The Portrayal Of Satan In Africa

When I began reading Chapter 1 of “Mistaking Africa,” it reminded me of our first class meeting. Professor Crowley asked us to do the same exercise Curtis Keim talks about in the text. Professor Crowley asked us what comes to mind when we think about Africa. It is a great exercise and allow us to express our perceptions of Africa. Even in class, it took me time to think about what comes to mind when I hear the word Africa, because I have not really heard much about it besides the common misconceptions: “Africa is a primitive place, full of trouble and wild animals, and in need of our help” (5). I frequently see the UNICEF commercial with Alyssa Milano, who asks her viewers how it would feel to be able to save a child’s life for fifty cents a day. The commercial precedes to play really depressing music and shows a slideshow of undernourished children, who fend for themselves in

help or a ray of help any time soon. Fortunately, through the charismatic leadership of African

The United States is known for the “American Dream”, the material items, our breakthroughs in medicine, our employment opportunities, etc. These are just some of the things the United States has to offer, but the United States also has a downfall to all of the “good” things in life: we think our way of life is better than everyone else’s, and we often judge other countries, especially Africa, for their way of living. We often ask the questions, “What if we go to help them?” or “How can we help them?” when the real question is: “What can we learn from them”?

Novelist Chimamanda Adichie brings into consideration to Keim discussion, by emphasizing the connection between a “single story” and “stereotypes” regarding the subject of Africa. One of the dangers Adichie includes in her discussion are individuals being denied the opportunity to tell their story. Adichie draws similarities to Keim when discussing her own personal journey to find her authentic cultural voice, and she emphasizes the many misunderstanding that society, including herself, have made. Adichie admits to not only facing stereotypes, but addresses her own opinion regarding the topic. Adichie admits that as a child, she had initial biases regarding a servant that was employed by her family. According her explanation, she believed that the capability of someone “the servants family” coming from a certain background, made them incapable of such artistry. The same misconceptions can be seen in present day society, we often are prejudiced on who or what can be cultured.

In 2009 one young man changed the lives of thousands by telling his story of hardship, survival and innovation to the world. The book, "The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind" by William Kamkwamba reveals in great detail the complete blindness that our western society possesses regarding the truth of life on the continent of Africa. As citizens of the western world we have a tendency to see only the statistics and politics of the wars, famines and disasters that occur in developing countries while failing to even consider the human beings struck down by them. In this detachment we pass judgement upon the entire nation as a whole, forgetting the millions who do more in a single day with what little they have than we do with our abundance in a

In Binyavanga Wainaina’s essay “How to Write About Africa”, the author sardonically offers advice to Westerners writing about Africa. Wainaina’s satirical tone is seen throughout the essay urging Western writers to “use the word ‘Africa’ or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari” and more stereotype simplifications of African Culture. He directly addresses the audience multiple times throughout the paper “without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed.” Although the text may seem like it is directed toward a journalist or an anthropologist attempting to write about the continent of Africa, this is a satirical piece that has a greater purpose. Which is offering constructive social criticism.

Imagine going through life without a trajectory. Not knowing what you and your people did that did make a good impact on world history, only knowing your history as it pertains to oppression and devastation. That has been the experience of most members of the African diaspora living in the West. Knowing the reasons why our communities are dysfunctional and we are in a subservient position in society goes a long way in helping bring the change that’s necessary, but we Africans have been denied our place in history. For a long time, the perception of the history of Africa and Africa today has been through the lens of Europeans and

For what little history is taught about Africans institutionally and publically presently, it used as a tool to disempower people of African descent. To start present interpretations of African history denies the feats and accomplishments done by Africans as well as the roots from which all people come from. Presently history is made for people

Peebe Harry, Osaki. “Colonialism in Africa Is Still Alive and Well | Letters.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 Aug. 2017, www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/01/colonialism-in-africa-is-still-alive-and-well

notion, Africans were not only perceived as culturally alien people who inhabited a different geographical space but were also denizens a different time. Africa was the land of childhood removed from the light of self conscious history” This mechanism of thought contributed to the foreclosing of any relationship of kinship between Africans and European natives. This notion even helps bolster the stance of corrupt western governments who don’t fulfill the needs of their people. They use Africa as a scapegoat to cover up their failures and shortcomings and the Victim is the distraught African people.

What took me by surprise were the endless amounts of unexpected delays Barley faced on his trip to the study site. “With delays in documentation, I was now two months into my fieldwork time and not even seen a Dowayo (Barley 27)”. The officials in West Africa seemed very uninterested in his mission and were constantly demanding numerous forms and fees from him.

Thus we see how J.M. Coetzee successfully shows the future of the novel in Africa and its problems with the two conflicting characters of Elizabeth Costello and Emmanuel Egudu and as according to a critic “typically produces irritation or discomfort” in a

In the world there are many different things that happen and many different ways people think about it. In “The Falling of Satan” there are many different ways people describe it but only people who were really there know how it went. The battle between Satan and God illustrated in John Milton’s “ The Fall of Satan” during the Renaissance era is a religious fight that started when Satan tried to get more power than God and eventually brought evil to the world in order to show the people the consequences of sin.

Both Marable and Mazama call for a change in the way African history is handled and taught in schools, and that the discipline of African Studies needs to be recognized as its own department and not crossed between other departments on campuses. They also feel that the European presence hasn’t left from the field because of the majority of universities only having joint doctorates in European and African studies, but not practicing a sole African studies graduate program.

This chapter in Africans and Their History by Joseph Harris presents some of the roots of the stereotypes and myths about Africa in the past and for the most part are still held today. Harris discusses how the “greats” of history, geography, and literature starting a path of devaluation of Africans that writers after their time followed. Harris also denounced the language that these “greats” used to describe and talk about Africans. He asserts that this language inherently painted Africans as inferior and subhuman.