Common Stereotypes About Africa

Common Stereotypes About Africa In the 21st century, there’s never been more focus on Africa than now. Thanks to the revolutions sweeping through North Africa and the Middle East, Africa has the world’s attention. But just because all eyes happen to be on Africa at the moment doesn’t mean myths about this part of the world have been dispelled. Despite the intense interest in Africa today, racial stereotypes about it persist. Do you have any misperceptions about Africa? This list of common myths about Africa aims to clear them up. Africa Is a Country What’s the No. 1 stereotype about Africa? Arguably, the biggest stereotype is that Africa’s not a continent, but a country. Ever hear someone refer to African food or African art or even the African language? Such individuals have no idea that Africa’s the second largest continent in the world. Instead, they view it as a tiny country with no distinct traditions, cultures or ethnic groups. They fail to realize that referring to, say, African food sounds just as odd as referring to North American food or the North American language or the North American people. Africa’s home to 53 countries, including island nations along the continent’s coast. These countries contain diverse groups of people who speak a variety of languages and practice a wide range of customs. Take Nigeria- Africa’s most populous country. Among the nation’s population of 152 million, more than 250 distinct ethnic groups live. While English is the former British colonys official language, the dialects of ethnic groups indigenous to the West African nation, such as Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, are commonly spoken as well. To boot, Nigerians practice Christianity, Islam and indigenous religions. So much for the myth that all Africans are alike. The most populated nation on the continent certainly proves otherwise. All Africans Look the Same If you turn to popular culture for images of people on the African continent, you’re likely to notice a pattern. Time and time again, Africans are depicted as if they’re one and the same. You’ll see Africans portrayed wearing face paint and animal print and all with nearly pitch black skin. The controversy surrounding singer Beyonce Knowles’ decision to don black face for French magazine L’Officiel is a case in point. In a photo shoot for the magazine described as â€Å"a return to her African roots,† Knowles darkened her skin to a deep brown, wore splotches of blue and beige paint on her cheekbones and leopard print clothing, not to mention a necklace made out of bone-like material. The fashion spread sparked public outcry for a number of reasons. For one, Knowles portrays no particular African ethnic group in the spread, so which roots did she pay tribute to during the shoot? The generic African heritage L’Officiel claims Knowles honors in the spread really just amounts to racial stereotyping. Do some groups in Africa wear face paint? Sure, but not all do. And the leopard print clothing? That’s not a look favored by indigenous African groups. It simply highlights that the Western world commonly views Africans as tribal and untamed. As for the skin-darkening- Africans, even sub-Saharan ones, have a range of skin tones, hair textures, and other physical traits. This is why some people pegged L’Officiel’s decision to darken Knowles’ skin for the shoot unnecessary. After all, not every African is black-skinned. As Dodai Stewart of Jezebel.com put it: â€Å"When you paint your face darker in order to look more ‘African,’ aren’t you reducing an entire continent, full of different nations, tribes, cultures, and histories, into one brown color?† Egypt Isn’t Part of Africa Geographically, there’s no question: Egypt sits squarely in Northeast Africa. Specifically, it borders Libya to the West, Sudan to the South, the Mediterranean Sea to the North, the Red Sea to the East and Israel and the Gaza Strip to the Northeast. Despite its location, Egypt is often not described as an African nation, but as Middle Eastern- the region where Europe, Africa, and Asia meet. This omission stems mostly from the fact that Egypt’s population of more than 80 million is heavily Arab- with up to 100,000 Nubians in the South- a drastic difference from the population of sub-Saharan Africa. Complicating matters is that Arabs tend to be classified as Caucasian. According to scientific research, the ancient Egyptians- known for their pyramids and sophisticated civilization- were neither European nor sub-Saharan African biologically, but a genetically distinct group. In one study cited by John H. Relethford in the Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology, ancient skulls belonging to populations from sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, the Far East and Australia were compared to determine the racial origin of ancient Egyptians. If Egyptians did indeed originate in Europe, their skull samples would closely match those of ancient Europeans. Researchers found, however, that this wasn’t the case. But the Egyptian skull samples weren’t similar to those of sub-Saharan Africans either. Rather, â€Å"the ancient Egyptians are Egyptian,† Relethford writes. In other words, Egyptians are an ethnically unique people. These people happen to be situated on the African continent, though. Their existence reveals Africa’s diversity. Africa Is All Jungle Never mind that the Sahara Desert makes up one-third of Africa. Thanks to Tarzan films and other cinematic portrayals of Africa, many mistakenly believe that jungle occupies most of the continent and that ferocious beasts roam its entire landscape. Black activist Malcolm X, who visited several African countries before his assassination in 1965, took issue with this depiction. He not only discussed Western stereotypes of Africa but also how such stereotypes resulted in black Americans distancing themselves from the continent. â€Å"They always project Africa in a negative light: jungle savages, cannibals, nothing civilized,† he  pointed out. In reality, Africa houses  a wide range of vegetation zones. Only a small portion of the continent includes jungle or rainforests. These tropical areas are located along the Guinea Coast and in the Zaire River Basin. Africa’s largest vegetation zone is actually savanna or tropical grassland. Moreover, Africa’s home to urban centers with populations in the multimillions, including Cairo, Egypt; Lagos, Nigeria; and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. By 2025, more than half of the African population will reside in cities, according to  some estimates. Black American Slaves Came From All Over Africa Largely due to the misconception that Africa’s a country, it’s not uncommon for people to assume that black Americans have ancestors from all over the continent. In reality, the slaves traded throughout the Americas originated specifically along Africa’s western coast. For the first time, Portuguese sailors who’d previously traveled to Africa for gold returned to Europe with 10 African slaves in 1442, PBS  reports. Four decades later, the Portuguese built a trading post on the Guinean shore called Elmina, or â€Å"the mine† in Portuguese. There, gold, ivory, and other goods were traded along with African slaves- exported for weapons, mirrors, and cloth, to name a few. Before long, Dutch and English ships began arriving at Elmina for African slaves as well. By 1619, Europeans had forced a million slaves into the Americas. Altogether, 10 to 12 million Africans were forced into servitude in the New World. These Africans were â€Å"either captured in warring raids or kidnapped and taken to the port by African slave traders,† PBS notes. Yes, West Africans played a key role in the transatlantic slave trade. For these Africans, slavery was nothing new, but African slavery in no way resembled North and South American slavery. In his book, the  African Slave Trade, Basil Davidson likens slavery on the African continent to European serfdom. Take the Ashanti Kingdom of West Africa, where â€Å"slaves could marry, own property and even own slaves,† PBS explains. Slaves in the United States enjoyed no such privileges. Moreover, while slavery in the U.S. was linked to skin color- with blacks as servants and whites as masters- racism was not the impetus for slavery in Africa. Plus, like indentured servants, slaves in Africa were typically released from bondage after a set amount of time. Accordingly, slavery in Africa never lasted across generations. Wrapping Up Many myths  about Africa date back centuries. In the modern day, new stereotypes about the continent have emerged. Thanks to a sensationalistic news media, people worldwide associate Africa with famine, war, AIDS, poverty and political corruption. This isn’t to say that such problems don’t exist in Africa. Of course, they do. But even in a nation as wealthy as the United States, hunger, abuse of power and chronic illness factor into everyday life. While the continent of Africa faces enormous challenges, not every African is in need, nor is every African nation in crisis. Source Relethford, John. Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology. 2 edition, McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, October 18, 1996.

