The white people and the black americans have the worst view on africa. They kill me,


Here are some questions i have been asked,

Is there schools in Africa?
Do you watch TV in Africa?
Are there any white people in Africa?
Do you see animals in africa?

and the worst one, Do yall have car in africa?

this stuff makes me very angry and mad but i try to keep my cool. Plus, when i moved to North Carolina and told people i am from africa they didnt believe it. They were like HOW COME YOU ARE NOT DARK? not everybody in africa is black or dark skinned. We come in different shades and color. Get it right people and stop listening to the news.

AFRICA IS RICH IN LOVE and BEAUTY AND MINERALS!!

Don't let all that bother you , it's pure ignorance on their part.

Well, I am an American
but maybe those people are just trying to learn and be educated.
Our schools don't really go into the cultures of Africa (modern day and otherwise).
And all most see is what is broadcast on National Geographic or the Discovery Channel.

I'm sure, it's annoying but maybe they just want to learn. I've gotten some questions like that from other cultures when I lived abroad when I was younger. I just chop it up to ignorance, I educate the best I can, or tell them to read up on it and move on.

Many Nigerians probably make a conscious effort to distance themselves from Nigerians by imbibing and digesting all that CNN and it's likes feeds to them. They are very easily dismissive of Nigeria and everything Nigerian.

It should not suprise anyone when foreigners do it

at Mis Lurker

if yall want to know about africa, why cant yall ask question like" how is africa different from America". yall be asking stupid question. It makes me feel sad and mad at the same time.

Africans are the problems of Africa.The value of Africa is been demised by the western imperialism under the pretence of a civilising mission.
Carefully enough,their inhuman acts and behaviours are never recorded in the history books and kids are not thought the right things that led to this ignorance.
The media owned by the the rich westerners are helping their government to paint Africa black.
I am not a history student but recent trends,pushed me to some discoveries:
-The British falsified the first census record in Nigeria.
-Afghanistan have never know peace because of her refusal to accept colonisation of their heritage.
-Pakistan/India trouble over Kashmir caused by the British ,
-Where are the red Indians(the America red Indians
-The Aboriginals of Australia are now the second class citizen in their own land

The list goes on.We should try and fight corruption and starve the west from developing their nations with the loots.

at poster, it's not the American's fault. . .it's the American media that displays Africa as a savage, uncivilized continent.
well, i dnt blame them sometimes because we always help them add something else to their list of uncivilized Africa, such as Scamming.
the questions that i get asked repeatedly are, (this was middle school and high school when the kids have no real knowledge on Africa, but base their questions on what they see on T.V):

Do animals run wild in Africa?
Do you run with the animals?
Do you live in a hut?
What Language does Africa speak? _{(this person was really stupid.)}
Do you have electricity in Africa?
Do you guys eat real food?
Do people wear clothes? or do you guys go naked?

morenike09:

at poster, it's not the American's fault. . .it's the American media that displays Africa as a savage, uncivilized continent.
well, i dnt blame them sometimes because we always help them add something else to their list of uncivilized Africa, such as Scamming.
the questions that i get asked repeatedly are, (this was middle school and high school when the kids have no real knowledge on Africa, but base their questions on what they see on T.V):

Do animals run wild in Africa?
Do you run with the animals?
Do you live in a hut?
What Language does Africa speak? _{(this person was really stupid.)}
Do you have electricity in Africa?
Do you guys eat real food?
Do people wear clothes? or do you guys go naked?

Oh my gosh!!! I have actually being asked that one. 
And my answer was , No, I boarded the airplane naked in Africa and bought some clothes when I got to New york. That left them mouth gaping , I don't know if it is in disbelief or in amazement but one thing was that I never got those kind of questions from them again.

lol. . .

SeanT21:

at Mis Lurker

if yall want to know about africa, why can't yall ask question like" how is africa different from America". yall be asking stupid question. It makes me feel sad and mad at the same time.

Don't lump us all together, okay. I'm sure it bothers you but at least they want to know something. They could just sit there, roll their eyes and keep their opinions of what they seem to know about Africa to themselves.

Ms. Lurker:

Don't lump us all together, okay. I'm sure it bothers you but at least they want to know something. They could just sit there, roll their eyes and keep their opinions of what they seem to know about Africa to themselves.

that's true but there are ways in which you ask questions. like do lions roam the street? that is a dumb question. if they did, every one would be locked inside the house or dead on the street.

