Africa is a big continent, and it's filled with a lot of different cultures and people. There are many things that most people don't know about Africa. Let's get started!
Africa is a country
The common misconception that Africa is a country is understandable. After all, most people don't think of the continent as a whole entity—they view it as a random collection of countries rather than as a single continent. But Africa is not just one country; it's actually made up of 54 countries!
This mistake can be attributed to our tendency to group together entire continents in our minds even though they don't make up individual entities or countries themselves.
Africa is a continent of people living in poverty
Africa is NOT a continent of people living in poverty. Africa is home to over 1 billion people, and many of these are rich or middle-class citizens. In fact, Africa has some of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
Africa is also a continent that is rich with natural resources, including copper and cobalt (used in electronics), gold and diamonds (used for jewelry and investment), oil (used as fuel), and bauxite (used to make aluminum). Because of these valuable resources, Africans are at risk of being exploited by companies from other parts of the world who want to take advantage of them without giving anything back in return.
It is quite surprising to see how Africa is depicted by the Western media, considering how developed Africa has become since the times of colonization. The image that has been portrayed is one in which primitive logic, communal anarchy, hunger/famine, ethnic violence, administrative incompetence, instability, and blatant corruption are involved. This has led to Westerners believing that the continent is culturally, intellectually, politically, and technically backward and inferior, all of which are obviously inaccurate.
Hut in Africa (Left), Cape Town City (Right)
Africa is not technologically advanced
You might be surprised to learn that Africa has a lot of technology. In fact, it has the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world and is second only to China when it comes to internet growth.
Africa also boasts one of the largest tech hubs in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi, which has been dubbed “Silicon Savannah” due to its large concentration of investment and innovation.
Africa is an illiterate continent
The most common stereotype about Africa is that it's an illiterate continent, full of people who can't read or write. And while this may have been true in the past, it's certainly not the case now. To be clear: there are still many areas where educational opportunities are limited and students don't have access to basic resources like textbooks and pens. The fact remains that more than half of all African adults can read, while millions more attend and complete school each year. Some popular examples of Africans who have broken this stereotype include Aliko Dangote, Trevoh Noah, Chimamanda Adichie, Achille Mbembe, Tony Elumelu, and many others.
Africa consists of jungles, deserts, and safaris
Africa is a beautiful continent. Every year, more and more people are discovering the beauty of Africa. It's the most diverse continent on Earth, with a variety of landscapes, cultures, and wildlife. There are many beautiful cities in Africa that attract tourists looking for adventure and exploration in their travels.
Also, many people think that Africa is only about safaris. While those are popular ways to experience the continent, there are many other ways to have a great time in Africa.
Africans lack delicious delicacies
African food is delicious. There are over 50 countries in Africa with different ethnicities, each with its own unique taste.
Africa has a wide variety of cuisines, including dishes you may have never tried, like bobotie (South African meatloaf). You will also be able to find traditional African foods everywhere in Africa, but some dishes are specific to certain regions. If you're traveling in West Africa, you'll find that many of the dishes are rice-based. In East Africa, most meals are centered around ugali (a starchy cornmeal dish similar to polenta) or matoke (a dish made from green bananas).
Africans speak “African”
There are many different languages in Africa, but most people speak English. Few people speak French and Portuguese (Lingala). The introduction of these languages was due to colonization but apart from these major languages, there are many other African dialects.
Africa has over 2000 languages with more than 400 million people speaking Arabic as their first language and more than 300 million Africans speaking Swahili as their first language. Irrespective of the major languages in these African countries, there are still several other minor languages with unique accents.
Africans lack skills
Africans have a wide variety of talents and skills. Some include skills in graphic design, video production, web development, photography, film production and direction, and many more.
This is not just because we're creative or innovative. It's also because we can give your business the boost it needs via our unique skills and experience.
Conclusion
We hope that this article has provided some insights into misconceptions about Africa. These are just a few of the many things you may have heard about Africa which don’t actually reflect reality. We believe that there is so much more to learn and experience about this beautiful continent, and we want you to be able to do that—without any preconceived notions or misinformation standing in your way!
