Rebranding Africa!

I got a link off Naijablog's page which lead on to a website promising a brand new African attempt at a pathway for ideas called inspire Africa which involves a close relationship with the Media i.e. television shows and publishing. In fairness, it's no doubt a good idea and necessary but isn't this argument an old hat? It is not rocket science that media hegemony plays a huge part of contemporary society's mechanics. I remember joining one of those have-your-say things on the BBC website which prompted replies on the best way to re-brand Africa. The lead question itself is heavily laced with several presumptions and a variety of possible conclusions. Does Africa need to be re-branded? If so for whom and why? What has lead to the need to re-brand in the first place? Does this suggest a failing with respect to global media hegemons like the BEEB and CNN? The questions and arguments go on and in either way. No doubt about it, the African continent at the moment is in a dire condition, but how did it get this way? The responses, as expected with these bloody have-your’s-say things were as varied as it comes. However, a mostly recorded response seemed to go along the lines of "Africa is not a country but a continent". All too true! Personally, it irks me to see that all around me however, (thinking logically) is this the point? And is it so bad to conceptualize the African continent as a single entity? Africa after all as it is now was only as a result of a few lines drawn by the likes of lard Lugard and the likes of him. Perhaps if we as African’s stopped harboring our difference and instead focused on our problems which ARE shared, then we could move forward. Despite their strong history (thanks to colonialism and their media), Europeans would never balk at the idea of being tagged or termed European. Of course they are European, and embrace this identity with wholeheartedness! Ok Ok maybe not in all countries but you get my point. It is at this stage that one remembers the ideology promoted by African thinkers like Nkrumah and co. Of course, SA president Thabo Mbeki replicated this during his “I am African…” speech through which he called for an African renaissance of sorts. Will this happen whilst we still think of ourselves as individuals instead of a collective?

Okay so we are not to be seen as a singular country but a variety of nations and we will forget about lines drawn by imperialism but instead assume they have always been there.

As this variety of nations, how do we tell the world that all our children don’t have kwashiorkor, have flies coming out of their mouths or AIDS? My entry in the have-your-say thing was this. I believe that if we are to tell our story, either as a collective or as separate entities; this story can only be told by Africans. Some will laugh at this somewhat naïve idealist approach to the issue as it means a variety of things. We don’t have a means of telling this story even if we wanted to. We don’t have a reputable media organization(s), most countries lack basic infrastructure to support a cultural industry (i.e. literacy levels, sustainable power supplies, economies, etc). Even the ideas are all leaving the continent through the brain drain thing. So is this option a lost cause?

Look kids, it speaks English rather well!!!

Since I started university, I follow the same pattern of conversation. Soon after introducing myself, it often goes along these lines…

Me: My name is xxxx xxxx (very complicated Yoruba name even for Igbo and Hausa people apparently)

Oyinbo person: Oh, that’s a lovely name. Erm, where is that from?

Me: Oh, Nigeria. I am Nigerian.

OP: Oh, fascinating. Quite obviously, you were born here or went to school here.

Me: No I didn’t, I have only just come here for University.

OP: (Some Oyinbo exclamation inserted at this stage because it changes) I must say, your English is impeccable.

Me: Thank you (insert yawn).

Always unfailingly along the same route! At first I could not understand this and it often made me angry. Of course I spoke English properly, English after all is the first language in Nigeria (last time I checked, lessons in schools were taught in English). This brings to mind the recent arguments on the African shirts page about the Orji Kalu interview, I’d have to ask you to read it on his site to get how it relates to this so I don’t digress too much! Anyway, the above scenario just goes to buttress my point. I eventually understood the origin of the pattern of this conversation and perhaps its gravity. The harm is done and the world DOES expect a certain image from Africa, but what are we as individuals doing to change this? I am not saying we all have to strut around anglicizing/hiding our accents but the contrary. How are we as individuals showing that Africa is not about all of that tripe the western media spew but much more? Of course this does not mean to follow along the lines of the ideology often shared by African-Americans which involves trying harder so as not to “bring down the race”. Once again, I can be accused of naively approaching this. After all telling a story requires more than one person getting A’s in class or speaking English properly as the CNN’s and the BBC’s argue?

Every law of Nature says the bumble bee should not fly but it flies till today

When I was much younger, perhaps only about sixteen, I met Funmi Iyanda. Funmi Iyanda is a Nigerian broadcaster who I believe has transcended all odds to do just this. She told me the story about the bumble bee and urged me never to forget it. Very recently, during our telephone conversation; I mentioned how I could not wait to be done with uni so I could impact my own on the African renessaince. She replied,

“Why limit yourself to Nigeria? You should be thinking on the continental level”.

The amount of information in such a simple sentence is vast. Yes Africa in its entirety has its problems in vast amounts but so what? Funmi Iyanda’s theory suggests that instead of waiting till we can afford to build multi-million dollar studios and have the electricity and brain power to run them, we should take steps individually no matter how small to combat this ideological conquer of western ideas of the African continent. It goes deeper than teaching your children your local language or listening to local music or watching poorly made Nigerian movies whilst pretending to enjoy them. It should be where your heart is. It should be as an Angelique Kidjo album as she infuses Yoruba folklore with Fon and other African languages. Next time someone misconstrues Africa to be a country not a continent, think of it as an advantage of knowledge that you know and he/she doesn’t. The more important thought pattern is how we can turn this piece of information into strength and stop letting it weigh us down as a weakness.