The images of Africa: As Kalanga Boy “corrects” a “few” misconceptions

Children happily sorting out maize harvest in Jinja, Uganda.

In most cases, global media flashes out pictures of miserable 

children, especially those from Somalia and other drought 

stricken places. That kind of practice and framing distorts

the real image of the African child as other stories remain untold

“The popular images of Africa in the West include the “dark continent” characterized by primeval irrationality, tribal anarchy, civil war, political instability, flagrant corruption, incompetent leadership and managerial ineptitude, hunger, famine and starvation as well as rampant diseases, especially AIDS. Africa is seen as a homogenous entity comprising of uncivilized and heathen peoples who are culturally, intellectually, politically and technically backward or inferior, who are incapable of governing themselves, or at least embracing democratic principles of governance. The African continent is depicted as the “dependent Africa”, “crisis driven Africa and “hopeless” or “pitiable Africa”. Without exception, the images have been negative and then sensationialize the “dark” side of Africa” (James Michira, 2002: 2).

It is not me, the Kalanga Boy, it is Michira and you can only blame me for seeing the same narrativesws.

Owing to such pre-conceived ideas and images of Africa and therefore the African himself or herself, whatever an African says is of no consequence.

Every African argument is never serious anyway.

Young children dance to entertain the visitors at Jinja, Uganda
Instead of resorting to begging like other children elsewhere,
these children are innovative enough to just speak through
their talent

An African is that person who worries over “little things”, spend the rest of their day discussing “petty issues”, “…just like an African!”

Therefore, however valid an African argument maybe, it is inevitably interpreted in relation to the images of Africa already built by global media where it is dismissed as petty.

It is so sad a reality that the negative perception of the African cultivated by global media has trickled down and adopted by Africans themselves when interacting and relating with each other.

Every time Africans interact with each other, they inevitably find themselves wearing that negative media lens to look at each other.

This is evident by statements like “umuntu omnyama kabongi” (a black person never says thank you), “nhu ntema atoboka” (a black person never says thank you).

The “umuntu omnyama kabongi” or “nhu ntema atoboka” is a subconscious introduction of the global media lens to ridicule one another because it is global media that has framed the African as an unthankful person or whatever.

The economic prowess of Africa is usually omitted by

global media. In this file photo is the young but vibrant

Fish Industry in Jinja, Lake Victoria in Uganda

For example, an old woman in the village worried about her one goat, which is all that she has, is immediately labeled as a “petty person” by fellow Africans.

According to them, she should be worried about owning a fleet of vehicles or “something better” because that is how they have been socialized by global media to think about a fellow African.

Again it’s not me, but Michira. The only thing I can be blamed for is seeing things the same way he saw them, 16 years ago. And perhaps you can also only blame me for bringing up the topic 16 years later.

It therefore follows that anyone who sees an African remembers those images and misconceptions they know about “African Time”, “African Mentality”, “African Sun”, “African Attire”, “African this or that….”.

The part of Africa on the receiving end is the East African Great Lakes Region and Central Africa.

I have been here for the past four months and like anyone skeptical, partly because of global media, I expected to hear gunshots, everyday! But I can tell you that I do not know how an East African gunshot sounds like.

Africa is not about animals. It is even home to some of the 

most beautiful beaches in the world, like one behind these 

buildings in Kampala, Uganda

There are problems in this region and the rest of Africa just like there are in America, Australia, China, Canada or Europe.

Perhaps the best way through which I can summarise some of these images about Africa is to use this quote: Until lions develop voices, their stories will always be told by the hunter who has the voice.

In simpler terms, what I am saying here is that African countries suffer because they do not have such powerful and cutting-edge media industries that have an effective global outreach to counter each negative story that the so-called global media run about any African nation.

For the past four months I have been here, I have been watching and analyzing China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Trade in cultural artifacts dominates most African Tourist

Centres. This is a Cultural Kiosk at The Source of the Nile

in Jinja, Uganda 

Like any other flawed media, it also collates Africa into one nation using terms like “African Culture”, “African Language” among others.

Until disaster strikes in any one African country, it never appears on global news.

For example, looking at Liberia, it seems like there is nothing positive that is happening there.

The last time we saw Liberia in global media was during the Ebola era. All of a sudden it is appearing again because of a monkeypox what what that is allegedly breaking out there.

This makes it appear as if Liberia is a doomed country with no future except being a consistent source of incurable diseases.

You can imagine what such stories do to a young American or European who has never been in Liberia.

The mighty Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River in 

Zimbabwe is part of Africa's beautiful scenes. It is 

not only about wildlife, but it is also about the geography,

temperatures and other unlimited resources

Another trend in global media is to make stories about animals more prominent as compared to human suffering.

For example, in 2015, the story about Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe took precedence to that of the abduction of Itai Dzamara. Last month, the story about the death of the oldest rhino in Kenya was trendy in global media yet there are more human issues that can be discussed in that country.

Also, global media has a habit of zooming in on exotic places around Africa, especially wildlife.

This has made the world see Africa as a continent full of animals and not people. Urban Africa is rarely shown.

What I see as the best solution here is for African people to develop the guts of starting a big media industry that can compete at par with the global media industries like Reuters, AFP, CNN, BBC, Al-jazeera and others.

The tea plantations along Jinja Road in Kampala
form a magnificent view for the passers by. 

Apart from its economic prowess, the images of China in global media are amongst the factors that led it to establish its own CGTN.

Ever since, the negative rhetoric about China in western media has been toned down because it has its own media muscle that can “hit back” though China has proven to be a nation that is not concerned about such petty issues.

During my spare time here, I found myself analyzing the media, just to see how the media has shortchanged the world and how I myself as a journalist can positively contribute especially in the reportage of Africa.