Russians As the Others in 1920s and Early 1930s Hollywood Essay

Russians As the Others in 1920s and Early 1930s Hollywood - Essay Example The movie can be used as a symbol of the fate of Russians in Hollywood. It must first be understood that Russians had very limited success in Hollywood with the possible exception of Kirk Douglas whose parents were Russian Jewish immigrants. But this was because Douglas had no accent issues as he was trained at American Academy. However the rest of the actors of Russian descent had marginalized success in Hollywood as their accent forever sealed their fate and they were limited to either smaller side roles or at best character actors. They couldn't make it to the mainstream roles. Freaks (1932) is a sign of that fate. The movie is symbolic of what happened to those Russians who tried to enter the Hollywood. In this movie, the only Russian born actress, is the leading female character of Cleopatra played by immensely beautiful Olga Baclanova. Baclanova had arrived in USA with Moscow Theatre group. Her first love was stage and that is what she was doing when a role in Freaks was offered.

Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Report - Coursework Example Moreover, when accounts are manually maintained it is usually kept pending until the last minute and that too for the purpose of filing tax returns. Accounting is not used as a business tool to keep track of where the business is heading and results is loss of control during the financial period. Bookkeeping software is also a manual system but within the defined parameters it is possible to produce essential information. The first advantage of using software is that small business would tend to maintain regular accounts than those which do not use software for bookkeeping (Articlebase, 2011). The bookkeeping software has a set of disciplines due to which it is able to produce data and records that are essential to exercise control over the business. It also helps in preparing the financial statement at the end of the year including for filing of tax returns. Records are less likely to lost or misplaced when maintained through software. Moreover financial performance can be improved through better financial control. In effect, book keeping software automates the manual maintaining of accounting and financial records. Accounting software saves time as it eliminates manual account calculations and record-keeping (Highland, 2011). The software handles chores in minutes which would take up a good number of man hours and hence can save on fixed salaries.

