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Africa TravelTravel
By Anouk Zijlma, About.com Guide
Top 10 Myths About AfricaTop 10 Misconceptions About Africa
Myths and misconceptions about Africa are commonplace in the
West. On a recent episode of the American tv reality series,
"Amazing Race",
contestants exclaims, "There's no snow in Africa!". Well, in
fact there is. This is just one example of the kinds of things many
people think th
Africa, but in fact have quite wrong. Below are ten of the most
common myths I've heard over the years, and now you can help shed
some li
many people still think of as the "dark continent".
1. Africa is A Country
People often refer to "Africa" as if it is a country rather than
a continent. Well, it is a continent and home to 54 indepe
countries with South Sudan being the latest addition in July
2011. Each country has its own currency, flag, anthem, hi
music, identity and blend ofcultures. In fact more than 2000
languages are spoken in Africa, and its 1 billion inhabitaof over
3000 distinct ethnic groups. Africa is also bigger than most people
think it is, even if they know it covers 30,22
(11,679,000 sq miles). If you combine the USA, China, India,
Europe and Japan they all fit into Africa. In fact the U
African continent three times! More Africa Facts...
2. Africa is Dangerous and Violent
With wars, revolutions, pirates and child soldiers making the
news, it's really no wonder that the myth about Africa bei
place is a common one. IfNew York City was judged by reading the
New York Post, few tourists would dream of visitin
bad news is news, so you don't get to hear enough about the good
things that happen on the continent. How often do
Botswana or Ghana in the news? How often is the middle class in
Africa given any air time? Never really. As a visitor t
likely you'll avoid certain countries -- no one would suggest
you spend a week at the beach in Somalia. There are cou
cities and borders that are very dangerous, but given the size
of the continent, it is not hard to see that there are man
peaceful and safe places to visit. Violent crime against
tourists in all African countries is quite rare, and personally I
fe
walking around Accra than Amsterdam. As a visitor you are much
more likely to be killed with kindness than anything
3. Africa is Poor and Disease Ridden
Poverty is obviously something that will strike you as a visitor
to many African countries. But African countries are not
the distribution of wealth that's the biggest problem. South
Africa is an incredibly wealthy country. In fact its GDP out
Belgium and Sweden. It has many natural resources, a good
education system, excellent universities, sparkling busin
very advanced hospitals. Unfortunately much of its population
does not get to share the wealth. Did you know that Eg
Algeria are all richer on paper (as per GDP and PPP) than
Denmark and Norway? There are middle class people in eve
country commuting to work every day, complaining about taxes and
watching their kids play soccer every weekend.
Diseases take millions of lives every year in Africa because the
poor lack access to childhood immunization programs
care, not because the continent is infested with scary
illnesses. Successful immunization programs have made huge st
reducing polio and measles in the last decade. AIDS is prevalent
in countries like South Africa, but we all know what t
As long as you are up to date on your vaccines as a visitor, you
are unlikely to catch anything more tropical than a su
malaria is easy when you take prophylactics and have the money
to sleep under a mosquito net. More on vaccinations
traveling to Africa ...
4. African Politicians Are All Corrupt
Corrupt politicians aren't exactly unique to Africa, but the
continent does seem to have more than its fair share. At lea
Mandela showed the world that Africa is capable of producing an
honest leader. Some of the political crises in Africa c
colonial legacy but most of it reflects greed and corruption on
the part of incumbent presidents and political parties. 2
Uganda and Cameroon, left the incumbents securely in place after
questionable tactics and ballot counts. But the Nort
certainly shown the way forward, starting with the Tunisian
revolution and (so far) ending with the toppling of Libya's
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia along with 2 other
women received the Nobel Peace Prize. And Zambia had a
fair election with a change of ruling party.
5. Africa Has No History
It's a common misconception that Africa has no history beyond
its people scrabbling about trying to survive in a harsh
But consider the ancient Egyptian monuments, the rock-hewn
churches of Ethiopia, the Fes medina, and you obviousl
Africa's rich history. In the 11th Century a flourishing kingdom
we know now as Great Zimbabwe was built in southern
walls are still standing today. In the 12th Century, while
Oxford and Cambridge were just getting founded, Timbuktu i
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had three thriving universities and more than 180 Quranic
schools. The San Bushmen living in the Kalahari desert ma
"living in the stone age" but they've been trading and
inter-marrying with their neighbors for millennia. There are
hun
all over southern Africa decorated by San ancestors that date
back 20,000 years. No culture lives in a vacuum, every
dynamic. There's plenty of history in Africa, we just don't
learn enough about it. If you'd like to see some of Africa's a
civilizations, check out these great sights. And see About.com's
African History site for more.
