Central and East Africa – A Region in Decay?

No I know, South Sudan is missing from this map

I realized the other day that my blog has been more about quoting Mean Girls than stuff that is happening in Africa, so I figured it was about time to bring out the Political Scientist in me (that is right, I didn’t study chick flicks, though it might seem like it) and write a post about current events. So if you’re not that into war and peace and stuff, you can skip this one (don’t worry, I won’t tell). Here we go…

Full disclosure: I’m by no means any expert on African affairs, I’ve never studied it, and to be quite frank always been a little confused by all the different conflicts, so just bear with my while I assume the role of Miss Smarty Pants.

First of all - ahem – (*clearing throat*), a little clarification is perhaps needed. When I refer to Central and East Africa here, I am thinking of ‘middle Africa’ (why is that not a term?), that is, spanning from Nigeria in the West, to the Central African Republic in the middle, to Somalia in the East, also covering Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South-Sudan and Kenya (puh).

Now, where to begin? I mean, there is so much happening just in these two regions it could fill TIME’s issues for the next couple of years, probably. A chronological description of the events would probably be easiest to read, but time-consuming for me to write. A ranking of the different crisis might be the most interesting to read, but tempting as it is, seems a bit too grotesque (imagine a BuzzFeed article titled ‘A Definite Ranking of…’). So I’ll just try and keep it tidy instead, and avoid too many digressions or parenthesis (think I can do it?).

Nigeria

Malala, who was shot in the head by the Taliban for going to school, holding up a poster for the #BringBackOurGirls campaign

Why not start with the most recent one, which has gained considerable attention both on social media and in the media in general. While the world was still busy coming up with new conspiracy theories about what happened to the MH370, Boko Haram – an Islamic fundamentalist militant organization which has been terrorizing the Northern parts of Nigeria for more than a decade – broke in to a boarding school with AK47s, setting fire to it and kidnapping more than 200 girls. Why? Because the group, as their name suggests, believe ‘Western education’ (can someone please explain to me exactly what that is, gender-neutral education, secular education?) is a sin, and that girls shouldn’t go to school. Sounds like Pakistan and Afghanistan under the Taliban, except they simply blew up the schools, and didn’t bother kidnapping anyone. Since when did school girls become such a great threat to anyone?

CAR (as in the Central African Republic, not the mode of transport.)

How old do you think this kid can be...?

Last spring there was a coup in the Christian majority country, by an armed predominantly Muslim rebel group. The President fled the country, and fighting and chaos ensued, killing several hundreds and displacing hundreds of thousands. The fighting escalated around Christmas, and the collapsed state found itself on the verge of genocide, with an impending humanitarian crisis. Child soldiers have been used a lot by both sides. France and the AU already have troops deployed, and the UN has pledged to send 12,000 peacekeepers – but not provided a timeline.

The DRC (not to be confused with the Congo, which is a different country, with almost the same name. Just to mess with you.)

 

Anyone remember this campaign by Invisible Children?

Who even knows what’s going on in this conflict-ridden country. Apparently more than 5 million people have died in the war that started in 1998, and supposedly ended in 2007 with the signing of a peace agreement. After the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, Hutu militias fled across the border to the then called Zaire, only to launch an insurgency against the Tutsis residing there, setting up training camps and recruiting more people, with the agenda of at some point overthrow the Tutsi-led government of Rwanda. And ever since it’s been a battle between those two groups more or less, other rebel groups loyal to them, neighboring countries using the different groups as proxys to further their agenda, Kony doing his thing in the North, before it all culminated in the UN’s first offensive ‘peacekeeping’ mission last year, which defeated the M23 group, which was an armed group that broke loose from an opposition group (headache, yeah I know).

Burundi (Give you a dime if you’ve even heard of the capital…)

Race identity cards

I’m not going to say much about this one, except for that while all the African leaders were gathered in Kigali for the 20^th commemoration of the Genocide in Rwanda, busy pledging that they would never allow this to happen again, tensions across the border in Burundi between Hutus and Tutsis were increasing, with the upcoming election in 2015. While most people think the genocide ended in Rwanda in 1994, the killings between Hutus and Tutsis continued in Burundi up to a peace agreement was reached in 2000. Now tensions seem to have resurfaced again, with the Hutu-majority government cracking down on Tutsi-opposition groups. While world leaders were occupied repeating the already worn.out phrase ‘Never Again’, articles here read ‘Burundi, on the Brink of another Genocide?’.

South-Sudan

Salva Kiir (centre-right) and Riek Machar (to his left) during peace talks

Barely two years after it’s secession from Sudan – after decades of civil war – fighting erupted in this new country before Christmas. From what it looks like, the whole conflict seems to be about power politics, centered around two greedy men, the President Salva Kiir, and his former Vice-President Riek Machar (yes, they even come from the same party!). According to Kiir, Machar attempted a coup, and therefore he and the rebels must be stopped. Machar, on the other hand, claims that Kiir was fast becoming an authoritarian leader, especially after firing everyone that could be a potential threat in the 2015 elections (including Machar). So there you have it. 

