Let me begin by making it clear that it is wrong to group the western media as a single entity. Their are various media groups across the West with different voices. However it is not uncommon to see the African continent as a whole being represented in such a bad state by many western journalists. This in return creates a certain level of irritation amongst many Africans who see their respective countries consistently being represented negatively. Having grown up in the west myself, (England), from my observation, I can definitely conclude that the media often has a negative tone when an issue relating to Africa is involved, however when reading articles carefully, one can easily identify journalists who genuinely care about the problems that exist in many African countries from those who are only out to brutalise Africa due to their own over inflated Western egos. Rest assured I have no hatred or beef with the region of the world I grew up, afterall we can all learn from each other, however I have identified four points which I feel may help others understand this pessimistic Western portrayal of Africa.
Shock Value
No doubt the world can be a boring place at times, especially with that stuffy, repetitive nine to five living, nothing better than a story that will pop our eye sockets, whether it be true or false. Their is no denying a picture of some crazy looking African voodoo chief will get a frenzy of clicks, how about those naked Swaziland virgins that dance for their king during the Reed Ceremony? A simple visit to Youtube will confirm this and whilst you there, read the moronic comments coming those morally bankrupt individuals who insult the African traditions yet who likely tune in to porno movies every evening. The Western media loves to shock it's average citizen, especially the ignorant ones whose only foreign experience is the Romanian begger down his street. In this respect we can definitely conclude that most Western Media outlets take advantage of some of their bored, clueless and naive citizens.
Charity
Believe it or not many charities are often behind the constant battering of Africa in the media. Some charities are simply businesses in disguise and you will be surprised at the extremely immoral methods they use to fund their institutions (GoGen employees can tell you a thing or two). Many charities do have a PR department that works hand in hand with the media to help raise funds. Just imagine if the media only showed you positive images of Africa, people will conclude that everything is fine in Africa, resulting in less people making donations to charitable organisations which will affect the job market.
Superiority complex
Take a look at 'The Economist' May 2010 edition in which they labeled Africa as the hopeless continent , displaying a very patronising front cover of a man with a gun, as if the whole continent of Africa is one single country at war. What those Economist scrooges don't understand is that Africans, regardlesss of where we are born are a very hopeful people and the vast majority of us will smile through our suffering, sustaining a youthful skin no matter how small our bank balance is. Hence why most Africans you come accross - regardless of which country they come from - will always greet you with a huge smile on the face, once you make friends with us, you will always feel special. No more sitting on the fence, let me break it down, some western journalists often have a very condescending and patronising tone, anti - anything that does not represent our culture and our way of life. This is the reason I religiously avoid certain media outlets, who clearly have a chip on their shoulder and are evidently only out to cook up some reactions.
Political agenda
Yes, it's true , 9/10 times the media is out to brainwash people, twisting information to help fulfil their own agenda whether it be political or social. A great example would be the Ebola scare tactic (which I personally believe was a hoax). Anti immigration journalists here in Uk were having a ball during that period, finding any way possible to scare their citizens in a desperate bid to rile up hatred towards immigrants and help bring UKIP into power.
To conclude, let me remind you that just as Africans like to be viewed with respect to their independent countries, the Western media itself is not a single entity and should not be judged as a whole. My sentiments are simply based on observations alone and should be taken as a means to not only help change Africa's bad image. I personally think that it is up to Africans to take front seat, put images to words and show the world what their country is truly like, rather than constantly complaining about their image in the media.
No doubt the world can be a boring place at times, especially with that stuffy, repetitive nine to five living, nothing better than a story that will pop our eye sockets, whether it be true or false. Their is no denying a picture of some crazy looking African voodoo chief will get a frenzy of clicks, how about those naked Swaziland virgins that dance for their king during the Reed Ceremony? A simple visit to Youtube will confirm this and whilst you there, read the moronic comments coming those morally bankrupt individuals who insult the African traditions yet who likely tune in to porno movies every evening. The Western media loves to shock it's average citizen, especially the ignorant ones whose only foreign experience is the Romanian begger down his street. In this respect we can definitely conclude that most Western Media outlets take advantage of some of their bored, clueless and naive citizens.
Charity
Believe it or not many charities are often behind the constant battering of Africa in the media. Some charities are simply businesses in disguise and you will be surprised at the extremely immoral methods they use to fund their institutions (GoGen employees can tell you a thing or two). Many charities do have a PR department that works hand in hand with the media to help raise funds. Just imagine if the media only showed you positive images of Africa, people will conclude that everything is fine in Africa, resulting in less people making donations to charitable organisations which will affect the job market.
Superiority complex
Take a look at 'The Economist' May 2010 edition in which they labeled Africa as the hopeless continent , displaying a very patronising front cover of a man with a gun, as if the whole continent of Africa is one single country at war. What those Economist scrooges don't understand is that Africans, regardlesss of where we are born are a very hopeful people and the vast majority of us will smile through our suffering, sustaining a youthful skin no matter how small our bank balance is. Hence why most Africans you come accross - regardless of which country they come from - will always greet you with a huge smile on the face, once you make friends with us, you will always feel special. No more sitting on the fence, let me break it down, some western journalists often have a very condescending and patronising tone, anti - anything that does not represent our culture and our way of life. This is the reason I religiously avoid certain media outlets, who clearly have a chip on their shoulder and are evidently only out to cook up some reactions.
Political agenda
Yes, it's true , 9/10 times the media is out to brainwash people, twisting information to help fulfil their own agenda whether it be political or social. A great example would be the Ebola scare tactic (which I personally believe was a hoax). Anti immigration journalists here in Uk were having a ball during that period, finding any way possible to scare their citizens in a desperate bid to rile up hatred towards immigrants and help bring UKIP into power.
To conclude, let me remind you that just as Africans like to be viewed with respect to their independent countries, the Western media itself is not a single entity and should not be judged as a whole. My sentiments are simply based on observations alone and should be taken as a means to not only help change Africa's bad image. I personally think that it is up to Africans to take front seat, put images to words and show the world what their country is truly like, rather than constantly complaining about their image in the media.
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