Stereotypes of Africa

For the inhabitants of the United States, see Stereotypes of African Americans.

Stereotypes and generalizations about African people and their culture have evolved in the Western world since the years of colonial settlement.

Origin and Media representation

The idea of Africa's negative stereotypes comes from historical and media interactions.

Asia

China

China views itself as benevolent helper of Africans.

Japan

Japan views Africa on a continent in need of help.

Korea

Koreans view Africa is an undeveloped continent.

India

Black skin in India looked at negatively.

Europe

Many of the stereotypes of Africans originate from colonism and media representation like Tintin in the Congo.

France

The French had a missionary ambition to civilize the continent.

North America

United States

In the United States Africa is viewed as disease ridden and backward.

Oceania

Australia

Australians view Africans as part of criminal gangas.

News Zeland

New Zealanders view Africans as uncultured.

Common stereotypes

One country

Africa is often mistaken for a single country instead of a continent with 54 independent countries, each of which have their own languages, cultures, traditions, and histories. This misrepresentation leads people to think that all Africans are the same and are without a unique history and culture.

One language

Similarly, the Western world often believes that Africans speak a language named African and that African is an official language. There is no one African language; there are over 2,000 distinct languages spoken throughout the African continent. The most common language used on the African continent is Swahili.

Harsh biome

The common perception is that much or all of Africa is inhospitable jungle or desert. There are many tracts of jungle and desert in Africa and there are many rivers and lakes. The continent of Africa is more developed than the continent of North America; 28 percent of Africa's land is wilderness while North America's land is 38 percent wilderness.

Backwardness

Lagos, Nigeria, has a population of 21 million and is the largest city in Africa

Poverty

Africa is often believed to be the epicenter of primitive culture and of poverty. Some countries in Africa are impoverished, but many countries in Africa have thriving and prosperous economies, including South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya.

Technology

Throughout the developed world, Africans are often perceived to have "no access to modern technology"; however this is inaccurate. A report in 2013 showed that 80 percent of Africans could access a mobile phone. Internet usage across Africa grew by 20 percent in 2018, with penetration rates across North Africa of 59 percent, West Africa of 39 percent, and Southern Africa of 51 percent.

Urbanization

Many people falsely believe that Africans live in "mud house[s] in the middle of nowhere." Urban areas in Africa account for 43 percent of the continent's population, though this is below the global average of 55 percent.

Crime

Fraud

A common stereotype is that Africans commit online fraud. The most well-known African scam is the advance-fee scam.

Wildlife

Another mistaken belief about Africa is that wild animals are commonplace and are perceived the way domestic animals are in Western countries. While there are many large wild animals in Africa, and they are well known at safaris (especially the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and buffalo), many citizens of African countries typically do not see them outside of zoos. The mistaken belief that wild animals are commonplace has led to the perception that ordinary Western animals (domestic animals, squirrels, pigeons) are seen as exotic by Africans and thus kept in zoos.