hey people. (I'm not sure if there's already a thread like this) have you noticed how Africa is shown on t.v. in America? it is really sad. i get so angry sometimes because i can't do anything about it. it's just horrible. any one got something to say about this?
you could also talk about how people you meet have reacted to Africa or what they thought of it.

It makes me so sick that I don't even want to watch any thing the have to show about Africa.    do you ever see the stupid shows the have on Discovery channel, National geographic channel or the Travel channel about Africa,.........Omg for any one that's never been to Africa, you would think it's notthing but jungel, AIDS, or poverty.

for real. i friend was saying to me, not knowing i was african that if she went to africa, she wood prolly be the only one wearing clothes. another girl in my school was shocked to see an air conditioner in africa. they be asking stupid questions like do you have tigers and do dances and stuff. lord help me b-4 i knock out a nigga!

I used to get so mad at my friends when they asked me dumb questionslike that. Now I just tell them to the truth about Nigeria, the public TV(LINK TV) does a pretty job though.

The US is one of those countries that never ceases to amaze me. I think people have to accept the fact that most Americans know nothing about the rest of the world. Its not just about Africa, an Australian friend of mine was asked by an American while working in New York if they had 'roads in Australia'

My 'favourite' encounter with an American was while travelling by train from Chicago to LA, some guy asked me where i lived, i replied London, then he asked me if they spoke 'American' over there.

I find it quite amazing that, even though the US has a very diverse population, the level of ignorance on anything outside the US is staggering, even among educated Americans.

No wonder US foreign policy is so messed up.

i really agree with you, nferyn. i think america has the highest level of ignorance. i saw on t.v. where an american girl asked an australian if they spoke english. they don't think that life exists past the usa. this is prolly part of why they have a lot of problems with other countries.

ghettochyk girl am feeling this topic. the level of ignorance in usa is infact amazing. you would think it only exist in the youths but the adults are also ignorant. i remember when i first came here, i was very young by the way, anywho when i first entered my class, judging from my name my fellow classmates knew i was african, they started asking weird questions like "do you live on trees", "do you ride with elephants" "do you walk around naked" . well i really don't blame them, its whats being shown on television. watch the travel channel or geographic channel. another thing is those save the children commercials, they do a good job in trying to help the children, but the way they portray them is terrible.

i mean i know they show some part of africa, but all am saying is that they need to show more of the good parts. but not to worry i live close to the white house(washington D.C) soon i would make a documentary of washington d.c. especially southeast, for those of you all that has been to southeast D.C, you will know how terrible and disgusting it looks.

one of my proffessor once questioned if africa was a continent or a country. the worst thing is that you try to correct them, but i guess ignorance is bliss.

@ idollier i am feelling you 100%. i said something on the southeast in one of my post. the south is complete ghetto. it doesn't even resemble america. in my house we are always like they(media and government) should focus more on their own problems. all what they know is africa and itz problems. they never show any good thing which is really sad. i remember one day in one of my classes, my teacher(educated professor) was like lions roam on the streets of africa. it was so annoying but funny. his ignorance was amazing.

ldollier:

one of my proffessor once questioned if africa was a continent or a country. the worst thing is that you try to correct them, but i guess ignorance is bliss.

You must be joking. This is surreal. Are you sure you weren't having a bad dream?

nferyn:

You must be joking. This is surreal. Are you sure you weren't having a bad dream?

i am very serious, i dont know why he asked that. lol no it wasnt a bad dream, although i felt like i was having a bad dream, when he asked such a question

nferyn:

You must be joking. This is surreal. Are you sure you weren't having a bad dream?

sounds more like a nightmare

Prejudice is the child of ignorance - Anon

ldollier:

i am very serious, i don't know why he asked that. no it wasnt a bad dream, although i felt like i was having a bad dream, when he asked such a question

So someone that [b]teaches [/b]students at [b]university [/b]level, a professor, thinks (I need to find another word, thinking is way too generous for such a degenerate specimen of the species Homo Sapiens) that Africa is a country.
We should build a wall around that country, it's way too dangerous to let them loose on the wide world
(sorry for the rant, but I can hardly believe this, this is taking brainwashing to a whole new level)

If all I've read about the Americans view of Africa is real (from you folks) - with all the high level of technology, science and creativity we've been made to understand about them, then I shudder at their so called foreign policies about Africa, and indeed the rest of the world.

For me, I think it's a 'mutatis mutandis' scenario for any country. They are so full of themselves that they set forth to change every other country to what they think that country or place should be. They should know that pride goes before a fall o.

I wonder what Africans view about America is, y'know.

