WHEN WILL THEY GET IT RIGHT ABOUT AFRICA?

This is the most painful post I have written so far. The ignorance about Africa is just unbearable. It is very painful, humiliating, annoying and shocking when I hear about how the rest of the world think about Africa.

Most people in western countries think the worse off Africa. Automatically we are all poor, hungry, sick, dying and at war.

I live in Accra, the capital of Ghana. We have never experienced war in recent years other than those that happened between my ancestors and the British in the 1800s and early 1900s.

While in Australia, some of the people I met asked me if I lived with wild animals.

Really?

If we lived with wild animals, would we be alive by now?

I have to go the zoo or wildlife parks so see wild animals. Most of them are in the wildlife parks.

I remember my design teacher in year 9 in Annesley College asked me if I lived in a hut in some forest she showed me in a book, honestly, I wanted to insult her. I had to explain to her that I lived in a house in the city. If I lived in a hut in the middle of some forest, how did I end up in Australia? How did I end up at Annesley College? How was I able to speak fluent English?

When I came back to Ghana, there was a rumour in my school that was I forced to go to Africa to marry. I am still shocked to this day that students of an expensive private school in Australia think all African children are forced into marriages. I wonder why they pay so much for education and they gain ignorance in return.

I was in the same school with them. My mum came to Annesley College and spoke to them about human right issues yet still they had this ridiculous mindset. One of my Aussie friends sent me a message that she was coming to Africa and she wanted to see me. I asked her where she was going and she mentioned a country in East Africa. I told her I was in Ghana which is in West Africa.

Africa is not a country, there are 54 countries. It is a huge continent. I do not need to educate anyone on this. Please go find out more on the internet but unfortunately that is the burden we Africans will carry for the rest of our lives.

So I am not surprised when most Africans in western countries deny their identity. The shame associated with being an African is very terrible

I am in my study in my house in Adenta, a suburb in Accra in Ghana as a write this. No I am not in a village or hut or living in the forest. Yes we do have computers and internet here. I watch BBC, CNN and most of the major international stations right here in Africa, yes I watch them LIVE.

Let me be honest, when I compare my life to most people I met Australia, I am way better off. I saw poor Caucasians. Some poorer than people in Africa.

Not every African country is at war. We are all not poor. We have millionaires and billionaires in Africa. We have malls, cinemas, cars and mansions here too. Most of us eat good food and drink clean water, we get good education.

Well, I cannot change the perception the world has about Africa but I hope after reading this, you will realise that we have educated people here too.

This was written by an African.

Go and learn!