Perceptions are very powerful. In fact, they can be more powerful and far more influential than reality.
Why are there a lot of misconceptions, flawed perceptions and negative stereotypes about Africa? In fact, some of these perceptions are not just sad, they’re downright shocking.
You see, the largely negative portrayal of Africa by the mainstream media as a cesspool of disease, poverty, conflict and ‘backwardness’ is intentional because it has more shock value and gets more attention from those who don’t really know the continent.
As you would expect, these negative stereotypes of Africa have serious negative consequences for our continent.
A lot of people outside Africa — and a lot of people within it — don’t understand the size, scale and diversity of our continent.
For example, a lot of people don’t realise that ours is a very massive continent in geographic terms, and it’s actually naive to make sweeping generalisations about Africa.
FACT: Did you know you can fit the land mass of India, China, the USA, and Mexico into Africa?
In this interesting and insightful TEDx Talk, Nkosazana Mafico makes a strong case for the phenomenal mindset of Africa’s young people that will make them a transformational generation on the continent.
Enjoy the short video below:
How do we change the negative perceptions about Africa? You really should watch this!
Video credit: TEDx