It's also important to point out that American are the most paranoid people on planet earth.

i really hate what dey show about african in discovery, national geographical channel, recent they were talking about the origin of witch craft and all is from african, broadcasting such thing world wide we scare some pontential investor

The world as seen by Americans

Gosh!!! nferyn, How did you get this 'map'. Indeed, this is the way the Americans view the world.

sometimes, it seems to me that americans think that they are the main thing, everyone else is here to entertain them. like everyone else don't got bills to pay. everytime they wanna talk about culture. what i mean by this is from example: once in my old church, it was international day so we wore african clothes. next time, this guy is goin' sit there and ask me and my to wear it to something he's doing (some kind of charity work for x-mas) because he likes it...and he was serious. he prolly wasn't tryna be rude or sum'n. the grown folks here are just as ignant as the lil kids are.
i couldn't stand it in middle school when in history class anytime they mention africa, the teacher's goin' sit there and ask me "right?" like africa is one little town. how am i s'pose to know, you the teacher, leave me outta this!

@ nferyn, your map is as real and true as it gets.

This map was actually set to me by an american after the re-election of King George. There is hope, after all

From the satirical article Relations Break Down Between U.S. And Them, here is a picture captioned "Rumsfeld announces that the U.S. has severed ties with Them".

I plan havin' an anti-american TV station. That shows only bad stuffs about america too. Strictly their ghettos like Watts, Dru Hill

The Nigerian image on the international scene is not the fault of the Europeans or Americans. Its our own fault - the fault of the Nigerian people.

There are poor people everywhere, there are beggars everywhere. The problem with Nigeria is that it has thrown all caution to the wind in a search for money - greed.

We need a leader who knows he is a leader and wants to lead not just to make money.

For real, sometimes I feel like going on TV and showing these people how Africa really looks like, despite the poverty and wars, there are places in Africa that are really beautiful.

A friend of mine, a Mexican girl had the guts to ask me if I lived with animals or talk to animals, :-x :-x :-x and I told her "yes" I had elephant as a pet and a lion as a friend, and her mom was the king of the jungle, I didn't meant to be mean but some people deserve answers like that.

@nferyn
i havent stopped laughing since i saw ur map.
@topic
its down right annoying how naive americ

sorry for the break in transmission

its annoying how naive americans can be atimes. i answer dumb questions all the time. like "how did you get to america"? i dont tell them we have an airport. i tell them i crawled on my hands and knees and then swung on trees for the rest of the way till i got to the u.s. they also ask "how come ur english is so good" ?. Do they think we just jabber, chatter and communicate in grunts?

No Americans do not feel that all Africans grunt. There are many celebrities that visit
Africa and come back to the States and exclaim about how lovely it is over there. Just to name a few, Will Smith, Jay Z, Oprah, and Angelina Jolie who practically lives in Africa! So what are you guys talking about? Whenever they talk about the negative aspects of Africa in encourages troubleshooting to urge donations, volunteers, and prevention programs for the wars, genocide, and poverty! Just because you guys are from Nigeria and never experienced starvation, famine or life long destitution, it does not mean that we should let the millions on starving women and child die from lack of food, shelter, and diseases because no one see's their suffering! I have a very good friend who is in Malawi right now volunteering her life for free! She went out there for 3 long months to build a school and teach English to 13 year old kids. She ended getting Malaria in the process and was very ill for a few weeks. Still, she is helping to make a difference and if the problems of Africa were not being broadcasted then no one would know when to help! Should they hide what's going on in Dafur, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia? Should they have kept the killings in Rwanda a secret? I know Nigerians are very proud people! Don't worry, I've seen many positive programs about your precious Nigeria too. I also like your movies! Very entertaining!

well we are definitely a third world country. that is a certainty. but it only irks me that only the starvation aspects of africa are shown on tv.

most americans have no clue that just a few miles from those poor villages we have four and five star hotels , electricity, atms, etc. (that's where angelina jolie actually spends the night and not in the bush!) Lol!

yep this how they also view the world

@ Ayeisha, am not sure what you are trying to say or you just trying to be defensive,

the thing is the way they present it is kind of RUDE. When they are presenting their own programs with nudity, there is always star or circle to cover that nude area.
but Discovery channel, Travel and geograpy channel don't do that when presenting show about what some white guys went to film in remote Africa countries.
I was watching a program (educative ?? I doubt it) they showed the african men dancing in the Nude, bare young ladies and children etc. That wasn't fair.

You're right some anthropologists do exploit the lives of some indigenous African tribes but most of the time they have the permission to do so from these tribes. Let's not forget that they do the same thing in South America, and Australia. The reason why they do not censor the nudity in some of these films is because within these cultures, the nudity is not seen as offensive. The ideas associated with social darwinism has been discredited years ago and only the ignorant still accepts them. When anthropologists visit indigenous tribes they do so to learn about a world outside their own! I've seen alot of wonderful programs about Africa that compliments the arts and the beauty of the land. Wasn't Beyonce just in Nigeria back in September 06' singing the Nigerian National athem? Some people believe that civilization is all, but what is wrong so with being indigenous and in the same breathe what is so wrong with documenting their wonderful lives and teaching others about them as well? I took a Cultural Anthropology class and these tribes were never depicted in a negative light.

bump

I think this is an interesting topic. Worth discussing!