Lately, I’ve been enjoying pushing boundaries quite a bit. It isn’t to upset anyone, of course, but having gone through a pandemic, why waste time sugar-coating things? From discussing stereotypical assumptions to talking about eating disorders, this space has definitely become a lifestyle corner. Well, today we are going to debunk the theories people have about Africa. And hopefully, I can replace them with a clearer image. If you are one of the millions who had incorrect views on the motherland, don’t worry. Not everyone was born with 20-20 vision. Hopefully, this will be the prescription you need to correct that blurred vision.
PS: I say all of this with love. The same kind of love your annoying sibling, who tells on you at every opportunity, has for you.

Africa is not developed
Did you think that Africa was just a third-world continent where everyone rode lions to ‘work’. And once they got to work, they would pull out their spears and stealthily sneak up on their prey? Maybe you thought that we live in little run-down shacks and share a wifi connection with the neighbourhood? If that Is what you thought, you are not entirely wrong.
I’ve had many fellow bloggers express surprise when I tell them that I am from, and currently based in Africa. Of course, my lovely peers are stunned by how close we have become over a shared passion. I mean, how often can you befriend people you’ve never met, on different continents? But I must admit the “you don’t think we have Wi-Fi in the jungle?” thought crossed my mind a few times.
Africa is a beautiful continent. There are, of course, several parts that need some love. But there are also many places that are extremely gorgeous. And if we are being completely honest, there is a reason why Africa is not as advanced as some major continents. But I will let your history teachers teach you about that.
Related: 4 Stereotypical Assumptions People Have Made About Me
It’s extremely unsafe
Yes, yes, you will be robbed at gunpoint if you frolic in South Africa. You might even become collateral damage while driving your car down the road. But isn’t that the same case anywhere else in the world if you choose to go to the wrong neighbourhood? Anywhere except for Japan that is. I heard the mafia serve the poor over there!
Having lived in Africa for the most part of my life, I have never actually been robbed, witnessed any shootings or anything of the sort. Some of you might say it’s because I blend in. If I’m being honest, that might just be it. But at the same time, knowing where you can and cannot go is key to living a long life. There are some very dodgy places here in Johannesburg, but I have never even driven through them. I mean, why would I? And by the same token, why should you?
I often hear about how scary South Africa is – mostly said by foreigners who have never visited. But as an African who has never been the the United States, I wonder if I’ll get shot for crossing the road in my own skin. It’s sad, and that is not something one should ever have to worry about. But it’s a global problem.
Africans aren’t smart
This may be the furthest assumption from the truth I’ve ever heard. In fact, some of the most intelligent people I know are Africans, with the rest being from other parts of the world. I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t cared to learn more about my fellow Africans’ cultural norms. But what I have looked into is the educational system in many of the surrounding countries. My dearest kenyans – oh so smart. And the Zimbabweans with a stellar education – hats off to them!
Oh and here’s an interesting fact that I learnt from my peers; in Nigeria, having a bachelor’s degree isn’t good enough. Most elite entry level jobs expect you to have a Master’s degree if you are to stand a fair chance of getting hired. I’ve heard similar things about India as well, and yet in many parts of the world, high school graduates find their ways into the corporate world.
Of course, a university degree isn’t an indication of intelligence. But the point I’m trying to make is that in Africa, it is expected that you will get one and take care of your family. How is that for a standard?
Africa is a country
If you giggled at this one, I hate to burst your bubble. There are many people who still think that Africa is one big country. And it doesn’t matter how fast their internet connectivity is, they just can’t be bothered to Google it!
My dearest readers, this stab is not at you. But I felt obligated to add some facts to this section in case our extra terrestrial visitors stumble across my page.
There are 55 states in Africa, 54 of which are sovereign. We speak English, Portuguese and French depending on which country we are from. Further to the ‘national’ languages, there are over 2,000 tribal languages. By default, most Africans are bilingual at least, with most speaking an average of 3 languages.
Pretty cool, huh?
Conclusion
While my post is specifically on assumptions about Africa, it speaks to a bigger problem. We need to stop thinking that we are better than someone else because of the colour of their skin or the shape of their eyes. And we need to do so without it becoming an agenda supported by protests. So let’s stop assuming, judging, stereotyping, and hating.
It is one world, and it belongs to all of us.
Yes yes I am guilty of some of the assumptions and I have been to Egypt but not any other place in Africa. Here on the uae us Emirati we have all been to Egypt 🇪🇬 because it’s a beautiful country but we haven’t been to any other place in Africa and then we all assume all of these assumptions (allll of them).
I just love this post so much!! I admit that as an American I am probably guilty of all of those assumptions at least during one part of my life. It mostly stems from people just not understanding or being knowledgeable about Africa. When I was in school, my teachers didn’t teach me the history of Africa, .just how it relates to American history (so basically the slave trade). So the little that we do know about Africa, we let it color our perceptions of what Africa really is. And that is truly sad. 🙁
Well a good attempt against the tide. Writings like that help to clear the dust of misunderstanding from eyes of the ignorant people like me. Keep us updated.
Thanks
Such a great informative post! Glad to know more now. Thank you
Thanks for reading! 💖
Thanks for teaching us and sharing –
😅 thanks for reading!
I have never been to Africa but I have to admit I find it a very interesting place. Did I tell you my daughter was supposed to to go to Kenya last year on a service learning trip? Sadly the pandemic put and end to that. Such a shame. It would have been a life-changing experience for her.
I try not to make assumptions about places without doing my homework. I’m always amazed about some of the things people assume about Canada. Sadly the worst culprits are our wonderful neighbours to the south. No, it doesn’t snow here 12 months a year.
