Africa - What we don't know about it
The media often bombard us with images that make it hard to believe that some people in this world live the way we see them on television.
Ask people what they know about Africa and you will hear things like dirty water, dusty roads, naked people (young and old), starving children, poverty and the list can go on and on, not to mention the latest plague of the continent, HIV and AIDS.
Yes, there is poverty. There are areas where people's source of water is the stream, a river or wells, but the time has come for both sides of Africa to be revealed. It is a beautiful continent with great contrasts. You can't generalise about Africa. There are rich people as well as poor: there are cities, TV stations, internet cafes and universities. There is wonderful music and brilliant culture. Walk through an African village and the sound you will most often hear is of children playing and laughing together.
Recently, I was in a school in Derbyshire talking about Ghana. Before starting, I asked what people knew about Ghana or any other African country? Much of the above was re-echoed with some addition such as there are wild animals in the streets; one child said 'huge snakes, tigers, gorillas and all sorts'. I, in reply, said that they live in the wild. "Oh no," said this child, "our teacher said you have these everywhere". As an African I felt sad, because little effort is put in to give a rounded picture.
My lessons continued, and with it came more questions; "What do you sleep on in Ghana?" "Do you live in house like we have in England?" "Do you eat the same food as we eat in our country?" The questions poured in not only from the children, but from the teachers as well. One of the teachers told me that there was a programme on television about the people of the Kalahari desert she watched and she thought that was how all of Africans dressed and lived.
Yes, we sleep on beds in Ghana. They vary from traditionally woven mats to soft comfortable beds as in the UK. African houses may not have double-glazed windows and radiators, but they are still houses. In the villages, houses may be traditional mud huts, and it is true that many poor people only have basic amenities. But inside mud houses you will sometimes see a variety of gadgets. Many other houses are made of brick, wood or stone.
I have not mentioned the traditional costumes and their colours. Every country on this earth has its own individual problems. The rich powerful West with all its wealth still has deprived areas and poverty. So it is not surprising that this is so in many parts of the South, where every thing from basic healthcare to education is all on a cash and carry basis.
As Christmas approaches, most children in Ghana will be looking forward to being given some thing. It probably won't be a toy, but something in the line of a new dress, a shirt, trousers or shoes, with the highlight of the celebration being mother's cooking. The gadget shops will be well stocked for those who can afford to buy.
The question to ask at this point is, will the portrayal of some thing good about the continent make people assume all is well; therefore abandoning it even further?
As a Ghanaian, I say that there is a lot about Africa that is never talked about. Yes, it is a continent with so much wealth, yet little technology. Let's ask the media to write and say some thing good about the continent bearing in mind its many problems. When this is done let's put the two together and help give the less privileged a better livelihood, especially as a deadly epidemic sweeps across the continent.