Africa is a continent that
many people who live outside of fail to truly understand. The
foreigner's notions of the continent are plagued by the ideas of
AIDS/HIV, tuberculosis, poverty and hunger, leaving little room for
signs of positivity.
While I'm not denying the impact, size and validity
of these problems, there's so much more to Africa that people often
forget to acknowledge when the continent comes into conversation.
And
it's not necessarily their faults either. The media, which diffuses
information and influences thoughts, strategically portrays Africa a
certain way. The stories that sell or gain the most attention are ones
of poverty and negativity, and they often reflect the agendas of
multiple NGO's and nonprofits.
While NGOs have undeniably great
intentions to alleviate the problems of the poor in developing
countries, the promotion of their agendas through media only validates
imperialistic attitudes of westerners on developing countries.
The
media's portrayal of Africa is discriminating because they don't tell
the stories of the people. Africans are not less because of the problems
they face.
In Kenya, the Westgate shootings, the fire at the airport
and the presidential election are not indicative of daily life in
Nairobi, but because these events are the primary sources of our news
from Kenya, the westerner's view on how people in Kenya really live is
limited.
This isn't just the responsibility and failure of
international media though. Local media in Africa is not built on strong
enough infrastructure to support the already dying media industry.
The
lack of a strong educational system to support journalists to write
stories beyond what is written by international media outlets is
nonexistent. The violence perpetuated by media continues and the
voiceless remain voiceless.
To be honest, when I first touched
down in Kenya, I didn't know what to think. I had done my research on
the country and read a number of novels written by African writers.
While having a macro-level understanding -- from the languages spoken
here, the corrupt government, recent terrorist attacks and Nairobi as
the tech hub of Eastern African -- I couldn't fathom what I'd be seeing
or experiencing. What I did know is that since a young child, I had
always been frustrated by the way westerners viewed Africa. The older I
grew, the more I realized that the imperialism I learned about in
history and literature classes is still as alive today as it ever was.
This was an injustice that I always saw and could never live down.
Beyond
media, the power and cruelty of communication can be found in our daily
conversations as well. I'm starting to understand the malice of some
basic phrases we use in America to differentiate ourselves from
developing countries. The issue of the phrase 'first world problems' is
becoming more apparent as I live here. While we say it casually and in a
joking manner, the phrase itself limits the view we have on the third
world and make us less relatable to those we perceive as 'others' in the
third world. Beyond being unfair to the third world, 'first world
problems' also is cruel in that it offers no empathy to those in the
first world suffering from problems we deem as 'third world problems.'
The
influence of communication and lack of true understanding is becoming
all the more apparent in my days in Kenya. I had the opportunity to go
to lunch with a few directors from the Project(RED) campaign and
couldn't help but hold my shock when one that them remarked that they
were surprised to see people in the slums with mobile phones. How can
people who are claiming to solve global health problems like AIDS not
understand their constituents? While I understand Project(RED)'s goal is
primarily health-related, the prevalence of mobile phones in Kenya is
so high (93 percent are mobile phone numbers according to the World
Bank) that it's hard to miss when doing research to understand who
they're helping.
The ironic part is that while I'm working for a
venture capital firm with a journalism background, I'm once again being
fueled by the power of communication. What's promising in Africa is a
rising group of Kenyans creating films on the injustices they see, such
as this one mockumentary
on the 4000 NGOs registered in Kenya. But they're not the only ones
responsible to right the wrongs of media and communication injustice.
As
millennials grow into an increasingly globalized world, it's our
responsibility to communicate through empathy, love and a deep
understanding of others, instead of what's easier: to pre-conceived
notions derived by the western world. We have the resources -- the
Internet, the accessibility to travel, melting pots all around us -- to
grow our understanding for others. Yes, it might be scary and yes, it
might be hard, but this is an undeniable way to leave the world more
beautiful and greater than the one we were handed.
Follow Audrey Cheng on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/audreypcheng
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