The Danger of a Single Story
Chimamanda Adichie
Engaging Africa in a much more serious way, particularly within the foreign policy discourse in the American presidential campaign, would be an important step. Both candidates must build on the foundation started by Kennedy and later continued by Obama which sees Africa as a “fundamental part of our interconnected world,” and seek a relationship based on mutual “responsibility” and “respect”. (America’s legendary ignorance about Africa persists. The Conversation.)Today in the real world, growing up as a black child you hear plenty of stereotypical comments based on every little movement or even the way you may look. There are plenty of stereotypes given to us colored folks. Some may be censored or uncensored, you just never know. It is not anything new though, over the past centuries this type of discrimination has happened and is continuing to happen in society today. Chimamanda speaks about the ignorance on how Americans are and how they portray 'Outsider, Non-Americans'. The speaker speaks on growing up in her home country; Nigeria. Growing up as a child, reading was one of Chimamndas' favorite activities. She explains to us that seeing a black human in any of the books she read, was extremely rare. “There were not many chocolate-skin girls or boys in the books I read.” Spoke Chimamanda. Phillis Wheatley stated in his poem, 'On Being Brought from Africa to America' writing; “Some view our sable race with scornful eye, “Their colour is a diabolic die.” I ask myself, but why? Why do we have to be labeled in such a negative way? If everyone is supposed to be equal, why do we have to be seen differently than everyone else? Darker complexion people are not joined into everything else that everyone else is. Avoiding the fact that we are all humans is such a hard thing for society to comprehend. All this nonsense keeps that ignorance tension around those of who grew up to think that it is just 'America' and there isn’t anything else in the world. The time has come for developed nations to eliminate the large pockets of ignorance which exist in their society about Africa and other peoples. Globalization demands that people ask new questions, seek new answers, and think differently. For all the challenges, African communities are coming together. It is, indeed, a continent on the rise and can no longer be ignored or marginalized. (America’s legendary ignorance about Africa persists. The Conversation.)
Chimamanda Adichie
Engaging Africa in a much more serious way, particularly within the foreign policy discourse in the American presidential campaign, would be an important step. Both candidates must build on the foundation started by Kennedy and later continued by Obama which sees Africa as a “fundamental part of our interconnected world,” and seek a relationship based on mutual “responsibility” and “respect”. (America’s legendary ignorance about Africa persists. The Conversation.)Today in the real world, growing up as a black child you hear plenty of stereotypical comments based on every little movement or even the way you may look. There are plenty of stereotypes given to us colored folks. Some may be censored or uncensored, you just never know. It is not anything new though, over the past centuries this type of discrimination has happened and is continuing to happen in society today. Chimamanda speaks about the ignorance on how Americans are and how they portray 'Outsider, Non-Americans'. The speaker speaks on growing up in her home country; Nigeria. Growing up as a child, reading was one of Chimamndas' favorite activities. She explains to us that seeing a black human in any of the books she read, was extremely rare. “There were not many chocolate-skin girls or boys in the books I read.” Spoke Chimamanda. Phillis Wheatley stated in his poem, 'On Being Brought from Africa to America' writing; “Some view our sable race with scornful eye, “Their colour is a diabolic die.” I ask myself, but why? Why do we have to be labeled in such a negative way? If everyone is supposed to be equal, why do we have to be seen differently than everyone else? Darker complexion people are not joined into everything else that everyone else is. Avoiding the fact that we are all humans is such a hard thing for society to comprehend. All this nonsense keeps that ignorance tension around those of who grew up to think that it is just 'America' and there isn’t anything else in the world. The time has come for developed nations to eliminate the large pockets of ignorance which exist in their society about Africa and other peoples. Globalization demands that people ask new questions, seek new answers, and think differently. For all the challenges, African communities are coming together. It is, indeed, a continent on the rise and can no longer be ignored or marginalized. (America’s legendary ignorance about Africa persists. The Conversation.)