Two Truths and a Lie About Africa (part 1)
March 20, 2023 – The world is full of stereotypes. We look at someone and judge them within seconds of meeting them.
Too often, one tweet or one article is all we need to pass judgement on someone. Is this fair? How often are these stereotypes later shown to be wrong, our assumptions to be misinformed or jaded? No where is this truer than the continent of Africa.
What comes to mind when you picture Africa?
_________
_________
When I picture Africa what comes to mind is
Super modern glass skyscrapers and office buildings
African chefs with Michelin stars
Children learning to code
Athletes excelling globally
Grammy award winning artists
20-something entrepreneurs creating apps for job seekers, transporters, recycling trash, improving farmers’ yields, multilingual children’s books, finding the nearest health clinic, and more
Did you know that
Over half the world’s 1.2 billion mobile money accounts, like Apple Pay, are in Africa
Only 16 economies grew in 2020, and six were in Africa
The richest man who ever lived, and one of the most generous was from Africa. At the time of his death in 1337, Mansa Musa had a net worth (adjusted to 2000) somewhere between US$300 billion to US$400 billion
The world’s first heart transplant took place in South Africa in 1967
Mathematics, jazz and coffee all originated from the continent of Africa
In addition to the Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel also designed the Central Railway Station of Maputo, Mozambique in 1910
By 2045, there will be more Nigerians in the world than Americans
Let’s end with a favorite game of mine: 2 truths and a lie. Of the three statements below, two are true and one is a lie. Can you guess which is which?
1. The designer of the interior of the Mercedes S-Class coupe was born and raised in Congo-Brazzaville. True or false?
2. The humanoid traffic robots installed in 2005 on roads in the Democratic Republic of Congo were designed by an all-female engineering team. True or false?
3. In 2011, an African woman won the Nobel Peace Prize. True or false?
I’ll share the answers in my next blog post…
“West is just one way, there is also East, North and South to choose from.”
(Lize Booysen, 2001, “The duality in South African leadership: Afrocentric or
Eurocentric”)
Photo: ckphu.com