Title: Africa in the eyes of others
I’m sitting in my francophone class watching a video on Cameroon where cultural dances and yelling is going on. I hear a few snickers (a black American girl at a white man dancing) and most of what is being shown is life in the village in Yaoundé so the usual smattering of dust, huts, and people in a half state of undress (but of course) and basically where the contrasts are greater with life in the western world.
I want to ask but I do not think that I will like the responses cos I think that what they are seeing on the screen right now reflects their preconceptions of nothing/very little existing in Africa (and yes, the continent as if it were a country). Right now, the white man on the screen is taking photos of the kids in the village and showing the captured image back to their mystified faces (objectification?). Another girl in the class is dawdling away in her book, having glanced at it at the beginning and barely since then (boredom?). I think this reinforces my notion that you either have a passion for Africa or you don’t. There are those seeking the safari experience, those who want to aid humanity in making a difference, those who end up there by chance, and those just learning as part of a course. The last being what I think is happening now. And then those with no interest whatsoever like I’ve heard expressed (Teeyah’s coupe decale is playing right now on the screen amongst screen shots of a red landscape).
Part of me wants others to know of the Real Africa but what is that exactly? It’s the conceptions and visuals captured by others that allow us to view places we’re never gonna go (the same reasons why I want to go to Gabon, Iceland, and the other gazillion places) but it is definitely that the negative outweighs the good- of children clueless about technology, of the man bringing the riches… has colonization ended?
My answer is no. And one of the things that gets to me the most is the idea of the ENTIRE continent as a child; it’s not given respect as an adult in the room, even though it has its own children it is bringing into the world and nurturing. Certainly a lot of the continent and my country, in particular, are late bloomers- I don’t deny that. So the question is that for how much longer does our hand have to be held? We can’t do it all by ourselves cos of the lack of resources (I speak of Gambia directly) but then that directly perpetuates and reinforces the benefactor/beneficiary relationship...
I’ve been part of a tourist group that went to James Island and a site before my eyes (and in plenty of places) upon the arrival of the tourist group is the site of children running towards the group, hands outstretched. Outstretched to receive another hand perhaps but mostly with the hope of receiving that which they have to offer. My opinion is that we have to start teaching our children to not expect handouts. One could argue that I’ve been born into opportunity so of course I don’t really know what it’s like to be without, that I have the luxury of pride… perhaps to be continued on another note. The video is over and we are about to start discussing so yeah, pretty disjointed (but definitely not new thoughts here) but feel free to comment on anything I’ve said.
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