When you hear the word Africa, what comes to mind? For some it’s the Golden hued safaris and developed cities while for others it’s the dense poverty or conflict. These perspectives are very recent, dual constructions. Allow me to explain why. I’ll take you back to 170 years ago. The arrival of the ‘White Man’ filled the whole continent with unfarmiliarty and alterations in culture, religion as well as tradition. But this is not the issue I am addressing today. Books like Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, describing Africans as ‘ugly’ ‘primitive’ and ‘savage’ shaped one side of the story that was spread across the west. Joseph Conrad and other colonialists indoctrinated the west into thinking Africa was a continent that needed saving. Not to say that this viewpoint doesn’t still exist to this day with the stereotype of Africa lacking water and millions of people living in straw huts, However, we had chance to rewrite our story. Through writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Chinua Achebe, the African perspective was finally brought into consideration and the culture that the west fought so hard to change was celebrated. People learned that Africans also have opinions and stories to share as they too were part of the colonial process. Would it have been so bad for Africa to remain unchanged? The answer is yes. Colonialism brought an end to violent traditions that lead to the untimely, inhumane deaths of millions. I guess what I’m trying to emphasise is the importance of more than a single story as labeled by Adichie, into understanding the complexities of the world we live in. This principle could apply to multiple corrupted stories such as ongoing conflict in the Middle East, ensuring the education of all into history that will shape their perspective on the future.
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