You are just saying that because you are part of them If you were african, you will want to slap somebody.
at ms Lurker

I dont blame the media, because high school students should be smart enough to know those are stupid things.
They need to go and visit africa on their own.

Visit Africa? Most don't even own a passport!!! You wonder, don't these people read? And no, the national enquirer doesn't count. With the internet available for everyone, all the info they need is just a google away. Or ask intelligent questions like " What's Nigeria really like?" It would help to know that Africa isn't a country. So I would take those questions to be what they really are: an attempt at ridicule and to feel superior. Stupid questions like these deserve the answers they get.

SeanT21:

You are just saying that because you are part of them If you were african, you will want to slap somebody.
at ms Lurker

I don't blame the media, because high school students should be smart enough to know those are stupid things.
They need to go and visit africa on their own.

I've lived in countries where being an American was the minority, I got asked stupid stuff too. Even still, I am not in your shoes. I hope you get people who really want to know how it is Nigeria for real to balance it out.

at ms. lurker

yes, i agreee, we need people who want to know the real africa!!

at arielle
Most americans think that Africa is one big country!!

actually they think africa is just a tiny village. my friend told me about her nosy british neighbours asking her those silly questions, one even asked if she knows a Kenyan guy.
i think the media (CNN, BBC sky etc) is partly to blame about their perspective on our continent, but they live in civilized countries where they have access to research, so i dont think there is any excuse for their ignorance.

i've certainly done reserch on some asian, european and even s. american countries and i know better than to ask silly questions when i come across someone from another continent, as i said,they are lots of useful research materials at their disposal in those western countries, so if they are really curious, they should just try and access the internet.

@topic

i used to get annoyed with people asking me dumb question but now, it just doesn't phase me anymore. sometimes its not only the black american and white view on africa but some africans as well especially the young ones born here. i've seen some young ones act like they are "all for africa" but act offended when they show african people dancing around the fire on tv or when they are speaking another language, or when they are bald headed (the females), and they start saying, "man, we don't that." i'm like sure we do, its nothing to be ashamed of. and they get offended with the animal questions. ain't nothing wrong with animals. animals are cool.

@ naija diva

i understand u. some africans at my old school use to act like they were americans. I know a Nigerian boy who used to diss nigeria and say he will never go back. It used to bother me!!

LMAO.one of my residents just asked me if i came to USA in a boat immeediately i told her where i was frm.
did i get mad? NO!
i actually burst into laughter.not bothered at all.

minute:

LMAO.one of my residents just asked me if i came to USA in a boat immeediately i told her where i was frm.
did i get mad? NO!
i actually burst into laughter.not bothered at all.

you see, that's the attitude we need instead of trying to get mad because people are dissing africa. who cares. we know the truth about africa and if they don't know or try to know, that's their problem.

I was onced asked not by a white guy, but by an Indonesian in 1st year Mathematics "if there are cars in Africa". I said no, I rode a camel from Nigeria to Canada. He believed me.

Ignorance is detestable regardless of the direction it takes. People often simply don't realize that they're addressing a very small part of a very large and complex land.

For example, I live in the US and have been asked why I "hate" people of Iraq. Well, just because my country is currently in a conflict--a rather egregiously ill-advised conflict, I might add--with the country of Iraq is no reason whatsoever for me to harbor hatred to the people who live there, and, indeed, I do not hate the people who live or are from there.

We must not stereotype. Critical thinking is so very important that it cannot be overstressed. Let us strive to overcome ignorance with knowledge. Sure, it's somewhat embarrassing for me when I read postings here in languages I don't understand, but I know that such feelings are the first step in my further being able to know the world better.

So, if I ask questions that seem offensive or ask for a translation of a tongue that is not my own, please know that I seek not to compromise your feelings. I'm just trying to learn.

Seant im from north carolina. Im african american and maybe the people that asked u those questions were either trying to be funny or they just dont know. I have grown up with west africans and went to school with them. And i took it upon myself to learn about my true home. Some people really have no clue. They see those feed the children commericals and think thats all there is. Or on discovery channel just a bunch of naked people in huts, assuming the watch discovery! Any way as ms lurkes stated they dont teach in school about africa and on tv u dont see any thing positive, the only positive things is when they are saving animals or whatever, so i dont know who to blame. But try not to get angry. Some people really dont know. To those that think that all african americans are ignorant to africa, not true!