NEW PERSPECTIVE with MONA MORARU, FROM USA

A New Year

Africa has not entered 2010 on good terms. With the failed attempt of Nigerian-born Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to blow up a transatlantic flight headed for Detroit, Michigan and the recent violence in Angola against the Togolese football team, current news about Africa is doing little to shake off stereotypes.
While news agencies cannot be faulted for reporting salient stories to the public, the unfortunate result is that the public only sees these stories of strife and turmoil. While this is generally true of all news, Africa as a continent has to fight against this image broadcast by the news and impacted by decade-old stereotypes of the “dark continent.”
Certainly not true for all Americans, maybe not even for most, the image of Africa as a mysterious jungle of dangers and lost traditions persists in many minds. This is usually not a conscious association, simply one started generations ago—before even America itself was colonized—but one that has endured centuries as a result of misinformation and political stratagems.
The result is that while other continents can maintain an image of stability despite sporadic unrest, Africa must fight two battles—one against current news and the other against the ghosts of stereotype.
The problem is not so hard to notice; more difficult, rather, is a solution.
Peace and stability are rarely worth reporting, only when they come after unrest and violence. There is little hope, then, that the quiet places in Africa, those without daily bloodshed, will make the news over genocide and rebel attacks. There is also no reason for them to; despite a negative image, it is important for the international community to be aware of the conflicts in Africa so that global solutions can be called for and followed up.
The difference will come gradually, as changes usually do. As more and more Africans move into prominence in various fields, both within Africa and abroad, they will begin to reshape the image that is ingrained in a colonial past. It will be up to these African professionals and intellectuals to change the stereotype so that it stands out against the negative news reported.
Until then, African nations can shape the image of their continent abroad through political and humanitarian solutions to the biggest unrest reported, to the shootings and poverty.
The beginning of each New Year rarely predicts how the next 365 days will go; it usually reminds us of the work we have ahead of us. The image of Africa will change; it is simply a question of when. This year could be the start.