Mistaking Africa Chapter 1 Summary

There are many misconceptions that have been universally accepted mentioned in Curtis Keim’s book Mistaking Africa, many of which are based on biased and incorrect accounts and are extremely offensive. Three important myths are that Africa is a land of cannibals, it is backward and very uncivilized, and that it is one country where everyone and the climate are the same all over. These will be explained, refuted, and the detriment to the people of Africa will be discussed.

#4. The main source of information of Africa are storytelling called Griots , artifacts (Slag) and written language.

Upon our planet Earth as of the 21st century, one hundred ninety-five countries have formed throughout history. Within each country, a menagerie of people of all ethnicities, genders, and sexualities have emerged. Out of all these countries though, only two of which are worth speaking of: The United States of America and Malawi. Separated by nine thousand miles of ocean and land, these two countries have form a mutual beneficial bond that guarantees each a spot in the golden-age of the world. Though culturally, at at a time politically, different, America continues its relationship with The Warm Heart of Africa through thick and thin.

I come from Los Angeles, a city over 7,500 miles away from Nambonkaha, yet I am not new to the African culture. Having friends and teachers from various countries within the continent such as Ghana, Namibia, Egypt, and Rwanda. I remember my first introduction to my friend, Justin, who was from Ghana. I can distinctly recall the aroma of Coco Butter, which I only learned to identify in the following weeks. Growing up with a friend who is from Ghana never seemed odd to me, other than I would rarely be able to meet his entire family. I often would catch myself thinking about the cliché thoughts, What is it like over there? Is it safe to go? Should I go when I’m older? Each of these questions proved to be a fruitless argument, cycling through my

Over generations, Africa has been stripped from its truth and robbed from its historic contributions. Although the people of Africa greatly contributed to the world with their countless genius innovations, their recognition was nearly nonexistent. The endured hardships that were rooted by the Europeans during and after the Trans-Atlantic slave trade has led many to believe that the continent of Africa was inhabited by degenerates. This seemed to have become the single story of Africa. Basil Davidson set out to destroy that single story, which haunted this continent for hundreds of years. Davidson does so by bringing the truth to light with his various videos, each of which consists of informative interviews and educational commentaries on

"No other continent has endured such an unspeakably bizarre combination of foreign thievery and foreign goodwill." -Barbra Kingsolver. This American novelist, essayist and poet is talking about a continent called Africa. It's well known that this place has a very colorful and problematic past, mainly caused by unimaginably rich westernized

In order to feel what the African descents in this art piece felt go to the desert in Africa’s ninety plus weather, walk barefoot everywhere you go, go to the forest to hunt for food, wrap yourself around in a thin-like linen cloth if you are a woman and wrap the cloth at an angle around you if you are a man, drink water that is not so clean, expect to get sick regularly because hospitals are few and if you go to the hospital you most likely would not be able to afford it and lastly deal with the fact that Africa does not have the technological advancements that us Americans have today. In life, we tend to take things for granted especially living in a country where you have everything compared to let us say a third world country. The purpose

Humankind has come a long way since the beginning of time and the beginning started in Africa. Anthropologists guess that we, Homo sapiens, come from other animals such as chimpanzees since they are our neighboring relative. Many other species arose in Africa as well and we all shared one thing and that was the ability to walk up on two legs. As time went on, our brains grew larger and we started migrating to other places such as Eurasia and started using tools. Ultimately, all of the species died out and we were the only ones left because of all the struggles we went through and the way we established settled societies.

Taylor Swift’s music video, “Wildest Dreams”, emphasizes many of the issues concerning the American attitude towards Africa by including nearly every single one of the problems mentioned by Binyavanga Wainaina in “How to Write About Africa”. When observing the American perspective of Africa, Wainaina states that the African people should be stereotypes or entirely obscured while “Animals...must be treated as well rounded, complex characters. They speak (or grunt while tossing their manes proudly) and have names, ambitions and desires”. Taylor Swift’s music video embodies many of these characteristics, with an abundance of glorious cameos of African animals; a herd of galloping gazelles, a majestic lion, and several playful elephants appear

However, the parading of malnourished and naked African children in front of cameras and images of lions and gorillas in the jungle, that have dominate most Western media news outlets over the past two decades have deterred potential private investors in the ‘West’ from investing in Africa. The presentation of Africa by Western media convinces the audiences in United States, Europe and other parts of the world that the entire continent of Africa is hopeless, poverty and disease stricken. Images of malls and skyscrapers, well developed road networks and other manifestations of modern development in most African countries are usually

because I see it on TV doesn’t mean that’s how Africa really is.” “What is your

Often times, it is the individual that are the most unaware who are the quickest to speak ignorantly of essential topics. Nonetheless if a friend of mine spoke to me discussing that Africa needed to be recolonized I would immediately assume that he or she was simply uninformed on the large aspects of the history of Africa. Because otherwise, this friend of mine would be cognizant of the fact that colonization within Africa has had and continues to have detrimental affects on the the economic, political, and social facets amidst Africa, therefore this would require myself to educate my friend on what colonialism is, how it came about, and what it entails. This situation would also remind myself of how this ignorance of one’s history is what leads to individuals unknowingly perpetuating discriminatory and xenophobic ideals, thus also displaying how the affects on colonization of Africa are still very prevalent today.

“Ghana’s history is a metaphor for what occurred in the immediate aftermath of independence in Africa,” is a quote by Kofi Awoonor, Ghana’s leading literary figure and one of Africa’s most acclaimed authors. Three of his poems illustrate the hardships and trials that the Africans faced after their claim of independence from Britain. As said by Awoonor himself, “...high hopes were crushed by the greed, corruption, and lust for power…”. The author uses multiple literary devices as a way to emphasize the adversities they faced. Kofi Awoonor symbolizes the downfall of Ghana after independence through the use of theme, mood, and symbolism in his Three Poems.

In the book The Last Train to Zona Verde, Paul Theroux is able to change the way in which the Western hemisphere looks upon Africa. What is usually associated with Africa is a deplorable place of famine and malady, a bottomless pit where billions of dollars of aid are thrown into each year. That, or one of the most beautiful, expensive places in the world one can visit. For a couple of thousands of dollars, if not tens of thousands of dollars, one can see all that he or she desires in Africa. However, what people imagine or want from Africa is not its daily reality. Theroux looks behind the exotic safari trips and nights spent at expensive hotels, exclusively offered for the either naïve or ignorant, rich tourist, realizing that Africa is

When the interviewees were asked what first came to their minds when they heard the word “Africa” most answers dealt with life beginning there. “Africa held the first civilization, we all originated from there” (Derrick). Another said, “When I think Africa I think of culture and traditions. People do call Africa the “motherland” so I think of mankind coming from it” (Allison).