Before I came to the US, I did not see myself as an African, I perceived myself as a Kenyan. I had no racial identification whatsoever, the aspects of racism, being black/white/brown... did not make any sense to me... You can say I was ignorant, which I don't deny but I guess it all comes from our cultural upbringing... My perceptions about America were so romanticized by the western media that flowed in our local TV channels... I had the Hollywood mentality of America.
The first time my ideologies about Africa were challenged was on a certain day, a lady friend we were working with asked me"what do you see in Africa?" At first, I was not so sure what she was talking about, because that was such a general and broad question... what I see in Africa? I have not been to any other part of Africa other than my home country... well, I probed her further to get a sense of what she really wanted to know about Africa. And so I asked her, "mmmh! what do I see in Africa... what do you mean?" so she went on and asked " I mean, when you wake up in the morning, do you see lions sitting on your benches, giraffes... what do you see when you wake up?"... just as I was thinking of an answer to such an unexpected question, she went on to ask, "how did you come to the US, Africa has no cars... no planes... no roads... how did you make it here..." waaoooo... I was completely caught off-guard... well, i thought it was a silly joke and my mum had always taught me that a foolish question should certainly get a foolish answer... so amidst laughter I answered " well, I swam across Atlantic"...
That conversation bothered me for a while... I kept wondering... was that a serious question, was she that ignorant, or have I been too secluded and protected that I don't perceive Africa the way she does... well, maybe all those are correct answers... maybe that was a serious question... after all since I have been here, all the posters and pamphlets that I have seen hanged on the walls about Africa, they all show one image... hopelessness, poverty, genocides, hunger, disease.... name them. If I was not from Africa, maybe I would ask the same question. Was she ignorant?yes, I think she is ignorant, is it humanly possible for one to come to the US through any other means... other than by plane, cars, or trains... well, if there is, teach me...because I am not aware of it...
about my being secluded and protected from the harsh reality of Africa, well, maybe that is true too...
But now to my point.... I think its time we as Africans portrayed the picture that we want the world to identify us with. I think its time, we began re-branding ourselves and stopped selling the poverty image. Africa is a rich continent, African people are friendly and accommodative of people of other cultures and races... We have a rich culture, we are blessed with great natural habitats, and we love life.
So the next time you have a question about Africa, well, it is always a good starting point to ask... but be polite in your query... otherwise, it would be much better to board a plane and visit the world's greatest continent Africa... and see for yourself.
