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March 10, 2012

How to Write about Africa

Never have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your book, or in it, unless that African has won the Nobel Prize.
An AK-47, prominent ribs, naked breasts: use these. If you must include an African, make sure you get one in Masai or Zulu or Dogon dress. In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is hot and steamy with very short people who eat primates.

Describe, in detail, naked breasts (young, old, conservative, recently raped, big, small) or mutilated genitals, or enhanced genitals. Or any kind of genitals.
And dead bodies. Or, better, naked dead bodies. And especially rotting naked dead bodies. Remember, any work you submit in which people look filthy and miserable will be referred to as the ‘real Africa’, and you want that on your dust jacket. Do not feel queasy about this: you are trying to help them to get aid from the West. The biggest taboo in writing about Africa is to describe or show dead or suffering white people.-- Granta 92: The View from Africa | Archive

Posted by gerardvanderleun at March 10, 2012 12:00 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

Posted by: Jewel at March 10, 2012 1:19 PM

I've been in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda for the last nine days on a business trip.

I can't wait to get out of here.

Nine of the ten people I've spoken too in these countries tell me that my business model is wrong and that I should locate here instead of trying to do business with them from abroad. I've been kind. I've listened to them patiently. What I've wanted to say is this: "Take a look out that window. Now, tell me, if you had a choice would you locate your business in this crime ridden, dirty city with all of your corrupt politicians constantly extorting money from your operation? Would you?"

I'll never get back the time wasted on this trip.

I doubt I'll get the money back either.

Posted by: Mike at March 11, 2012 3:14 AM

Posted by: Jewel at March 11, 2012 7:56 AM

Crime, corrupt politicians, extortion... hmmm.
Mike, are you sure you weren't in the Atlanta Peoples Republic?

Posted by: GaGator at March 11, 2012 9:01 AM

Mike I spent three weeks in Kenya and Tanzania a few years back. The game preserves are wonderful, but the cities are as you describe them. I talked with a few small business people there and found out that the governments are kleptocracies. If your business, whatever it may be, becomes successful, the governments will want a big cut or just take it over completely. Private property is not protected. Until the African people can somehow learn to achieve reasonably honest representative government and secure private property, protected by laws and courts, they have no chance to rise out of the misery that is so apparent.

All the trillions of aid money poured into that country only keeps more people alive to endure the grinding poverty that is the lot of most. The worst thing that happened to most of the African countries was when the colonists left. Kenya had a decent infrastructure when the Brits gave them their independence. It has been slowly crumbling ever since. My heart bleeds for the people, but sending them NGO money and aid does little. Only government reform will make a difference, and that is not going to happen any time soon.

Posted by: Jimmy J. at March 11, 2012 12:34 PM

Indeed, our own government seems to be trending towards a Third World model of cronyism and corruption.

Posted by: rickl at March 11, 2012 10:39 PM

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