There are thousands dying of Corona Virus in the United States, Italy, Spain and much of Europe. But have you seen any white dead body? I bet not. But just flip the script. What if it was Africans that were dying in such large numbers.
The reason is simple. A European life is treated with more dignity than an African life. If it was Africans dying in such numbers, there would be images of dead Africans all over BBC, CNN, France 24, and other Western media houses.
Africa is often pointed out as a place of war, disease, poverty and famine. There is never any good news coming out of Africa. Why doesn't CNN show the homeless whites in California
Why doesn't it show poor Americans on food stamps? Isn't this the reason why thousands of Africans are risking their life trying to cross across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe? Haven't they been fed that Europe is heaven, with overflowing milk and honey?
Going forward, Africa's media must get up and challenge these stereotypes. Too often, we have reinforced these white stereotypes in our own media stations. This needs to stop. We must learn to tell our own stories. True, we have significant challenges as Africans. However, there are also tremendous opportunities and success stories in the continent. This too needs to be highlighted. It's the only way to rise up as a people.
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