Oh, and also of course they belong to two different ethnic groups, which only makes matters worse. Now the fighting is as much between the rebels and those loyal to the government, as it is between the Dinka and the Nuer people, with both sides committing equally horrible mass atrocities. The fighting has been centered around the capital Juba, and the oil rich states of Bor, Bentiu and Malakal (wonder why?). The rebels have been widely criticized for their massacres of hundreds of people in a mosque, and attacking UN bases (the latter goes for both of the warring parties). Kiir has fallen out with the UN after accusing them of harboring rebels in their camps, and calling for their departure. Uganda is supporting Kiir, with a few thousand troops deployed, despite calls from the international community to withdraw.  There have been two attempts at peace accords, but both failed.

Kenya/Somalia

A family hiding from al-shabaab during the attack on Westgate

Westgate, ring a bell anyone? While we were all busy either watching or making fun out of the contestants in Eurovision (or both), Al-Shabaab – an extremist group seeking to establish strict sharia law in Somalia and kicking out the AMISOM troops – intensified their terror campaign in Kenya, with several bombs going off in markets and buses injuring and killing dozens. The result has been travel warnings and evacuation of tourists by Western Embassies, who fear the group might strike again. Kenya has responded by launching an enormous deportation campaign of illegal Somali immigrants, while at the same time trying to reassure foreigners it’s safe to stay, in an act to save the tourism...

So, I think that's it for now. There’s no doubt this region has descended into chaos (or has it always been like this, perhaps?). But there is no reason to loose all hope just yet, as progress has been made in many areas. Just look at Uganda, home of Idi Amin and Joseph Kony’s LRA, they seem to fare pretty well in terms of peace and stability now. So it’s not all bad!

What Type of Traveler Are You Really?

Breaking Stereotypes - The Things I've Learned

 

Nothing says 'stereotypes' as much as high school...

"A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing" - definition by Google. 

Entering my next to last month in Uganda, I thought it was about time to break some stereotypes, cause if there is one thing everyone loves, it is to stereotype people. 

Who knows more about stereotyping than the Spice Girls?

Stereotyping often takes the form of generalizing, simplifying and attributing certain characteristics to people - people we usually don't know too well or actually have never even met. Stereotyping can be as innocent as simply labelling people as something particular, to belonging to some kind of group, or clique, usually with the aim of poking fun. 

Cabin in the Woods mocks stereotypical horror movies, and the role the characters usually play

Stereotypes can also be created by rumor spreading, and if it is one thing Mean Girls taught us, it is that rumors travel fast, and they can destroy a person.

The much-feared 'Burn Book'.

And before you know it, the rumors become accepted as the 'truth'. So careful what you say...

No one have more rumors surrounding them than 'the plastics'.

(Okay sorry, enough with the Mean Girls references).

Stereotyping can be fun, and also harmless, like in the YouTube phenomenon a couple of years ago with 'Shit Girls Say', 'Shit Gay Guys Say', etc. It can also, however, be hurtful and destructing - especially if it becomes too personal or derogatory.

Why do we love stereotyping so much?

Before coming to Uganda I had a lot of thoughts and expectations as to how it would be, how the people would be like, and if I would be able to adapt. Admittedly, I also had some 'stereotypes' about Africa and Africans in general, in the back of my head (as if it was one people and one country). Stereotyping is a direct result of ignorance, and ignorance is bliss. No, but ignorance is caused by the lack of knowledge and understanding of another person, country or culture. So how do you solve that? First of all, stop buying into all the socially constructed stereotypes presented by either the media, or even your friends. I would dare to say that Africa and Africans in general might be the most common victims of stereotyping, at least it seems so from movie references (yes, Mean Girls is guilty as charged), and just among Westerners in general (damn it, now I'm guilty for stereotyping people from the 'West').

What a great map... Missing some borders, though.

So I decided to make a list, because, lists are fun! And simple. So here we go:

SPOILER: I'm generalizing a bit here and using the terms 'Africans' and 'Africa' because a lot of the stereotypes aren't country specific. Also I'm only drawing on my limited experience from Uganda and Rwanda, so please feel free to disagree.

 

1) Africans are poor and uncivillized.

 

 

The malls in Africa

FALSE! This one shouldn't even need an explanation, but the truth is that Africa is probably a lot less poor than most people think. There was a survey that showed that people think poverty is a bigger problem in Africa than it really is. Of course I'm not saying poverty isn't a big problem, but just as in Europe and the US, income inequality is actually becoming an equally big problem (yes, there is a middle class!). And the Western media usually focuses on the humanitarian crisis in war-ridden countries such as CAR, DRC, South Sudan and Somalia, which are not representative of the whole continent, obvi.