6. Africa is Filled With Dangerous Animals Roaming Freely
It's true that rhinos graze just a few miles from the center
ofNairobi, East Africa's biggest city. And there are golf cou
Africa where the water hazards are home to crocodiles. Hyenas
still appear in Malawi's capital city, Lilongwe, so it's be
around at night. But, for the most part, Africa's wildlife is
basically confined to national parks and reserves, including
You are likely to see the odd ostrich and baboon by the side of
the road in southern Africa, but elephant, giraffe, lion a
not roam around towns or in suburbs. There is just too much
competition for resources with a rapidly growing populati
what remains of Africa's wildlife safely in reserves and
national parks also helps protect farmers from wildlife
destroyin
eating their cattle. That's not to say you'll feel like you are
driving around a large zoo when on safari, national parks a
areas are often larger than many European countries. More about
Africa's wildlife ...
7. Africa is Technologically Backward
The idea that technical innovation is lacking in Africa is
laughable to anyone who has spent a little time there. In Ghan
entire cars being re-built from scrap by "fitters", all without
an engineering degree. Walk through any school playgrou
and you're bound to see a child play with a home made toy car
complete with steering capabilities. What some African
access to education and resources, innovation is in plentiful
supply. Many people responded to the Malawian boy who
Wind, but this is actually the type of story that could be told
many times over, just check out the Afrigadget blog, or t
African inventions gathered by Kumatoo.com. If you visit any
country in Africa, you can't help but notice that everyon
away on their cell phones. Cell phones are in fact being used in
hugely innovative ways throughout Africa. Kenya has
highly effective mobile banking system, opening up rural areas
to credit in ways that has revolutionized small busines
traditional Maasai in their bright red shukas texting one
another current cattle prices and health care workers sharing
immunization data with one another.
8. It's Always Hot in Africa
If you've only visited West Africa, I'd say it would be entirely
appropriate to say "it's always hot in Africa". But that's w
stops. It snows in Africa, yes it does. Both northern and
southern Africa experience cold winters with frequent frost, a
summers. Mountains, plateaus, cold oceans, warm oceans, rainy
and dry seasons -- all affect weather patterns in indi
as well. It is fair to say that conversations about the weather
in much of Africa tends to focus more on whether its dry
about the temperature being hot or cold. More about the weather
and season in Africa.
9. Africa Needs Aid (and Celebrities) to Help it "Develop"
It's questionable how much good aid money has done for African
countries, and it's not just because it has ended up i
hands. Mainly it's because projects are often ill-defined,
ill-conceived and ignore any input from the people they aim t
aid, while given in the right spirit, has actually been somewhat
detrimental to African development. For a start, aid m
subsidized some very corrupt governments and crippled efforts to
increase government transparency. Real "fair trade"
would help a lot more than aid. Steady employment, a stable
economy and access to credit would also benefit most p
better their lives. Certainly celebrity visits are not the
answer. We'd find it a bit odd if a Nigerian superstar came
over
started handing out money to those on welfare. We all know that
it would not make the problem simply go away -- lif
complicated for easy solutions. There are many unsung local
heroes making a difference in communities all over Africa
unfair to think that the poor in Africa are simply sitting
around waiting for handouts. Having said all this, there are so
truly make a difference, but it would be nice to see them based
in Africa and not in New York or Silicon Valley.
10. Africans All Have Rhythm
Ok, this one might have some merit. The amount of times I have
been out-danced by toddlers and seventy year old g
various African locations makes it hard for me to dispel this
myth. In the past four decades I have been to dive bars,festivals
throughout the continent and have observed foreigners trying their
best to keep up with the locals, to no avai
I was at an outdoor nightclub in Kumasi. It was a sweltering hot
night, people were dancing, my mouth was agape at
moves. Up pops a British backpacker and begins to gyrate rather
awkwardly. I turned around and found a sea of smil
darkness. Our Ghanaian friends were laughing so much they
actually fell to the ground. "What is the problem with you
Why can't you dance?". I mumbled something incoherent about
Westerners not being civilized enough to have music,
surround us from the cradle to the grave... Do check out some of
Africa's music festivals and see if I'm right about thi
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Anouk Zijlma
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Anouk Zijlma
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