How Not to Write About Africa - Binyavanga Wainaina - narrated by Djimon Hounsou

[mo508]

EXcellent. this is much needed for Westerners to hear. Millions of Africans are not starving or disease-stricken. People need to know the truth.

[babyface2k]

I REMEMBER seeing Djimon Hounsou playing a trumpet on Envogue's 1990 Hold On video.

[MrMwanafalsafa]

It's up to African writers to challenge the stereotypes they don't like.

[kmerkelboruff]

Binyavanga, brilliant. I heard you on NPR and can't wait to read ONE DAY. I found KWANI, Wambui Mwangi, and Mehul Gohil's "Farah Aidded Goes to Gulf War" and sent to my students to read. Also sent your "How" piece to my students to read for their creative writing class.

[Oo4QoO]

Is it true monkey brain carried/s the AID's disease? I've heard rumours.. but I'm not sure..

[NaxNax96]

Djimon Hounsou has style (and an awesome accent)!

Also, I remember listening to Ayub Ogada's Kothbiro back when I was in 7th grade, in a CD from Real World Music that came with a random magazine. Coincidences are weird... and fun :D

[DarqueBeauty]

*clap clap clap*

[cantdieandnotlive]

A night club named Tropicana that serves orange juice to mercenaries and nelson mandella, all of this is under a rainbow in the middle of a renaissance

[MrWiibetrollin]

@KindsleyEnnis1 lol wut?

[MUGiSA3000]

Wow!

[aiwudaho]

Good one! For a broader perspective, see Achebe's book, "The Education of a British Protected Child." Also google an article, titled, "Engaging Africa Beyond Disaster Pornography, Humanitarianism, and Afropessimism."

Achebe writes that the problems is historical: “ their centuries old obsession with lurid and degrading stereotypes of Africa has been bequeathed to the cinema, to journalism, to certain varieties of anthropology, even to humanitarianism and missionary work itself.”

[quaerentia]

@aiwudaho thanks very much for the suggestion... sounds fascinating

[aiwudaho]

@quaerentia anytime, Quaerentia!

[sassfem]

@aiwudaho I have to thank you for the information on the book and the article as well. I have to look into them.

[aiwudaho]

@sassfem You are welcome.

[njeridiva85]

djiomon,great presentation,but,i wonder if you shot this before you played your role on blood diamonds..remember that ? you played a BIG BLACK simple minded fisherman,tottering about, five steps behind your benevolent white saviour leonardo di caprio? as an african it was almost painful to watch. you sir, emitomize the very writer you are satirizing in your presentation

[njeridiva85]

djiomon,great presentation,but,i wonder if you shot this before you played your role on blood diamonds..remember that ? you played a BIG BLACK simple minded fisherman,tottering about, five steps behind your benevolent white saviour leonardo di caprio? as an african it was almost painful to watch. you sir, emitomize the very writer you are satirizing in your presentation

[loveforlovesake]

@njeridiva85 Wish djiomon well in trying to make a half-decent living as an actor who is also a black african without playing roles having to do with the stereo types he mentioned in the vid.

In the west, anything African is communicated in the form of negative, misleading, and superficial stereotypes. The people with the money to pay for acting jobs perpetuate the stereotypes because they have money to do so without the interest or awareness to present African people in truthful terms.

[brownieblush]

THANK YOU.

[rodrick4500]

Djimon Hounsou please contact me rodrick

[leedurhamstone]

Ouch! The reading speaks to the stereotypical views we all (?) carry around within us, even when we do not wish to. I have tried to disabuse my students of African stereotypes on occasion, but we still have the media portrayals to contend with. Someone should write a story or essay and try to include as many of the stereotypes as possible to illustrate their ridiculousness. Hey! A good exercise for my students?

[Intiom]

Great video. So much of that list seems obvious when someone just speaks it aloud.

[sexy1234]

I like it except that its for that stupid campaign.

[goddessrin2]

I LOVE THIS

[purple4now]

Great satire...but why not get a griot to read it? Or someone with more credibility to the message?

[traccstar1182]

@purple4now credibility? who do you have in mind?

[Ayries]

Satire at its best, and his voice makes it all the better. Now this is something I'd like to see in a newspaper about Africa. (here's another one- only mention specific countries when you HAVE to...)

[lisarussellnyc]

There is so much irony in this considering Bono's approach to "saving africa" and that indeed its read by an actor in Blood Diamond.

Let me guess - it will benefit "Save Darfur"?

[doctaslick]

HA. love it

[jazzoj5]

Satire at its best

[africalive]

Great, but the music is ironic, isn't it... Can we depict 'Africa' without drums or kora or thumb piano? or children clapping?

[BrotherChimaobi]

Indeed we can, friend. But here the irony is not as ill as I feel you would like it to be. You would rather have european piano, chinese string instruments?

One.

[Sorrytodisappointyou]

'Africans' have horns, flutes, xylophones, banjo's, harps, etc, so something other than drums can be used.

[Jingo711]

the whole thing is ironic, retard

[tsukiyoru19]

Absolutely amazing!

[Dipstikk]

I'm glad I got into racial politics. Videos like this have really opened my eyes to new things.

Thank you for sharing.

[Kil6969]

My favorite part was where the government of zimbabwe kicked all the white farmers out, causing a famine.

[POOPTURTLE]

I laughed. It really does highlight the stereotypes often found in works about Africa.

[steeler7588]

Ironic that this is narrated by an actor in Blood Diamond.

[pinkpuma1213]

very well done

[drawnseeker]

wow! This is powerful!

[pomponi0]

I like Digimon

[Sorrytodisappointyou]

Digimon? lol.

[SalsaQueen21]

Djimon is lovely.

[webfanatic2006]

I've been a huge fan of this essay for a long time. I hope Djimon Hounsou's reading of it can bring the issue into greater light.

[yoitsgiook]

Very good!

[CakeholeCat]

Heheh! Marvellous! [My favourite part was the nonplussed child being read to] I am so pleasantly surprised to find Djimon's done something like this. So admirable, so indie. [Or should that be afrie? ^_^] What can I say? He's a rainbow man, at peace with himself and the world. ^_~

[meluchi]

wow!!!!!