As a child, Africa was held above my head like the empty threat of corporal punishment. My mother would say things like, “You should eat all your vegetables because there are starving children in Africa who would love to eat them!” Almost as if I was under the threat of hungry Africans eating my dessert before I had the chance to. I also remember my father saying things like “fine, if you don’t like the gift, we’ll just pack it up and send it to Africa!” In fact, throughout my whole life there has the empty threat of Africans taking my privilege away.
Looking back on, I don’t think I saw Africans, Africa, or individual African countries as being different things. Africa was a place that hungered for everything that I had; it was a desert place full of war, decease, and pot-bellied children. Of course as I have grown up I have realized that these notions do not encapsulate the gambit of African countries and people. Still, as with most of the sleighed dragons of my past, it’s planted teeth still linger where my experience is in short supply.
While I do not want to admit it, some part of me still views Africa as a singular entity of warning. Almost like the cracked egg in those “this is your brain on drugs” commercial. Like if I don’t do my homework, eat my vegetables, and say my prayers ... puff, I’ll wake up to discover I’ve been transformed into a African. I feel that this notion has presided in me for this long because I’ve never really looked at Africa as a real place. I have always viewed Africa as a metaphor, kind of like the notion of hell. In all honesty it is hard for me to picture; romance, celebration, and silliness, in Africa. For its only been presented to me as a place of; child sponsor commercials, genocides, and starvation. I hope that by going to Ghana i will see more than the; lion, tigers, and AIDS oh my. I hope I see things that show me Africa is not only about death and survival. I hope I see kids being dumb, chewing gum, colourful clothing, and other useless things.
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hey John,
ReplyDeleteI loved this post. Thanks for always being so honest and real. You're definitely not alone in thinking that Africa is one single entity.. too many people in the world do..and will need you to come back with stories and pictures of real kids chewing gum, fighting with their siblings, and like you said, being dumb and useless.
keep posting!! love reading them :D
- Ruby
I challenge you to take a picture of at least one kid in every scenario you just painted. It will be wonderful to see
ReplyDeleteI laughed when I read this post because many of the same things happened to me growing up. In fact, I still have not entirely escaped its clutches. Just the other day, I told a friend "My cousin is in Africa" and she was like "Umm, Africa is a whole continent ... so where is he?". I still see it as a single entity, I think partly because we are not educated well enough about the world as young children. But I am glad to have the chance to experience Africa through you, the other BBers, my cousin, and others. By next fall I hope to have a more personal, realistic understanding of many areas of the world. Thanks for not being afraid to speak your mind honestly.
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