Value chain analysis for Starbucks in Australia Essay

Value chain analysis for Starbucks in Australia - Essay Example The practice had helped the Starbucks to maintain quality over the years. However, it increased the dependency on the farmers and the variations in the productions affected the company. This made the price of the coffee in the Starbucks higher and the business was rendered unprofitable. In the case of Australia this was one of the factors for the closure of various shops. (Starbucks Coffee Company, n.d.) Operations: In the case of the Starbucks in Australia, the company operated as in the case of the other countries. There were no modifications of the products and no efforts were made to make the products suit the needs of the people in Australia. The ambience of the stores were similar to that of the other parts of the world which did not provide additional value to the customers in Australia. The main factor for the success of Starbucks in the other parts was the essence on â€Å"coffee culture†. However, in Australia, the â€Å"coffee culture† was already in place and the company could not provide extra facilities to the people. (Why Starbucks failed in Australia, 13th August, 2008) Outbound logistics: The Starbucks operates through the chain of stores in the other parts of the world. In the case of Australia, the company opened over 80 stores that were placed in the urbanized areas. The expansion never took of in a big country like that of Australia and the company had presence only in some of the pockets. (Starbucks goes cold in Australia, 29th July, 2008). Marketing and Sales: Starbucks is a well known brand all over the globe. However, surprisingly, the company has never resorted to the aggressive marketing policies. In the case of Australia, the company never marketed the brand aggressively and there were campaigns like the â€Å"red cups on cars† where starbucks cups were placed on top of cars and taxis. The company depended on the â€Å"word of mouth†

Students Metacognitive Abilities Essay -- Education, Researchers and T

Literature Review Research on the Problem Researchers and theorists have sought the key behind getting students to learn for decades. For every theory placed on the table, there is another waiting to clear it off and replace it. This dichotomy can be challenging for teachers who are searching for the answers to help them reach their students especially when these students are asked to do mundane tasks like memorize. In addition, many teachers struggle to identify the root cause of their student’s struggles with material, and once pin pointed, they often find it difficult to address these causes. What are the exact challenges the students are struggling with? In her research, Nancy Joseph, believes the answer to this question lies in a lack of metacognitive ability in the students. â€Å"Your ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate your performance reveals sophisticated cognitive activity.† (Joseph, 2006) If the students are not capable of reaching this level of cognitive ability, they will not be able to grow with the difficulty of the class material. Each student learns best in his or her own way, and by understanding this â€Å"learners are able to use their academic strengths to develop additional skills and understanding, moving toward greater intellectual maturity.† (Joseph, 2006) Students cannot develop critical thinking skills as it relates to content if they do not possess the skill to think critically at all. The pathway to metacognitive ability begins with self-reflection. At the junior high level, students are unaware that the ability to be reflective is a skill that will carry them through life; not just in their current Language Arts Classroom (Joseph, 2006). Teachers are told almost daily about how important ... ...is difficult, and that they must be creative in finding ways to make easier for the students to understand. If they do not, then they will keep doing what they have always done, and continue getting the same results. I hope to examine parts of the studies that have already been conducted on these issues. I will be looking at the result of connecting games, social interaction, practice, direct instruction, indirect instruction, and to what extent a student’s metacognitive level has on their ability to memorize material such as prepositions. As Ellis noted, â€Å"the results of the research do not afford conclusions that can be readily applied to language pedagogy.† (Ellis, 2011) My attempts will be focused on a more general scope of application in the classroom, and I will try to bridge the gap between the research, theorists, and practical application.

