Opinion
Africa Through Western Eyes – The World’s Dark Continent or Capitalism’s Shining Light?
In response to these crude generalizations, there has been a growing chorus of voices calling for better reporting of Africa. More nuanced, contextualized and balanced reporting of Africa is not something anyone would disagree with. But this should not just apply to negative stories. Un-contextualized, simplified and wholly positive stories will only lead to further misunderstanding. Africa must, and can only, be understood on its own terms. Initiatives like Uganda Speaks and Global Voices, and the BBC’s recruitment of African reporters, are a good start. The more Westerners learn about Africa from Africans, the better. But if they remain in the minority, we will end up having another single story of Africa that is almost as misleading and distorted as the one we had before.
The original of this report on can be found on the ThinkAfricaPress site.
