Outside Resources:
● Learning for Justice
○ Inaccurate representations of Africa start early in media such as Madagascar, The
Lion King, George of the Jungle, Tarzan
○ More than 90% of books showed only rural or village life and jungles in Africa
○ Stereotypes have a profound impact
■ Racial relations and identity development
● Images contribute directly to racism
● Fuel misconceptions to justify enslavement and colonialism
● Feed the belief for the need of white superiority
● Can lead to internalized racism as well
○ Word choice
■ Hut
■ Tribe
● africa.com
○ Misconceptions and stereotypes
■ Continent
■ Speak african
■ Live with animals
■ Live in huts
■ Poor
■ Depend on aid
■ Africa is a desert
■ Homogenous culture
■ Africa is all jungle
● Thought co
○ Beyonce example, all Africans look the same
■ Going back to her ‘roots’
■ Painting face darker to look more ‘african’
● Jim Crow museum
○ Sambo
○ Jim crow
○ The savage
○ The mammy
○ Aunt jemimah
○ Sapphire
○ Jezebelle
● Danger of a single story
● Africa: dirty, diseased place
○ Frederick Coombs theory that the shape of one’s head indicates ones’ intelligence
, ■ Created assumption that non Europeans were less intelligent
○ These findings spread to books, film, literature
● Sociocultural stereotypes
● Timeline
○ 1880-1960:
■ European nations colonized much of African continent
■ Described as ‘dark continent’
1/22: Myths and Realities
● When we hear Africa, some picture landscape, animals, etc.
● Or Africa may evoke images of poverty, war, ethnic violence, tribalism, etc.
● Majority of North Americans will conclude that FRica is fundamentally different from
the western, developed world.
○ Images are stereotypes
○ When we generalize from one event or one country or one region it applies to the
whole continent
● Africa was long known as the ‘dark continent’
○ Darkness was the product of the ignorance of the outside world
● The myth of darkness, ‘savage’ and uncivilized Africa was invented in the 17th century
○ Western thought had invested these categories to justify the civilizing mission
● Myth of the ‘savage’ Africa was further distorted when European traded in enslaved
AFricans
○ Need to justify the Christian morality by taking africans out of the ‘saveragery’
● Myths live on…why?
○ Media
○ Media reports on an occasional crisis
■ Famine
○ Positive examples are ignored and not reported on
● Several factors contributed to production and invention of africa
○ Missionaries
○ Colonial administrators
○ Media
● Three common stereotypes about Africa:
○ Africa exists as a concept
■ Tribe and ethnicity are essential to Africa
● Learning for Justice
○ Inaccurate representations of Africa start early in media such as Madagascar, The
Lion King, George of the Jungle, Tarzan
○ More than 90% of books showed only rural or village life and jungles in Africa
○ Stereotypes have a profound impact
■ Racial relations and identity development
● Images contribute directly to racism
● Fuel misconceptions to justify enslavement and colonialism
● Feed the belief for the need of white superiority
● Can lead to internalized racism as well
○ Word choice
■ Hut
■ Tribe
● africa.com
○ Misconceptions and stereotypes
■ Continent
■ Speak african
■ Live with animals
■ Live in huts
■ Poor
■ Depend on aid
■ Africa is a desert
■ Homogenous culture
■ Africa is all jungle
● Thought co
○ Beyonce example, all Africans look the same
■ Going back to her ‘roots’
■ Painting face darker to look more ‘african’
● Jim Crow museum
○ Sambo
○ Jim crow
○ The savage
○ The mammy
○ Aunt jemimah
○ Sapphire
○ Jezebelle
● Danger of a single story
● Africa: dirty, diseased place
○ Frederick Coombs theory that the shape of one’s head indicates ones’ intelligence
, ■ Created assumption that non Europeans were less intelligent
○ These findings spread to books, film, literature
● Sociocultural stereotypes
● Timeline
○ 1880-1960:
■ European nations colonized much of African continent
■ Described as ‘dark continent’
1/22: Myths and Realities
● When we hear Africa, some picture landscape, animals, etc.
● Or Africa may evoke images of poverty, war, ethnic violence, tribalism, etc.
● Majority of North Americans will conclude that FRica is fundamentally different from
the western, developed world.
○ Images are stereotypes
○ When we generalize from one event or one country or one region it applies to the
whole continent
● Africa was long known as the ‘dark continent’
○ Darkness was the product of the ignorance of the outside world
● The myth of darkness, ‘savage’ and uncivilized Africa was invented in the 17th century
○ Western thought had invested these categories to justify the civilizing mission
● Myth of the ‘savage’ Africa was further distorted when European traded in enslaved
AFricans
○ Need to justify the Christian morality by taking africans out of the ‘saveragery’
● Myths live on…why?
○ Media
○ Media reports on an occasional crisis
■ Famine
○ Positive examples are ignored and not reported on
● Several factors contributed to production and invention of africa
○ Missionaries
○ Colonial administrators
○ Media
● Three common stereotypes about Africa:
○ Africa exists as a concept
■ Tribe and ethnicity are essential to Africa
