Top 10 myths about Africa

There are several myths and misconceptions about the continent of Africa especially in the Western world. Most of these originate from the media where several people look up to for information. I have compiled below some of these myths. Now you'll know how wrong you've been about the ''dark continent''.


1. Africa is a country: Heck no it isn't. Recently Sarah Palin of the U.S.A. made this terrible goof when talking about Africa and this just shows how ignorant most people are when it comes to Africa. It is a continent home to 54 independent, unparalleled countries. South Sudan joined the fray in July 2011.
Each country has its own currency, national flag, cooking and identity. There are about 1 billion people living in the continent of Africa who speak 2000 languages and are made up of 3000 different ethnic groups. Africa covers 30,221,000 sq km(11,679,00 sq miles). A combination of the U.S.A, China, India, Europe and Japan will fit conveniently into Africa. In fact, the U.S. fits into the African continent three times.

2.Africa is dangerous and violent: With a history chequered with military coups and civil wars, it's almost impossible to diffuse this, however if the United States could be judged by the flesh eating killers, serial shooting gunmen and the U.K. with dark-alley knife stabbings and racial induced violence, few people would want to visit. I can't as a matter of fact deny violence in some countries in Africa but how come they never report the good things in the media. Why is it always about Somalia or Sudan. Tourists would be wise to avoid some countries like the all notorious Somalia but seriously violence against tourists in Africa is rare. In case you don't know, there are several safe and peaceful places to visit where you'll be worshiped and treated with embarrassing kindness.


3.Africa is poor and disease ridden: This is laughable in all sense of it. How many times have I heard people comment, ''there is war in Africa and people there are dying''. Like seriously? Poverty reigns supreme in some countries, true, but not all African countries are poor. The biggest problem is the wealth distribution which stems from the high level government corruption. A visitor to Nigeria from the West said ''I've never seen so much wealth, opulence and so much poverty in my life''. South Africa is a very wealthy country. Its GDP outranks (or at least used to) that of Belgium and Sweden. Did you know that on paper, Egypt, Nigeria and Algeria are all richer(as per GDP AND PPP) than Denmark and Norway? People lose their lives to diseases in some countries in Africa due to a lack of basic health care. AIDS is prevalent in places like South Africa but you don't contact it through the air. If you're up to date with your vaccines and don't go sampling everything in skirts you run into, you're unlikely to catch anything more than a sunburn. For malaria, sleep under a mosquito net and take prophylactics.

4.All African politicians are corrupt: This right here is funny. Truly, corrupt politicians are unique to Africa (all politicians are corrupt..lol), but you have probably never met Nelson Mandela a.k.a Mandiba. Some of the political crises can be blamed on the colonial legacy but seriously most of it is a direct consequence of the corrupt, power-hungry past and incumbent governments. Prof Wole Soyinka: Nigerian playwright and poet, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf:incumbent Liberian President and late Wangari Maathai: Kenyan environmental activist are all proud winners of the Nobel prize.

5. Africa has no history: Duh! Ever heard of the ancient Egyptian pyramids or mummies, the rock-hewn churches of Ethiopia, the bushmen of the Kalahari desert? No? Then I bring it to you that Africa indeed has a rich history. A flourishing kingdom was built in the 11th century and it's now what we know as Zimbabwe. Even in the 12th century, while Oxford and Cambridge were just getting ''invented'', Timbuktu in Mali could already boast of three well-run universities and 180 Quranic schools.

6.African cities are filled with wild animals roaming freely: Bill Gates would be my butler if I had taken a dollar for the number of times I've heard the question ''so do people live on trees in Africa and I know there are elephants grazing freely on the streets''. As dumb as it sounds, it's a manifestation of the ''jungle'' moniker associated with Africa. Although the continent is abundantly blessed with a variety of wildlife, the animals live in their own natural habitats. There are national parks and forest reserves where a safari can be organized to see the animals but they don't roam the streets. Don't be mistaken though, you won't be seeing your normal zoological garden as most of these parks and reserves are larger than many European countries. Think I'm lying? Go visiting!

7.Africa is technologically backwards: Perhaps you never heard of the Nigerian lad who built working helicopters from junk or the 15-year-old Nigerian dude who built a car powered by a generator. How about you go to Ghana and watch cars being re-built out of total scrap. Although illiteracy is high, innovation is abundant. Technology, like the rest of the modern world has been revolutionized in Africa. Don't be surprised if you see traditional Masai people grazing cattle with their mobile phones tightly clutched in their hands. Call it modern cattle grazing!


8.Africa is always hot. Yes. It's the land where the sun never sets and never rises, but then you only have to travel to southern and northern Africa to know this isn't entirely accurate. It snows in South Africa and most of the north African countries enjoy a temperate climate. Heck, it even snowed in Kenya in 2008! Research shows that Jos in Nigeria has a temperature of 10 degrees Celsius in the rainy season.

9.Africa needs aid and celebrities to help it develop: Even the African celebrities are unbelievably, filthy rich. Most of the celebrities' aid are just self-gratifying events. The real people who bring succour to the hungry children of Sudan don't scream it out to the world. Having said that, no amount of aid from celebrities would cure the hunger and despair being experienced in some countries in Africa. Most of the ''moolah'' go to the wrong hand anyways.

10. All Africans can dance: Hahahaha. I'd say this is almost true. It could be just another stereotype though as I find it hard to understand whether ''stepping'' is just right there in the genetic code of Africans. My experience in a few different African country bars and festival tells me it's really a fact hard to dispel. We'll leave it open but if you'd love to confirm, arrange a nice gig and invite your African friends. You'd be amazed at the gyration.

By and large, you'll never know until you visit. Plan your trip and talk to a good trip advisor if necessary. Africa awaits!


Top 10 African Tourist Destinations 2011

Rank	Country	Tourists
1	Morocco	9.34 million
2	South Africa	8.34
3	Tunisia	4.78
4	Algeria	2.40
5	Zimbabwe	2.24
6	Botswana	2.15
7	Mozambique	1.72
8	Nigeria	1.56
9	Kenya	1.47
10	Namibia	0.98