From: imofoke1@cc.swarthmore.edu (Ivan Mofokeng)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: Re: TODAY IN AFRICA.
Date: 17 Nov 92 20:33:02 GMT
Reply-To: imofoke1@cc.swarthmore.edu (Ivan Mofokeng)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Swarthmore College

faa@athena.cs.wayne.edu (Felicitas A. Atabong) writes:
> 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.


well Feli, welcome to the world of television.  the interest of nbc in
africa is not to discuss the problems there nor to expound on the merits of
our culture.  it is to sell a certain image that will appeal to the american
tourists.  now whether you like it or not, national parks and other beauties
of africa are what the target viewers want to hear about.

i do not write this to undermine what you said above, but it is important to
always remember or try to identify the motive for what people go for and do
in countries other than their own.

phoka
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african