Most people who have never visited Africa are prone to fall prey to the widespread misconceptions about Africa. Before you believe anything you have read or heard about Africa, you must familiarize yourself with the facts about Africa. These Africa facts will help you disprove some misrepresentations about Africa and its people. The common misunderstandings can be divided into geographic, cultural, social and economic misunderstandings.
1. The biggest geographic misconception about Africa is that it is one big country.
However, this is not the case, Africa is the second largest continent, consisting of fifty-four independent countries. Each of the 54 countries differs significantly from one another in terms of political, social and economic organization. See map below:
2. The different African countries are made up of rural and urban regions.
It is a true statement of the fact that the rural areas are mostly made up of mud huts while the urban regions are made up of modern forms of architecture and infrastructure, contrary to this misleading African fact that all Africans live in mud huts. Of course there are skyscrapers and other great architectural masterpieces in Africa! Check out these well-developed cities of Africa:
3. Africa is not a vast expanse of desert land. It is a fact that Africa is home to the Sahara.
However, the Sahara only covers a third of the whole continent. The rest of the region consists of alternating fertile land and water bodies that support agriculture. This is another Africa fact that is misunderstood.
4. It is also a major geographical misconception to assume that Africa is a vast expanse of rainforest.
In fact, only parts of the Guinea coast and the Zaire river basin are covered by rainforest. The rest of the forest areas were cleared for settlement and agriculture.
5. The biggest cultural misconception about Africa is that the entire continent has a homogeneous culture.
This may come as a surprise, but not even a single African country is ruled by the same culture. As much as African nations are made up of different ethnic groups Balkanized together, each of these groups has its own cultural beliefs.
6. You probably read somewhere that wild animals roam the road in Africa
And these are always Africans, especially men, all armed with guns in case they are confronted with wild animals. Even more recently, some still hold onto it, believing in some parts of Africa that monkeys roam the streets trembling or prefer to smack people on the head. The roads in African countries are very safe. Contrary to this misconception, wild animals live in controlled regions. Most African countries are home to various species of wild animals and birds that live in zoos and parks. These nature reserves are in turn managed by the respective nature conservation officers.
7. All Africans speak one language – the African language and cannot speak a foreign language
Sounds weird, how could that be possible? The fact is that the 54 African countries are made up of different groups of people speaking different languages. The number of national languages varies from country to country. English, German and French are among the foreign languages spoken in some African countries. This Africa fact refutes the misconception that all Africans speak a language characterized by clicking sounds.
8. Africans go barefoot and skinless (or prefer to wear only animal skin)
There is this fallacy that Africans wear neither clothes nor shoes. The few “big” men only wear animal skin around their waists. Although the Maasai of Kenya carry spears, they do not represent the entire continent. Very few hunter-gatherer communities in South Africa still wear skin. However, Africans wear modern clothes like any other people on the planet. These are actually Africans, very cute!
9. You probably assume that African cuisine is weird.
It’s a fact that traditional African dishes may not necessarily suit your foreign tastes, but classifying these dishes as odd is wrong. However, pizza and sausage are among the many foreign fast foods prepared in Africa.
10. A common social misconception about Africa is that illiterate people live there.
But the truth is that illiteracy rates in Africa are falling over the years and most African countries have well-established formal education systems.
11. There is no technology in Africa
Africa is by no means a technologically empty part of the globe. All African countries have embraced technology. In Africa there are computers, laptops, iPads and mobile phones. Even the most primitive people often own at least one GSM phone.
12. Regarding this misunderstanding, Africans have high intellectual capacity and are capable of generating innovative ideas.
The fact that most African countries are classified as “Third World” should not be attributed to a perceived poor thinking capacity, but to a lack of resources and government initiative.
13. Africa is not a continent overwhelmed by social ills.
Aside from the political and social instances of violence in Africa, the continent has beautiful scenery and friendly peace-loving people who don’t always fight.
14. Misinterpreted African facts suggest that Africa has a number of environmental diseases.
However, health experts have neatly developedvaccines and medicines to combat these diseases. It is therefore a huge misconception that everyone in Africa is sick or susceptible to contracting these “uncontrollable” diseases.
15. It is wrong to assume that all native Africans are dark-skinned
Africans tend to be darker than individuals from other races. However, this does not mean that all Africans have dark skin. There are very many fair-skinned African indigenous people that you will meet when visiting the continent.
16. There are no built amenities in Africa
Africa is not a primitive country where people live, answer nature calls in the bush and bathe in the open air. In private houses, business premises and hotels there are toilets and latrines where people can take calls to nature. Check out the below, this one is happening for Africa o!
17. Not all African countries are corrupt
It is generally wrong that the whole of Africa is saturated with corruption. But that’s not true. There is no human society that is completely free from corruption. The only thing is that the rate varies from place to place. In a country like Botswana, the corruption rate is almost negligible.
18. The economic misconception that all African countries are poor and dependent on aid is misleading
African countries have systems of government that manage the economies of the countries and create employment opportunities for their citizens to enable them to live quality lives.
19. Africa has very few hotels and lodges
Of course that can’t be true. Africa is a country very rich in sights and attractions that are endlessly visited by foreigners. Also, many African countries have rich and friendly economies that stimulate business activity and attract investors. All these and other factors have guaranteed the increase in hotel accommodation available in the country. Various African cities are filled with hotels, contrary to the misconception that there are few hotels in Africa.
20. Another common economic misconception about Africa is that African countries are economically underdeveloped .
This is a misleading misconception since countries like Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa are enjoying high economic growth. The economies of some African countries are even in better shape than some western countries that lived in the past.