Unknown Africa: 17 myths that need to be busted

To a large extent, Africa continues to appear to us as a continent filled with colorful tribes and dangers at every turn, but this has little to do with reality.

awesome.club researched and debunked the most popular myths about the Continent.

As we learned in school, Africa is made up of developing countries. But that doesn’t mean that the continent lives in the Middle Ages: 90% of Africans have cell phones, programmers who create their own apps and devices. For example, local designers created a service for farmers with recommendations on raising livestock and information about natural disasters. In addition, its industry is developed, and in some countries we find automotive factories.

We say “Africa” ​​and think of the Sahara desert. In fact, on the mainland, in addition to the desert, there is a huge area of ​​rainforest, Mount Kilimanjaro and other snowy peaks and savannas. There we find all climatic zones and the average annual temperature, even in the Equatorial part of the continent, does not exceed 27 °C.

We tend to think of its inhabitants as exclusively black. In fact, the continent is home to more than 1 billion people and the variety of skin colors can be surprising: it ranges from bluish black to the palest white. Such a varied palette is due to the diversity of skin tones of the ancestral population and the large number of immigrants from Europe and Asia who remained there since the time of colonization, or who later fled political persecution in their places of origin. origin to African countries.

Popular science and cartoon shows often claim that Africa is inhabited by wild animals that roam freely in the wild, and can even attack people. What is certain is that most safaris are done in winter, when potentially dangerous snakes and insects are hibernating. As for wild animals, the vast majority currently live in national parks. Cases of attacks on humans are extremely rare and almost always occur due to violations of park rules, when tourists, instead of watching the animals, try to chase them or come into contact with predators.

There is an opinion that in Africa tourists are in danger due to the high level of delinquency. In fact, tourism is highly developed on the continent: South Africa alone receives up to 1.5 million tourists a year, and African countries are becoming a popular tourist destination among travelers. At the same time, the level of service is improving a lot, as are the conditions for tourism, while maintaining the feeling of proximity to nature and the exotic.

Thinking about Africa, we often imagine a primitive society without a developed culture and even without history. But it is rightfully called the cradle of civilization: there are many ancient buildings and other carefully preserved cultural monuments on the continent. In Kenya alone there are more than 200 architectural monuments. In addition, in several countries there are very interesting museums, subsidized by the government.

Upon leaving for Africa, we imagined a mystical journey, with accommodation in tents and prepared to face only the poverty around. In fact, while there are countries on the continent that live below the poverty line, they are not as many as we might think. In general, the economic level of African countries differs little from that of other developing countries: the middle class is growing. At the same time, governments have invested heavily in tourism, building comfortable hotels and recreation areas.

The media periodically inform us of some outbreak of terrible diseases in Africa, and we tend to think that there are many deadly pathologies there. In fact, the famous Ebola virus did not affect the entire continent, just the Republic of Sierra Leone and its surroundings. The second most frequently mentioned disease when talking about the region is malaria. Of course, the mosquitoes that transmit it exist, but respecting safety measures, the risk of infection is very low. Among the possible precautions are repellents and mosquito nets.

Often, photos of Africans show wild tribes living in huts. In fact, the buildings of large local cities differ little from those of other megalopolises: there are large apartment buildings, skyscrapers and shopping centers. The architecture and infrastructure developed made African cities very progressive. Of course, on the mainland there are still tribes that live in huts, like the Bushmen, but they are very few.

The African language does not exist. What’s more, the indigenous languages ​​of the tribes are also gradually disappearing. During colonization, the population absorbed the European languages: English, French, German and Portuguese, which expanded further with the use of television and the Internet. Hundreds of different languages ​​are spoken on the continent, and the region is a true paradise for linguists: in Namibia alone there are 20 official languages.

American films show many local wars and political conflicts between African countries. In the 1990s there were many local disputes, with up to more than a dozen simultaneous wars. Such confrontations were a legacy of the colonial era, when the borders of countries were established based on the interests of the colonizers, without considering cultural and historical isolation. Today, countries’ territories are defined and border wars are over.

Photographs and documentaries feature starving people in Africa, and we think this problem affects the entire continent. Hunger exists in African countries, but not in all. About a quarter of the world’s fertile soil is there, and not all of it is used for agricultural purposes. In tourist areas there is no problem with food, and in South Africa and Egypt it is common to find McDonald’s.

This myth was born after the era of slavery and colonization, when freed Africa began to expel Europeans and regained its sovereignty. To this day there is a division between whites and blacks, but white skin is common among the local population and does not generate aggression. Countries with developed tourism are used to receiving travelers of all types. And if you want to avoid even the potential problems, just stick to tourist areas and not provoke the locals.

There is a widespread myth that political regimes in African countries were established by the military dictatorship, so the entire continent is ruled by dictators. In fact, different political regimes coexist. Ghana and Senegal are considered examples of the development of democracy. Evidently, there is no European tolerance and political openness, but it is not right to think that the entire continent is submerged in the totalitarian regime.

The problem of drinking water scarcity exists, and it is terrible, but it does not affect the entire continent. It won’t be a problem to buy a bottle of drinking water and other usual and popular drinks in any tourist area. Coca-Cola, for example, can be found even in remote villages.

We often travel through Europe or America by hitchhiking, but it is believed that in Africa you cannot travel that way. The truth is that it is easier to stop a car on the African continent than in developed countries. The important thing is to clarify the conditions of the trip with the driver from the beginning, so that he does not expect a payment.

Africa’s delay on this issue is also greatly exaggerated. Social networks do not surprise anyone, most young people actively use Facebook and communicate with friends from other continents. Modern tourism trends are also developing, amenities such as couchsurfing are also known there. In addition, Africans are often more hospitable than Europeans. Don’t expect a luxury room, but certainly a warm welcome.

The cartoon “The Lion King” gifted us with the joyful African motto “hakuna matata“. The phrase is translated from Swahili as “don’t worry, be happy”. Africa has a beautiful nature and old stereotypes are no reason to miss out on an exciting trip. Write in the comments what other myths about Africa should be debunked.