 

2) Africa is ridden with tropical diseases, dangerous animals and dense forests/vast savannahs

FALSE! Okay for the tropical diseases, maybe not, but still, it seems to me that tourists are way more preoccupied with getting malaria or some kind of parasite that most Africans are. Also, apparently, more people who get the flue die of it than people who get malaria, so there you have it. Regarding the animals and the nature, sure if you go outside the cities you'll find that, as in every other European or American city, unless you live in a metropolis like NY. Unless you live in a village, you have to go to a national park or a zoo for that kind of stuff. And no, you won't find lions walking down the street, especially as they are endangered. 

 

3) Africa is scary! Rebel fighters, pirates, crime, you name it they've got it. 

Oh you can kidnap me alright, Captain Jack Sparrow

FALSE! As mentioned above, unless you live in a war-torn country or frequently travel along the borders of those countries, chances are you won't bump into Kony or the White Army. As for pirates, as long as you don't go cruising around the Horn of Africa, you should be fine. When it comes to crime, I must say I haven't experienced anything in Uganda so far, and feel as safe walking around here as I did when I lived in San Francisco. I've heard Nairobi and South Africa are both pretty bad though, so I guess it depends a bit on where you go.

 

4) Africans are loud, blunt and have an attitude (okay I don't know if this is actually a stereotype, but at least for me it was before coming here).

Everybody mamboo!

 FALSE! Did you mean Latin-Americans? (sorry!). On the contrary, Africans are very quiet I would say, and definitely not very outspoken or straightforward - beating around the bush seems to be the only game in town -, and with attitude I don't really now what I meant, maybe the stereotype of some African-American rappers, or how they're sometimes portrayed in movies (I hope I don't step on too many toes now, because that was definitely not my intention). But we've all heard just how much Africans love to dance, how even kids or grandma's can pull off moves you'd never even dreamed of, and shake their hips like Shakira. There might be some truth to that, they're definitely not as stiff as most Northern-Europeans, but it's not like high school musical, singing and dancing at every occasion or in the streets, even (shocker!).

 

5) Africans are slow and lazy.

ERR... Do I have to elaborate on this one? Well, first of all those two are not synonymous, so calm down. However, 'African time' is a term I've been introduced to after coming here (although people in South-Asia and South-America seem to be equally bad at keeping time). The term basically means that when people say any given point in time, you don't actually have to be there sharp, because then you'll find you are the only one there. To be a bit diplomatic: Things are more relaxed here. People are not rushing around, running to get somewhere in time, chasing the buss, or constantly stressing to get somewhere in time. Maybe we have something to learn from them here, hakuna matata, right? It's very nice not to be stressed for once. Do you want to finish your breakfast before you stumble out the door, that's fine. Is it pouring outside? Just wait a bit. Do you have a headache? Just relax a bit, it's not the end of the world, and if you get into work 5 or even 10 minutes to late, your boss probably has more important problems to focus on. So enjoy it while it lasts!

Side note: I think this is a pretty common stereotype on Westerners, that we are really rigid when it comes to keeping time. Almost too rigid, actually. Everyone knows the feeling of chasing after the bus, and that douchebag of a driver who never stops, right? Well guess what, here it is the other way around! The matatus (taxis) actually stop a couple hundred meters away if they see you walking up a hill and wait for you - now how about that?

 

6) Africans are warm and open people.

Okay this picture is a bit unrelated, but I just wanted to include the first African to win an Oscar and make People's Magazine 2014 most beautiful woman - not bad, Africa!

CORRECT! Well of course I have to end with something positive, but it's still true! At least all the Ugandans I've met have been very nice and outgoing, and they are always interested in meeting someone new or making a new friend, whether you want it or not (warning: for a bit cold and reserved Scandinavians, they can sometimes seem almost too persistent). Especially if you're a foreigner you'll be sure to have everyone's attention rather quickly, and before you know it being invited to stuff or home to people's families, often in a village far away, but hey, why not?

 

7) 'African' is a language, which everyone in Africa speaks.

 

FALSE! Maybe you're thinking of Afrikaans or Swahili, but it is far from spoken by everyone in Africa. More importantly, we all know that everyone in Africa speak Swedish, right?


So now that I've debunked some of the myths about Africa and Africans in general, why don't we stop stereotyping, and start educating ourselves instead?

A list made by a school class, not too many positive associations

Check out this great Tumblr campaign #itooamharvard for more food for thought, or this Thought Catalog piece on stereotypes about white girls (which almost all apply to me, ehe).

Aand lastly, if you haven't seen this yet, you're in for a treat! Good job, MSNBC. Good job. (Surprised they didn't call it 'drinko de mayo', actually).