West Africa example essay topic

"What the hell would I want to go to a place like Mombasa for? I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me". These are the words of Toronto (Canada) Mayor Mel Lastman, before traveling to the Association of National Olympic Committees in Kenya to campaign for his city's bid to host the 2008 Games. Lastman later apologized for the rather 'unfortunate' comment. Too late, his city lost the bid to Beijing, the capital of the Peoples Republic of China.

Darkest Africa or the Heart of Darkness. That is how many Westerners see this wretched continent of Africa, cursed with "war, starvation, a lot of poor people, and exotic animals". They imagine it as a huge, animal and disease-infested jungle, sprinkled with tribes of primitive people, some of whom are glad to meet white people... for they like variety in their diets. Only a few Europeans, such as philanthropist David Livingstone and one explorer Henry Morton Stanley, were brave enough to enter the heart of the continent during the 19th Century. They somehow managed to navigate the rough territory, though none of them, believe it or not, drove Four Wheel Drive vehicles or managed not to end up in some huge boiling pot. David Livingstone went on to rename Most Usa Tuna (The Smoke that Thunders) after his queen, Victoria.

While Stanley went one better and had the Bujagali Falls, at the source of the Nile in Uganda, renamed after himself! Reports from these intrepid explorers helped illuminate Africa in Europe. And for the wrong reasons too! Eventually the Western world learned that Africa was not only worth visiting, it was also worth looting. The continent was and still is rich in mineral resources, diamonds, gold and copper.

The British, French, Portuguese and others carved up Africa into colonies and expanded their empires, eliminating any Africans arrogant enough to believe that the land belonged to them. In fact, to them Africans were a plain nuisance. Even when they tried to measure up. For instance, in 1874 that Fourth Bay College in Ghana, West Africa, sought and obtained affiliation with Durham University.

The Times newspaper at that time declared that Durham should next affiliate with the London Zoo! Today, Africa is a continent of 58 diverse nations, some as wealthy and developed as South Africa, others as poor and underdeveloped as Somalia. Yet many Westerners are still fairly ignorant about Africa, viewing it as a homogeneous territory, full of primitive people, many who have not discovered the merits of democracy, capitalism and cable television. The ignorance and apathy is troubling, especially in times of crisis, when Africa needs help from the West. Such was the case in Mozambique and Zimbabwe when massive flooding left thousands of people stranded atop houses and trees. The United States, Britain and other wealthy nations were slow to react, almost as though they had bought into that ludicrous myth by saying, "It's no big deal.

Those Africans are used to living in trees". A quick response could have saved many lives. A headline in Mozambique's daily newspaper Noticias captured the prevalent feeling: "West Closes Its Eyes to Tragedy in Mozambique". To their credit, the United States, Britain and others eventually sent aid, but one can't help wondering whether a similar disaster in Europe would have generated a speedier response.

END About the Writer: Lenox Mh langa is humour columnist for a number of tabloids in the Southern African country of Zimbabwe. Based in the country's second largest city, Bulawayo, he is was at one time a broadcaster on both radio and television and his special interest are African Jazz and Current Affairs. A critic of his government's failed policies, he has been forced to tone down some of his writings and at times forced to stop writing altogether. Thousands of his compatriots have been forced into exile as political and economic refugees as the Zimbabwe government cracks down on political opponents. Sadly, he plans to emigrate with his family as the political and economic meltdown in his country reaches untenable levels.