Zamokuhle Dukheya 

52571599

Misinformation/Distortion 

Anthropologists have an authorative voice over these they write about. As I was reading "How to write about Africa" Wainaina(2005) I came across " what you read doesn't represent the whole story". He uses irony to display/convey how the West have a narrow understanding about the non-West. This story illustrates how the West depict Africa as a unison and this eradicates the diversity of different ethnic groups existing among Africa. "Your African characters may include naked warriors, loyal servants, dividers and seers, ancient Wiseman living in hermetic splendour" Wainaina(2005) this shows how the African natives were exorticized through primitivization.

This created a whole new perspective of the West for me because I regarded them as dominant and financially secure whereas the blacks had contrasting ideas. This created a barrier between "us" and "them". I have always thought that being a West was all about living a perfect life. I even disliked my own ethnic group because I thought we were black sheep's of the world. As I was growing up, I would see more of white people begging on the streets and depended on other people, which did not fit my status quo of white people. Now I realized that I was self was being stereotypic and biased against the different societies.

In conclusion, these readings gave me a new lens through which I observe the world. I realise that my assumptions are biased and not cultural relative which this can create dividends between communities and increase negative stereotypes amongst individuals, contributing to "otherness". Instead we should build a more inclusive and equitable world view.

Reference List

Achieve, C. 2009 The Danger of a single story. TED. available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D91hs241zeg

Wainaina,B 2005. How to write about Africa[online] Granta Magazine available at: https://granta.com/how to write about Africa