From: faa@athena.cs.wayne.edu (Felicitas A. Atabong)
Subject: TODAY IN AFRICA.
Organization: Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 15:01:16 GMT

Sometime last week, I heard the big news. NBC was going to spend an
entire week on Africa.	I thought of all the times I've complained
about Africa being underepresented on U.S t.v as compared to the other
continents, and felt good that a news team was finally going to give us
what they called "Africa, like you've never seen it before."
I haven't been able to watch the entire two hours so far, since I have
to go to school but have been able to catch some of it. This morning, I
got myself ready for Zimbabwe, where the report was being done from a
national park.
   My first disgust came up when the interviews began. I saw several
whites being interviewed. They were asked about their feelings for the
park, and the animals within it. Now this really hurt. When news teams
give a report on other countries in other continents, the people OF THE
COUNTRY are interviewed. The French are asked about their country; the
Australians are asked about Australia, but here we were getting feelings
of Africa from tourists! I'm an African, and all they said was nice
...it's breathtaking ... we love the animals ... we've got to preserve
them ... blah, blah, blah ... but it wasn't Africa from the Africans
point of view. I would have felt better if one of the tribesmen had been
interviewed and translated. Those interviewed did not have to speak
English!
   My next disgust was the emphasis on missionaries. I'm not saying they
have not had an impact on Africa's history, but what puzzled me was a
comment made by one of the reporters. It was said that these people had
come to Africa intending to impose their religion and culture but after
seeing the African culture they had decided to respect it. Now this is a
BIG LIE. In my country just about everyone is catholic, protestant or
baptist, and I know for a fact that these religions didn't exist in my
great-great...grand-parents days. A white priest was interviewed and he
said that some of the religions were evil and had to be exposed for what
they were. I asked myself, evil in whose sight?? In his? In his
religion's? It's one thing to come to a country in the name of help, and
it's another to completely impose one's views and cultures on another.
Today in a village in my country, a child's dream is to lay his eyes on
the pope, while the great-grand-parent looks on in total disgust. This
child has been taught "the other people's" religion in school, and the
cultures and religion of the African people now seem wrong to him.
   Not everything about the show today was bad. A black priest was
interviewed and he did say some things I liked. Some of Zimbabwe was
shown for what it really is, so some could wipe away the views of people
living on trees. I sincerely hope that the week will not be filled with
poverty, drought, starvation and political troubles. Although those are
issues that should be addressed, there is more to Africa than that. And
there are countries that have a lot more, that SHOULD be shown. The
beautiful landscapes by the sea, the tropical rain forests, and the
lifestyles of the middle-class. And when the reporters tell us that
someone earns $50 in a week, they should not forget to mention, that
this person doesn't live with respect to the world, but rather with
respect to the standard of living in his country, and thus the $50 could
be an equivalence of $300 in the States.
    Finally, if the only tribe they talk about is the Zulu, I will have
a fit. I have nothing against them; I believe they should be talked
about. However, Africa has thousands of tribes. My country alone has
about 100. I don't expect that they all be talked about, but I would be
quite upset if none of them are mentioned. If possible, all the
countries should receive some attention. I'm tired of everyone I meet
thinking I'm either South African (because of apartheid), Ethiopian
(because of the problems of starvation), Somalian(because of the
problems of starvation and drought) or Kenyan(thanks to the national
parks), when I'm not. There are many more African countries. Besides
when someone tells me they're from Europe, I don't automatically start
playing a guessing game ... France, England, Sweden?? I think to myself,
there are several countries in Europe! If I keep this guessing up, the
chances of me getting this fellows country, are quite slim.

Feli.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african