Author: Imran Garda
News coverage of Africa has drastically reduced over the decade. So too has the quality of coverage of the continent. Well below journalistic standards, reports from and representation of the continent do not reflect the actualities on the ground. In the end, the Africa on the television set is far from reality and suffers from a perception problem.
You may already have accepted that those images of swollen potbellies underneath protruding ribs, those sticky flies sitting on the starving child's eyebrows and lips, those panoramic views of refugee camps are not the be-all and end-all of Africa. Or those unclear references to Africa which suggest it's a monolith, or even worse, a country. You may have accepted that all these, some of which are not inaccurate in some places, don't provide the full picture. A picture which, if it were genuine, would reflect a continent of diverse peoples and ideas, varied standards of living (including horrendous poverty and unbelievable inequality) yet infinite potential, a picture of an eclectic mix of things good and bad.
You may already have accepted that those images of swollen potbellies underneath protruding ribs, those sticky flies sitting on the starving child's eyebrows and lips, those panoramic views of refugee camps are not the be-all and end-all of Africa. Or those unclear references to Africa which suggest it's a monolith, or even worse, a country. You may have accepted that all these, some of which are not inaccurate in some places, don't provide the full picture. A picture which, if it were genuine, would reflect a continent of diverse peoples and ideas, varied standards of living (including horrendous poverty and unbelievable inequality) yet infinite potential, a picture of an eclectic mix of things good and bad.
Besides
flies, potbellies and continental monoliths, here are some other telltale signs
of simplistic and often pathetic attempts to cover Africa. If more than one of
these apply to your print, online or broadcast journalism source, you're
probably not getting your information from the most reliable place.
Darkness, darkness everywhere
If you come
across a description of Africa as the "dark continent," Africa having
a "dark history," especially if you come across Conradian references
to "the heart of darkness," it may suggest the journalist relies too
heavily on a book of fiction written in 1902 and is unlikely to have spoken to
many people on the ground. Also, all this "dark" this and
"dark" that business, feels just more than a little racist.
African sunsets, African skies
Only in
Africa do news reports sometimes wax lyrical about golden African sunrises,
molten lava African sunsets, azure African skies... I can assure you: The sun
in Africa is the same sun as the rest of the world. The sky is exactly the same
sky too. Trees are trees in Africa, not African trees. "Plumes of smoke
went up, smothering the Japanese sky in Fukushima." If that sounds
ridiculous, it's because it is -- and for Africa it's no different.
They need a reason to kill each
other?
Bill Maher recently interviewed the New York Times' East Africa bureau
chief Jeffrey Gettleman on his show and Maher asked why it seems "in
Africa... [there are] wars for no apparent reason... for the sake of."
Gettleman then indicated that LRA leader Joseph Kony's insurgency might fit
that category since he can't be bought, he can't be reasoned with and he has no
ideology. I found it curious: Kony anointing himself as a messiah and calling
his organization the Lord's Resistance Army still didn't qualify enough for
Gettleman's definition of an ideology. This sounds a lot like someone who's
watched that scene from The
Dark Knight where Alfred (Michael Caine) tries to explain the
Joker's psychopathic personality to Bruce Wayne using the example of the Bandit
from Burma. Forget the layers upon layers of background to Kony's rise,
including the terrible atrocities against civilians of the Acholi districts in
Northern Uganda by rebels and the government since as early as 1986. It may
come as a surprise, but no -- wars don't just happen for the sake of, in Africa.
Like everywhere else, they have a context. Colonialism was real. So was
apartheid. These phenomenon, imposed from the outside, have had a lasting
effect on every thread of the fabric of society, from Morocco to Sudan, Ghana
to South Africa. The continent cannot be reported accurately without
recognition of these legacies. Any piece of journalism that doesn't -- is not
worth trusting. We remember The American Civil War, The Russian Revolution,
World War II, The Holocaust -- and factor them into how they affect realities
on the ground today. Africa's history is no different.
They speak English?
Colonialism
brought European languages to Africa. Any report that gives even the vaguest
indication of surprise that this Angolan speaks fluent Portuguese, or this Ivorian
speaks fluent French, or that Zimbabwean speaks perfect English -- should be
mocked.
Can't understand 'em
When you do
come across a news report that has an African interviewee speaking English, but
still find the speech subtitled, ask yourself why heavily-accented factory
workers from Glasgow, protesters in Belfast, or even the Australian PM Julia
Gillard aren't subtitled too.
All dictators are equal, but
some dictators are more equal than others
Confident,
unapologetic use of the terms "Banana Republic" or "Tinpot
Dictatorship" tend to feature heavily when it comes to Africa in the
mainstream. Not that there aren't many, far too many -- but if a news source is
going to call one dictator a dictator -- it should call all dictators dictators.
Ask yourself, how many times has the d-word been used by your news source when
referencing U.S. and European-allied absolute monarchs in the oil-rich Gulf? If
the polite "strongman" or "pragmatist" or "reformer in
a traditional society" can apply to them, it can apply to African leaders
too.
No potholes -- it's a miracle!
Rwanda has
been through a lot. It's a nation that's making big strides on many fronts,
particularly economically. But the next time you read something about the lack
of potholes in Kigali and the miracle that the roads and buildings are so
incredible, so soon after the genocide, consider this: What the hell do
potholes have to do with hacking someone to death with a machete? Nazi Germany
had great infrastructure and probably zero potholes. The Tibetans have few
roads, and those few probably have very many potholes. They're hardly the most
violent people you'll ever meet.
Look, they're singing and
dancing!
If a
political report devotes a substantial chunk of attention to tribal dancing,
and "vibrant African music" -- beware. You wouldn't sample the
nightclubs and "vibrant American music" in Adams Morgan when doing a
piece on Democrats and Republicans arguing over the U.S. budget. Just like the
sky is the sky in Africa and not the African sky, music is music in Africa and
not African music. And if music wasn't vibrant, well then it's probably not
music.
What do you think about Obama?
If I had a
dollar for every time I've seen or read a western reporter asking every African
they come across what they think of Barack Obama (you know, because he's black
and they are), I'd use the money to travel to Kosovo, or Latvia and ask people
there what they think of Mitt Romney, you know, because he's white and they
are...
Follow Imran Garda on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@ImranGarda
Born in Johannesburg, Imran
Garda has over a decade of experience as a journalist. He was most recently
with Al Jazeera English as a reporter, anchor and host of the award-winning
social media show The Stream.
The following article was originally published in The Huffington Post. Your comments and feedback are much appreciated. To engage in further discussion with the editors and contributors of the blog on this topic and other related topics, follow us on twitter @SEADiaspora and/or leave a comment below.
The following article was originally published in The Huffington Post. Your comments and feedback are much appreciated. To engage in further discussion with the editors and contributors of the blog on this topic and other related topics, follow us on twitter @SEADiaspora and/or leave a comment below.