Africa and Stereotypes

Africa Is Not Starving

Stop associating Africa with hunger and lack

Kimberly Fosu
9 min readMar 9, 2021

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Africa is the world’s oldest populated area made up of 54 countries. (Photo: Nothing Ahead)

The Stereotypes

There are hungry people in Africa. There are homeless people in America. But we don’t associate America with homelessness simply because “some” of the people are homeless. Although there are hungry people in Africa, not everybody in Africa is hungry.

Africa is the continent that has been the target of an unfathomable amount of stereotyping, which has led to the widespread belief of false information through generalization. These generalizations act as a way to justify placements in society and they are sometimes helpful, but stereotypes on the other hand are dangerous.

It is these stereotypes that cause people to ask Africans whether they grew up wearing shoes or whether they’ve fought lions. These myths about Africa that people throughout the world believe to be true are beliefs that are deeply rooted in misinformation, lack of knowledge, and sometimes sheer ignorance.

Most African kids don’t have the privilege of smartphones, tablets, and laptops. What they have is open fields to run and play, dirt and mud to have a great time in the…

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Kimberly Fosu
Kimberly Fosu

Written by Kimberly Fosu

Purpose coach focused on spirituality, faith, and inspiration.

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