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).