The Most Common Stereotypes About Africa

“Africa’s not a continent, but a country.” Often people refer to African food, African culture, African language or even the African art. Many individuals make assumptions that Africa is a single country, such individuals are not aware that Africa is the second largest continent in the world. Negative imagery of Africa initiate’s false perceptions about the region.

In the first place, assumptions developed that Africa is an insignificant country with no distinct cultures, traditions and ethnic groups. Referring to, express, African people is as uncommon as referring to Asian food, or the European language or the North American art. Africa is the second largest continent in the world, consisting of, 53 countries including island-nations along the continents coast. Misconceptions, specify all countries within Africa are the same, or composed of mainly jungles. Deceitful statements that stereotypically generalize Africa in such perspectives lead to problematic assumptions. Each country has it’s own cultural and ethnic backgrounds, including, their religion, tradition, and spoken language. Moreover, justifying these unrealistic statements is to make an postulation that all of Asia is equivalent. Furthermore, this would lead to falsified justifications about a region, not allowing all the ethnicities, languages, cultures, and religions to become explicit. Therefore, simplifications referring to African’s leads to deceiving assumptions, and fictional judgements concerning Africa.

Concerning the outstanding matter that Africa is stated as a country. Egypt is one of many beautiful countries located in Africa. Egypt has many historical features, and backgrounds. However, the stereotypic statements with regards to Africa, has caused misconceptions in relation to Egypt being a part of the continent. Such individuals consider Egypt as a part of Asia. Why is it assumed that Egypt is parted on Asia? Egyptians ethnical language is Arabic, and Asia consists of many countries like Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, that speak Arabic. Indicating Africans as a whole, influenced lack of explicating different cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.

Stereotypes are statements that justify a group of people related to their race, and nationality. Many stereotypes can have a negative impact, and many can result to a positive impact. However, it consists of generalizing groups of individuals in manners that can lead to discrimination and ignorance of diversity within group. Stereotypes, most commonly justify false implications, since they are based on judgements rather than facts or statistics.

Africans are perceived based on different stereotypes. “Children: unwashed, half-naked, skin and bones for want of food. They sit listlessly on the ground with flies landing on their faces.” “ half are dying from Aids – proof they lack any kind of morals. Millions die of malaria, also incurable.”

Such stereotypes about children living in Africa generalizes that all children have the same typical lifestyle. However, the stereotype stated, is presented and exists within the region, with no reference to the tragic historical incidents. Colonization of the Europeans, greatly impacted the presence of tragic and hurtful lifestyles. Racial Discrimination against cultures, ethnicity, and physical appearance (colour of skin) caused a dramatic spread out between nationalities.

Evidently the tragic events that occurred during the 1800’s through the 1900’s during the colonization, and apartheid separation, its apparent that many families went through disastrous incidents, such as, displacement from ownership of land, lay-off of valuable occupations, and transposition from states. This catastrophe influenced lack of health and wealth to support one self. Affecting, their health and causing them to become diseased due to malnutrition, lead by lack of occupation to provide for families, causing starvation. Many children around the world suffer from malnutrition, due to disproportional wealth distribution amongst the region. However, its not substantial that all individuals are categorized in a single description.

Negative imagery initiates false perceptions, as a result of justification of a certain group with regards to their ethnicity, culture, or racial description. Stereotypes, can validate a certain topic, however, most commonly they’re used to generalize information regarding a significant crowd. Therefore, a continent cannot be viewed, or pronounced as a single country, moreover, its countries, people, and cultures cannot be viewed standardized.