An Era of Smart Phones and Dumb People

An Era of Smart Phones and Dumb People You spot them immediately. They're gathered around the swing set Eke moths to an open flame; not talking, Just looking down at what's In their small hands. There's around four of them, appearing to be first graders or so, testing away twice as fast as you ever could, completely oblivious to everything around them. Pausing for a second, you stop to wonder, â€Å"Whatever happened to actually using the swing set? † Technology is like a fine wine; as it matures and ages, it becomes better and better, making it appeal to large crowds of people.Yet what happens If one has too much wine? They become drunk. Just like an alcoholic, the next generation appears as if they are addicted to this modern technology, and that is not be such a good thing as people think It Is. The kids seem to be gradually losing one of the most delicate and treasured things on this planet: human Interaction. For example, let me pose a simple question, when was the last t ime you have a game night with your family, or any other time that was solely devoted to your nearest and dearest? Some will answer years while others, mere days.Twenty-first century based females tend to go to their own sections of the house with an electronic of their choice, whether that may be a Kindle, phone, Pod, Tablet, you name it, instead of hanging out with their family. Young children observe this and brand It as the norm. Well, why shouldn't they? Aren't we the ones at blame for this? The ones they look to in order to know how to interact, to act with others? Look at the older population, the elderly, in your community; they will smile at you through car windows while parked at red lights or ask you how you're doing while o'er both standing In the grocery line at your local supermarket.Sadly, this seems to be a rare thing to stumble across these days in all of us young people. Back when I was a kid, If I wanted to play a game I would go find my brother and we would have to make one up ourselves. That's right; we had to use our imaginations, just like our dear friend Sponge taught us to. But now, with Inventions such as the Leaped and Manitoba, instead of making up their own games, children have the ability to download over three hundred and twenty-five APS with a push of a button.Along with these APS, as if they weren't already enough, the youngsters can record videos, take pictures with the two cameras available, listen to music, and access an internet made just for them. At their age, I had sidewalk chalk and a stinking Jump rope for crying out loud. Yet why would they choose such simple, ordinary things when they have hours of guaranteed entertainment right at their little fingertips, within those many APS? Snatching away. Ah yes, now I've remembered.You know all those outdoor toy commercials that make kids want to explore the great outside? Me neither. Outside: The brilliant archenemy of the indoors. It's a place to be loud, rambunctious, and l east of all quiet. In a nutshell, it's a child's heaven on Earth, or should be. But instead of actually going outdoors to play, kids tend to stay inside claiming it's too hot, too cold, too windy, too†¦ Too anything really. So instead they sit on the couch watching mindless television shows while withering away into nothing more or less than lazy, couch potatoes.If the patterns keep up we may eventually all turn into mild forms of the characters in the beloved movie Wall-E: grotesquely fat, genealogy obsessed humans, who don't know how to live without an electronic in one hand and a remote in another. This sickens and saddens me all at once. Now, am I declaring that all technology is bad and it should be banished from Earth never to be spoken of or seen again? That we should Just absentmindedly convert back to the ways our ancestors and live without modern conveniences? Of course I'm not!I'm merely asking you to take a step back and look at how much technology you use on a dail y basis, even if it's Just making a call on your cell phone r turning on the TV to unwind after a long day at work. I simply don't want a world where the next generation becomes engulfed and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of technology being shoved down their throats as soon as they are able to walk and talk. The relationships we construct with others should be cherished and preserved by interacting with each other face-to-face every rather than Just testing each other. I'm asking you to get off the couch and be social.Go to Struck with a few friends, go shopping with them, or maybe even volunteer and meet new people. Find the balance in your life; don't let technology control it. The same goes for your children, sure you can give them a Nintendo or a Tablet, but remember to shoo them outside every once in a while to play. A child's imagination or anyone's really, can't be replaced with APS and computers, it's Just impossible. They can be compressed, though, if they don't have a ch ance to grow. A close friend once told me, â€Å"We are living in the era of smart phones and dumb people,† and if you think about it enough, we are. We really, truly are.

Is Bridget jones nothing more than Pride and Prejudice in...

Love and marriage is the theme of the best selling book Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding and the critically acclaimed novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. There are numerous similarities between the two yet they are set in different eras. Despite this, the young women in both texts have to deal with family and people in their social circles pressurising them to meet the ideal man or love interest. Each story revolves around the main female characters, Bridget Jones and Elizabeth Bennet. In pride prejudice, the financial status of the women was more of an issue when it came to finding an ideal partner, than it was in Bridget Jones’ Diary. The Bennets were not very financially secure, so Mrs Bennet would arrange or attend parties†¦show more content†¦Nowadays, this has changed as Bridgets love life with her boyfriend Daniel Cleaver, affects no one but herself and she is not concerned how her relationship with him will affect her parents. In both texts the men have very high expectations of the women they want to date or court, and seem to disregard women who do not reach these standards. An example of this is when Bridget overhears Mark Darcy talking about her to his mother remarking on how inappropriate her language is and how dependable she is on alcohol and cigarettes. â€Å"Mother I do not need a blind date. Particularly not with some verbally incontinent spinster who drinks like a fish, smokes like a chimney and dresses like her mother.† Mark doesn’t want to be associated or fixed up with Bridget as she does not fit his ideal. Equally, Mr Darcy tells his friend Mr Bingley how outspoken and rude the Bennet girls are, and how he dislikes the family. He makes this known to Elizabeth by refusing to dance with her. â€Å"Indeed, sir, I have not the least intention of dancing. I entreat you not to suppose that I moved this way in order to beg for a partner.† Mr Darcy replied with this, when asked if he would like to dance with her. Mr Darcy feels Elizabeth is of a lower status than himself, and looks down on her for that, in the same way that Mark does on Bridget preferring to keep friendship with his more likely partner Natasha his work colleague. Bridget feels personally, that she isShow MoreRelatedMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesgeneration of entrepreneurs. A fair number of the older cases have faced significant changes in the last few years, for better or for worse, and these we have captured to add to learning insights. After so many years of investigating mistakes, and more recently successes also, it might seem a challenge to keep these new editions fresh and interesting. The joy of the chase has made this an intriguing endeavor through the decades. Still, it is always difficult to abandon interesting cases that have