From African Story to African Tapestry

As I read, listen, and watch about today’s Africa I’m struck by the bi-polar way that Africa is often presented. The first story is the land of victims and safaris that can only be saved by foreign aid and charity. Take the Kony 2012 video seen by hundreds of millions of people worldwide, which juxtaposed singing Californians with Congolese war victims. The second, somewhat more recent story is the economic miracle Africa, which pops up in the Africa Straight Up film.  Both are selective choices from among many stories. How can you take 11.7 million square miles housing over a billion people in 54 countries across myriad ecosystems and boil it all down to one narrative?  That said, I have to sympathize with the continent-as-boomtown story. At least these guys are countering the “all-tragic” story with a “come-check-us-out” story.

Although the open door narrative is better, let’s aspire to discover and communicate a more nuanced African story. As the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie so eloquently described in her TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story, people, cultures, and places are more tapestry than plot line. Back to weaving…