http://youthemovement.org/blog/share/double-standards-the-african-youth-story/



Youth : Are we our own worst enemy?

Most African youth today if asked would give an entire thesis on how Africa is portrayed in a wrong and negative way in International media.

Recently Kenyan social media saw an uproar from many youths from a comment made by US musician Trey Songs on the situation in Kibera (Kibera is the largest slum in east and central Africa) after watching some documentary. People got angry and sent all manner of messages condemning the musician and demanding an apology from him. The reaction was huge and the matter could have easily gone viral.

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Double Standards- The African youth story?
28 May 2011
Aisha Ngonze
20 days ago by Aisha Ngonze
Share · 2 · 102 Views
Youth : Are we our own worst enemy?

Most African youth today if asked would give an entire thesis on how Africa is portrayed in a wrong and negative way in International media.
Africa : Stereo type



Youth
Recently Kenyan social media saw an uproar from many youths from a comment made by US musician Trey Songs on the situation in Kibera (Kibera is the largest slum in east and central Africa) after watching some documentary. People got angry and sent all manner of messages condemning the musician and demanding an apology from him. The reaction was huge and the matter could have easily gone viral.
Trey Songz : Comment about Kibera led to high tensions

A few days after the euphoria went down, a friend of mine asked me a simple question that got me really thinking, she asked how many of those people who were condemning Trey had actually ever been to Kibera despite living in Nairobi.

See in have lived in Nairobi most of my life and I only went to Kibera for the first time for a wedding to weeks ago. I can authoritatively state that the media images are a bit exaggerated and the situation on the ground isn’t what we see on TV. That is a story for another day, The point here is: what are we as Kenyan youth doing to counter that negative portrayal??
African youth are the first to complain about stuff yet we are the same ones who run off to the western countries in search of some supposed greener pastures, somehow wishing that what we run to out there would magically come home and that the better things we look for so bad will be brought home by anyone but us.

It’s funny how we carry the mentality that anything done by a non African will always be better than that done by an African.

Take the case of Kenya and how we got a public holiday after Barrack Obama became president of the US, fine he may have Kenyan ancestry but I think the election of Ellen Sirleaf Johnson as the first female African president was equally historic and they should have made it a holiday as well.

How about the hype around the royal wedding of William and Kate? Why don’t we give the same publicity to our very own Mswati and Kin?

And what of adopting foreign accents? I am all for people speaking properly but it doesn’t have to have a twang to be good.

Think about it. Change has to come from within YOU. As long as we keep going in the direction we are the dream of a United States of Africa will remain just that- a dream. The day you make a change is the day Africa will see true liberation and emancipation from mental slavery.



In the words of the great Sunny Bindra,

“If you are an ambitious, far-sighted African, then you must get involved, heart and soul, in the struggle to put Africa right. There is no bigger mission you need in your life.”