Prop Africa

It seems that these days, wracked by guilt at the humanitarian crisis it has created in the Middle East, the West has turned to Africa for redemption. Idealistic college students, celebrities such as Bob Geldof and politicians such as Tony Blair have all made bringing light to the dark continent their mission. They fly in for internships and fact-finding missions or to pick out children to adopt in much the same way my friends and I in New York take the subway to the pound to adopt stray dogs.

This is the West8217;s new image of itself: a sexy, politically active generation whose preferred means of spreading the word are magazine spreads with celebrities pictured in the foreground, forlorn Africans in the back.

Perhaps most interesting is the language used to describe the Africa being saved. For example, the Keep a Child Alive 8220;I am African8221; ad campaign features portraits of primarily white, western celebrities with painted 8220;tribal markings8221; on their faces above 8220;I AM AFRICAN8221; in bold letters. Below, smaller print says, 8220;help us stop the dying.8221;

Such campaigns, however well-intentioned, promote the stereotype of Africa as a black hole of disease and death. News reports constantly focus on the continent8217;s corrupt leaders, warlords, 8220;tribal8221; conflicts, child labourers, and women disfigured by abuse and genital mutilation. These descriptions run under headlines like 8220;Can Bono Save Africa?8221; or 8220;Will Brangelina Save Africa?8221; The relationship between the West and Africa is no longer based on openly racist beliefs, but such articles are reminiscent of reports from the heyday of European colonialism, when missionaries were sent to Africa to introduce us to education, Jesus Christ and 8220;civilisation.8221;

There is no African, myself included, who does not appreciate the help of the wider world, but we do question whether aid is genuine or given in the spirit of affirming one8217;s cultural superiority. My mood is dampened every time I attend a benefit whose host runs through a litany of African disasters before presenting a usually wealthy, white person, who often proceeds to list the things he or she has done for the poor, starving Africans. Every time a Hollywood director shoots a film about Africa that features a western protagonist, I shake my head 8212; because Africans, real people though we may be, are used as props in the West8217;s fantasy of itself. And not only do such depictions tend to ignore the West8217;s role in creating many of the unfortunate situations on the continent, they ignore the incredible work Africans have done and continue to do to fix those problems.

Why do the media frequently refer to African countries as having been 8220;granted independence from their colonial masters,8221; as opposed to having fought and shed blood for their freedom? Why do Angelina Jolie and Bono receive overwhelming attention for their work in Africa while Nwankwo Kanu or Dikembe Mutombo, Africans both, are hardly ever mentioned?

Last month the Group of Eight industrialised nations and a host of celebrities met in Germany to discuss, among other things, how to save Africa. Before the next such summit, I hope people will realise Africa doesn8217;t want to be saved. Africa wants the world to acknowledge that through fair partnerships with other members of the global community, we ourselves are capable of unprecedented growth.

Uzodinma Iweala is author of 8216;Beasts of no nation8217;, a novel about child soldiers