by Lydia Ngoma
All the examples I orbit below are based on my personal experience; I hit non utter for ALL Africans.
Six mutual misconceptions people of the West bring nearly Africans:
1. We cannot utter English
Some white folk, specially if it's their commencement fourth dimension inward Africa, assume we can't read, write or utter English.
And so, a dark African would move spoken to loudly together with real like shooting fish in a barrel equally if to ensure our ignorant brains are able to procedure the information. I acquire that inward some regions at that topographic point are those that hit non utter English, but inward many parts of Africa, specially countries colonized past times the British, where our people were forced to larn the “Queen’s English”, English linguistic communication is a major language.
To date, English linguistic communication remains the national linguistic communication of many one-time British colonies, together with the linguistic communication of teaching inward many parts of Africa. So yes, many of us tin empathise yous exactly fine.
2. We are all starving
This misconception is thank yous to adverts similar those past times do-gooder humanitarian groups who pull naked, starving kids alongside flies some their mouths. I empathise that those adverts are needed to guilt-trip people into donating, but it equally good creates an regard inward people's minds that nearly everyone inward Africa is dying of hunger or disease. This is non the case; many Africans are successful inward their different fields of work, together with many to a greater extent than alive comfortable middle-income lives.
3. We all bring HIV/AIDS
The ignorance which people bring regarding the AIDS pandemic inward this solar daytime together with historic menses nevertheless baffles me. I've had some white folk receive to politely inquire me if I'm HIV+ or if I've e'er had AIDS before. Yes, the continent has high infection rates, but it doesn't utilize to everyone.
4. We are hyper-sexual
This is my to the lowest degree favourite misconception. We are together with hence mystified together with exotified that this often produces 2 reactions:
(a) Some white men has seat taste-the-black-cherry goals on their to-do lists, effectively objectifying us.
or
(b) They volition avoid us similar plague for fearfulness that our only intention is to seduce them.
We are exactly normal, everyday people, please!
5. We are lazy
Another mutual misconception is that nosotros are slackers, together with hit non bring the operate ethic of other races. I've been inward professional person scenarios where a white colleague would applaud me for existence punctual, or limited surprise at me doing my undertaking correctly spell implying inward poorly veiled damage how I am dissimilar the ‘rest of my friends’.
Every grouping has lazy together with hard-working people alike; these traits shouldn't move alone attributed to 1 group.
6. Twins are existence killed inward Africa
This is exactly untrue. Yes, spell at that topographic point are some cultures that mightiness bring feared twins inward the past times together with fifty-fifty had them thrown away, but the utilisation of infanticide is long dead, rarely at in 1 lawsuit heard of fifty-fifty inward real remote regions.
I empathise that yous likely believe Africa is crawling alongside savages … but people hither are to a greater extent than informed than yous intend together with would e'er orbit them credit for.
So no, no 1 is killing twins inward Africa.
***
Lydia Ngoma is a human relationship banker at United Bank for Africa, Zambia. Sumber http://www.dnbstories.com/
All the examples I orbit below are based on my personal experience; I hit non utter for ALL Africans.
Six mutual misconceptions people of the West bring nearly Africans:
1. We cannot utter English
Some white folk, specially if it's their commencement fourth dimension inward Africa, assume we can't read, write or utter English.
And so, a dark African would move spoken to loudly together with real like shooting fish in a barrel equally if to ensure our ignorant brains are able to procedure the information. I acquire that inward some regions at that topographic point are those that hit non utter English, but inward many parts of Africa, specially countries colonized past times the British, where our people were forced to larn the “Queen’s English”, English linguistic communication is a major language.
To date, English linguistic communication remains the national linguistic communication of many one-time British colonies, together with the linguistic communication of teaching inward many parts of Africa. So yes, many of us tin empathise yous exactly fine.
2. We are all starving
This misconception is thank yous to adverts similar those past times do-gooder humanitarian groups who pull naked, starving kids alongside flies some their mouths. I empathise that those adverts are needed to guilt-trip people into donating, but it equally good creates an regard inward people's minds that nearly everyone inward Africa is dying of hunger or disease. This is non the case; many Africans are successful inward their different fields of work, together with many to a greater extent than alive comfortable middle-income lives.
3. We all bring HIV/AIDS
The ignorance which people bring regarding the AIDS pandemic inward this solar daytime together with historic menses nevertheless baffles me. I've had some white folk receive to politely inquire me if I'm HIV+ or if I've e'er had AIDS before. Yes, the continent has high infection rates, but it doesn't utilize to everyone.
4. We are hyper-sexual
This is my to the lowest degree favourite misconception. We are together with hence mystified together with exotified that this often produces 2 reactions:
(a) Some white men has seat taste-the-black-cherry goals on their to-do lists, effectively objectifying us.
or
(b) They volition avoid us similar plague for fearfulness that our only intention is to seduce them.
We are exactly normal, everyday people, please!
5. We are lazy
Another mutual misconception is that nosotros are slackers, together with hit non bring the operate ethic of other races. I've been inward professional person scenarios where a white colleague would applaud me for existence punctual, or limited surprise at me doing my undertaking correctly spell implying inward poorly veiled damage how I am dissimilar the ‘rest of my friends’.
Every grouping has lazy together with hard-working people alike; these traits shouldn't move alone attributed to 1 group.
6. Twins are existence killed inward Africa
This is exactly untrue. Yes, spell at that topographic point are some cultures that mightiness bring feared twins inward the past times together with fifty-fifty had them thrown away, but the utilisation of infanticide is long dead, rarely at in 1 lawsuit heard of fifty-fifty inward real remote regions.
I empathise that yous likely believe Africa is crawling alongside savages … but people hither are to a greater extent than informed than yous intend together with would e'er orbit them credit for.
So no, no 1 is killing twins inward Africa.
***
Lydia Ngoma is a human relationship banker at United Bank for Africa, Zambia. Sumber http://www.dnbstories.com/