Many Africans in the diaspora experience this in a very direct way when living off the continent. The image one gets of Africa from the media is terrible. It’s mostly an image of despair, hopelessness, AIDS, malnutrition, war and chaos.
In the book, “The World is Flat”, by Thomas Friedman, there’s a chapter where he gives an illustration of the world as a city and there are different areas in the city. Of course the ‘first world’ is the metropolis with tall skyscrapers, the cleanest place etc etc. When it comes to Africa, the image is one of a slum area, where nothing works, the streets are full of dirt and grime… In fact reading this is what fueled the passion to start Afrinnovator way back then.
Of course, living on the continent is a totally different experience. There’s a lot of hope for Africa, there’s something to be proud of for our continent. The stories we see in the media are mostly taken out of proportion and they present only one side of the story and in most cases, the extreme side of things.
AfricaKnows (@africaknows) is an initiative of two African TED fellows: Joshua Wanyama (Kenya) and Sheila Ochugboju (Ghana). They are using photography to tell a new story, they call it ‘Rebranding Africa’:
Our Purpose: To tell a different story about Africa. The Re-branding of Africa.
The story everyone knows and yet no one knows. Africa Knows is about the challenges, triumphs, dreams and nightmares of being an African in a 21st century city that is straddling several revolutions at the same time – the technological revolution, the agricultural revolution, a democratic resurgence and a post-colonial identity crisis complicated by old ethnic tensions.
Africa Knows about its own land and its own people more than any international media agency can ever know. Africa tells its own story to those who want to listen with their hearts and their heads. This is the beginning of a new identity, starting with Kenya and for Africa as a whole.
Using the tools of digital media and social networks, Africa Knows will bring together the best of photojournalism drawn from across the continent and the most active and creative new writing to tell a different story of itself.
This project will grow through naturally evolving networks to capture thoughts from across Africa…because Africa Knows that it is the cradle of all mankind.
Erik Hersman wrote a review of AfricaKnows in their very early days that’s worth a read.
