Grandiose Parlor

Arusha, TEDGlobal ‘07, more pictures from White African

George Ayittey is the author of the book Bono has on his face - or covering his mouth. This picture is symbolic to those who have the read the book and aware of Ayittey stance on African economics and Bono’s “Africa needs aid” mentality. Get the book if you don’t have it yet (Africa Unchained)!

Here is another dimension of the conference from Jen Brea, blogger at Africanbeat, who flew in from China; this is one powerful statement from her I’ve to plagiarized:

“Andrew Dosunmu (Nigerian film producer, photographer, conference speaker) took my brain and rotated it exactly 90 degrees. I’d developed a very different perception of Africans than I had been exposed to in the New York Times (violent, sick, or dying) or National Geographic (exotic, naked, and dancing) from spending time in West Africa and making good friends.

But I never considered the power of dispelling stereotypes by daring to portray the mundane. Africans cheering for the home team, Africans falling in love, Africans dreaming about the future, Africans making money, Africans just trying to lose weight.

And it made me begin wondering why it is that the international media denies Africans (and I’m plagiarizing Chris Abani here) the right to exist in all of their complexity.

Only six of 53 African countries are in civil war. Yes thousands of Africans are dying of malaria and HIV/AIDS. Yes children are taking from their homes and forced to endure and themselves perpetrate horrors that would turn any grown man or woman mad.

But millions more are just living their lives. These lives may not be easy, but they are filled with all the mundane conflicts, aspirations, disappointments and joys that people all around the world experience.

But telling that story instead, can it sell magazines? Can it satisfy the Western need for shocking, escapist pain porn?”

More of [tag]TEDGlobal07[/tag] on AfricanLoft