The Real Africa: Fight the Stereotype

In 2014, the African Students Association of Ithaca College initiated a photo campaign to confront stereotypes about Africa. According to the group's Facebook profile, “the African Students Association of Ithaca College is dedicated to spreading political, social, educational, cultural, and media awareness about the continent of Africa.”

Their campaign titled “The Real Africa: Fight the Stereotype” features photos of its members with various African flags set against a solid black background. Each image displays a different quote, for example, “Africa is not defined by poverty," “Africans are not primitive or backwards,” and “Africans don't need to be saved," among many others.

Michael Bamidele Adeyemi, a professor at the University of Botswana, suggests Americans have misconceptions about the continent such as “that Africa is ‘still uncivilized’” and “that Africa is not urbanized”. However, in reality, lifestyles and socioeconomic circumstances throughout the continent are very diverse.

Often, people associate life in Africa with poverty without realizing the wealth that is also present there. One photo from the campaign states, “Africa is not hopeless," accompanied by a smaller caption expressing that its economy is actually growing at a faster rate compared to every other continent.

These misconceptions are very harmful when it comes to racial relations and perceptions of identity.