Aw shame! I really hope she’s able to visit this year~ Kenya is a pretty place to visit, and it’s very green but also has extremely white sand by the coast. Definitely a poster African country!
Your neighbors are special 😅
Sadly, I think the Kenya ship has sailed as many in the class that were going have moved on to college or university, and the rest (including my daughter) are graduating this year, and we are still under heavy travel restrictions.
It’s a shame because it’s hard to do a trip like that after you leave school. Some people are adventurous and will do it on their own, but my daughter isn’t that way inclined. Going with a school group was the perfect scenario for her.
I really hate stereotypes! I’m glad you here busting them. Also who thought Africa was a single country 😂
Lol you’d be surprised how many people have made that mistake! 🤦🏾♀️ and mainly Americans too 😅 What do you guys learn in school?! 🥴
I’m Canadian! But it doesn’t help that most of the footage we see from Africa is commercials for charities showing starving kids with no drinking water 😅
Thank you dear for sharing! X
Thanks for reading 💖
Your welcome❤️💋
Africa is a country 🤣 Wow.
People are so misguided in their misconceptions. I can’t wait to visit Africa – I have so many bucket list places to visit from Mt. Kilimanjaro to Masai Mara – can’t wait! ❤️
Look at you eyeing the east! 😊
You should definitely come down to the south too~ it’s so gorgeous!
PS- not everyone has 20/20 vision 😛
Haha the first paragraph tho 😂😂😉
But its not entirely people’s fault they have been fed stereotypes both in breakfast in dinner since childhood 😏😏 Africa is a country 😂😂
Well all things apart, how’s your pet lion doing??. Pet him gently from my side too 😂😂😉😉
Aww thanks for caring so much about Kobu, our pet lion. He’s doing very well and growing so big! Soon, he will be too big to jump on us when we come home from hunting and gathering berries 💔
Kudos to you for clearing up the misconceptions about your continent. I’m sure many people have bad misconceptions about Jamaica too e.g. it’s a violent place, we all smoke weed or live on a beach. I know because I hear and read about those misconceptions all the time. I don’t smoke and none of my friends and relatives do either.. but it is true that marijuana is available for those who want it.
Wait… you don’t smoke weed all day?! 🤯
Jokes 😂 But yeah, that’s exactly it! When I hear someone is going to Jamaica, I think they are going either for the food, beaches or livelihood. But when I say I want to go to Jamaica, I get asked “just so you can smoke weed?”
Is there increased crime because of the free marijuana use?
You know I’m not sure how much the marijuana affects our high crime rate, but it probably does contribute. Our main root causes of crime though are poverty, corruption and the stark inequalities of wealth. Because of this, some criminals just become ruthless.. they want to live “hype” or a good life, and turn to crime e.g. drugs, scamming, theft, to fund that goal rather than working hard the legitimate way. And ofc, this creates gangs and then eventually gang violence, and as a result majority of our crime is contained in small pockets of Jamaica. So you’ll just hear people say “don’t venture to x and y”. Stay in the touristy areas or in the mountains/rural areas. Don’t enter the slums without a local, and even so… I don’t really go to these places either.
Thank you for this post! While I didn’t think any of these stereotypes (I promise), you expressed each point in great detail that I felt it was a mini education session. Perhaps I never thought deeply about what I thought Africa to be like other than VERY VERY HOT but I definitely knew it wasn’t anything (as in everywhere in Africa) like those stereotypical feed the children commercials or that Bandaid charity Christmas collab song. I’ve also had the pleasure of getting to know a wide variety of people from different parts of the world and I’ve loved seeing the diversity! 🙂
Lol hot? You’d be surprised with how cold it can get too~ especially in the South.
What bandaid Christmas song? I’ve never heard it 😅 they never play those kinds of things for us down here 🥴
Lol oh I didn’t realize it gets cold there lol opps my bad 😑
https://youtu.be/bmj7KlIut1w
Hmm maybe read this article making fun of the video instead of watching it!
https://whatwentwrongwith.com/2017/11/24/what-went-wrong-with-do-they-know-its-christmas-by-band-aid/
Your post made me laugh, thanks! The first one in particular applies to many developing countries. I think about the hate Mexicans are receiving from the US and wonder, do they think all Mexicans are poor or uneducated? Same with the Ph. Some parts are unsafe but not all parts. Bottom line is I cannot wait to explore Africa when the world allows. I am sure it holds many wonders!
Haha I’m glad you got a giggle out of it! And you’ve raised the biggest problem – generalisation based on a stereotype. And in most cases, it couldn’t be more wrong!
Needing a Master’s degree in Nigeria for entry level jobs blows my mind. I’m honestly curious now about how easy college access is in Africa.
I knew prior to this that areas of Africa were developed, I’ve just always thought that devotion to tradition outweighed the devotion to modern culture (does that make sense?) I also knew there were areas that spoke French!
Hahah yeah, I wouldn’t know how hard it is to be honest. But I presume it isn’t easy.
Africans do value culture quite a bit, but that doesn’t stop us from becoming modernized. It’s usually the food and cultural practices that never go away, while our surroundings change with time. 😉
Wow I love this post, thank you so much for highlighting these problems
What is sad about these assumptions is that oftentimes a lot of diaspora Africans help feed these misconceptions by not bothering to defend our nations, forgetting that in cases like these keeping silent is taken as confirmation.
You raise a fair point. I think the biggest problem is feeling a bit embarrassed or ashamed of being from a place that everyone considers to be a poor jungle. I know I’ve felt that way when people spoke badly about Africa!