refused to believe I'm South African because I'm not black. That always boggles my mind.
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Post by readandsmile »

Africa often times I heard that there is an acre of diamonds yet it belongs to a poorest country.
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Post by King Fisher »

Many people, especially Europeans think Africa is a country, lol that's just funny cus Africa is the second biggest continent in the world. How do you mistaken that for a country?
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Post by Alicnim »

I had friends in my university who used to tell that African people do not wash their hair for months because of the way they style it.[/quote]

This is one absurd misconception. I mean who would want to llive with dirty, smelling hair for months . That is so gross. Just because my hair is kinky or fuzzy doesn't mean i don't wash it.
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Post by juliusotinyo »

King Fisher wrote:Many people, especially Europeans think Africa is a country, lol that's just funny cus Africa is the second biggest continent in the world. How do you mistaken that for a country?
And that Johannesburg/Capetown is it's capital. I was surprised when an entire party of guests from France, back in 2010 visited my home in Kenya and thought they were in Capetown! What is even more surprising to them, is they never saw any wild animals as expected. Only squirrels during the day and hedgehogs at night which is same in France.

Sadder still is even as Africans were have misconceptions on ourselves. On my first visit to DR Congo, I was prepared to meet a war ravaged people incapable of life or thought. Goma, was surprising lively, business was thriving, it had a vibrant nightlife and nobody can forget La Sappe on Sundays. I kept asking guys if there really was a war as seen in media and they replied, YES!! But it's just foreign mercenaries, rebels or government, none of which is interested in the locals as long there are not sitting on any minerals.
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Post by katiesquilts »

I know a lot of people who think that all of the countries in Africa are full of poor people who don't have enough to eat (think of the pictures with babies that have distended bellies). Also people who think that Africa is a country, not a continent. :roll:

Actually, there are plenty of multi-millionaires living in Africa, but we never hear about them in the news so we (Westerns) tend to assume that they don't exist.
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Post by charlesjr2 »

Some of the things said about my continent is true, while some aren't. It's just how life is, you will always see people who are just bitter towards some aspect of life for no just course, while some are just misinformed. There's no way you can enjoy life if you tend to care about what everybody thinks. C'mon there are over 7 billion people in the world, you will be overwhelmed if you border yourself about what others think.
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Post by Angela Stripes »

Mosubi wrote:Unfortunately, many people have no idea that Africa is a very beautiful continent. Few misconceptions don't change the facts.
While I agree, I have to point out that everyone has different ideas of what they consider as beautiful. I heard someone say the desert is one of the most exotic places he'd ever been to. While I disagree, that's his opinion. Africa has its gorgeous spots, and its 'eh' portions as well. I think the key theme here and in general is misinformation and not researching it for one's self.
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Post by Colleen0701 »

DShore wrote:I think some people think that it's just a horrible, filthy place. While some may still agree with that after research, you can find all of the wonders in the country from a neutral perspective.
The continent not country. :tiphat:
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Post by mumoscar »

Yeah, I know people who have such perceptions. Some believe Africa is poor and associates Africans with monkeys which isn't right.
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Post by kina »

I've met people who think Africa is a single country, rather than a large continent with many countries. They also thought everywhere was grassland or desert, while Africa has many different environments, including beaches and mountains. It's pretty insulting that they can't just open up a book or watch a video on it when they have all these resources available, then complain they had no way to know.
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Post by Londera »

There is a misconception that Africa is a poor country. It has some of the more resources and precious materials in the world. It is just that these resources are often stolen by those who claim to be "doing good". Also alot of people think that only Black people live in Africa. Also it is not one big country, but a continent is a continent with many different countries and regions.
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