Changing Perspectives on Africa

Alex Seltmann

Melton Fellow Alex Seltmann was tired of hearing unreflected, racist and sexist comments from family members. Especially their image of African countries and African people, which is distorted by German media’s focus on poverty and wildlife. His trip to Ghana inspired him to do something against it .“Even though it was not easy, I really was eager to share my experiences and try my best to break some stereotypes and maybe give some food for thought.”

At a family birthday party he took the opportunity to share with 28 family members his experiences in Ghana using storytelling with photos and videos. He started with impressions from his travels (nature as a starting point) and ended with the consequences of climate change in the Ada region and the former slave castle in Cape Coast. There, he included small quotes of befriended Melton Fellows from Ghana, India and China about their impressions and thoughts. This led to further discussions and an entry point for further conversations between Alex and his family.