Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent

This book should be required reading, right along with [b:Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong 296662 Lies My Teacher Told Me Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong James W. Loewen https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1255592395l/296662.SY75.jpg 15653]. Its author, Dipo Faloyin, shatters the monolithic myths that many of us have about Africa, explaining how they became so powerful and why their persistence is so harmful. In the late 19th century, a group of rich European white men in khakis basically got together and shouted “dibs!” on certain parts of Africa, creating countries that had no basis in cultural or geographic realities. When the African nations started declaring their independence a century later, the result was frequently violent, as different tribes within a country's border fought each other for power. Faloyin describes it as Fifty-four houses built on sand, poorly anchored to business deals written using Victorian definitions of civilization. The irregular births of its nations, and the short time they've had to deal with ramifications, underlie why so many are still fighting to overcome foundational challengesEven today, the images portrayed in well-intentioned charity appeals perpetuate the message that all African people are poor, hungry, and helpless, waiting for the white saviors to deliver them from evil. (Remember “Kony 2012?” Sure it was a horrible situation, but a bunch of American teenagers with stickers didn't solve a highly complex, delicate issue.)Faloyin's tone is snarky, angry, exasperated and sometimes downright hilarious (see the chapter on how to make a Hollywood film about Africa). In a brief 350 pages, he educates, entertains, enrages and encourages us to do better.