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Africa Twitter Campaign Shatters Stereotypes, Lets People Tell Their Own Stories

Africa Twitter Campaign Shatters Stereotypes, Lets People Tell Their Own Stories
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By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

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When Africa is featured in the news, the coverage all too often consists of solely negative images. Content focused on starving children, humanitarian crises, poverty and illness leaves little room for a broader picture of the continent's more than 50 different countries.

In an effort to change that, Africa's diverse nations have taken to Twitter en masse to share images -- ranging from food to fashion to architecture and landscapes. Their photos, posted under the hashtag #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou, aim to disrupt the standard stereotypes the public has come to know.

One of the hashtag’s early supporters, Diana Salah (@lunarnomad), explained to Fusion that she got involved with the Twitter campaign “because growing up I was made to feel ashamed of my homeland, with negative images that paint Africa as a desolate continent.” The Seattle-based Somali-American student called the response “amazing.”

As TakePart pointed out, the campaign is a powerful tool in pushing back against countries and cultures in the region being defined solely by their struggles, rather than their traditions, innovations and day-to-day life.

These are just a few of the many, many images being shared to Twitter (and a few on Instagram) as a part of #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou:

Diversity in West Africa! Igbo, Yoruba, Tuareg, Fulani #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou pic.twitter.com/c8JXkpuOur

— I Am THE CULTURE (@Toussaint215) June 23, 2015

African Weddings #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou pic.twitter.com/EdpDnMV2Y4

— I Am THE CULTURE (@Toussaint215) June 23, 2015

#TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou #Djibouti #EA pic.twitter.com/6jTeUd6NIq

— butterfly (@InaZoom) June 23, 2015

More Mogadishu, Somalia#TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou pic.twitter.com/Yfa71m6Tqn

— prada (@peacetornsomali) June 23, 2015

Before You Go

Africa's Most Fabulous Properties
Mombo Camp, Botswana(01 of16)
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Between $1783 and $2577 per person per night depending on season (for 2014)Photo by Michael Poliza for Wilderness Safaris
Mombo Camp, Botswana(02 of16)
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Why We Pay: Mombo has a long-standing reputation for being in the best game viewing area in the Okavango Delta. This is thanks to being set in private concession on the tip Chief's Island in the Moremi Game Reserve. The area is flooded with nutrient rich water during the Okavango Delta's annual floods, supporting lush grasses that attract grazers and the carnivores that hunt them. Mombo is also known for attracting some of the best guides in Botswana.Photo by Dana Allen for Wilderness Safaris
North Island, Seychelles(03 of16)
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Presidential Villas (Villas 1-10) : 2582 Euros per person per night (for 2014)North Island Villa (Villa 11): 4079 Euros per person per night (for 2014) Photo by Andrew Howard for Wilderness Safaris
North Island, Seychelles(04 of16)
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Why We Pay: This beautiful and remote island in the Seychelles has been painstakingly rehabilitated to a pristine state using indigenous plant species. There are only 11 individually handcrafted guest villas on the entire island. The villas are enormous yet constructed in harmony with the natural surroundings and have an understated elegance. All the villas are built directly on the eastern beach. Because it the island is small, clients can always reach a sheltered beach where swimming conditions are prime, regardless of monsoon winds that can affect other properties in this region. This is truly an escape from the cares and pressures of the modern world.Image by Andrew Howard for Wilderness Safaris
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Tanzania(05 of16)
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Suites range from $1000 to $1500 per person per night depending on season (for 2014)Photo Courtesy of andBeyond
Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Tanzania(06 of16)
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Why We Pay: Perched on the edge of the Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is one of only a handful of properties that provides sweeping views of the Crater from the rooms and common areas. When Ngorongoro Crater Lodge was built, the lodge set a new standard for elegance, style and service that is yet to be matched in the area. Inspired in design by the Maasai mud and stick manyatta (homestead), this is without doubt one of the most architecturally spectacular safari lodges in Africa. The crowds in the Crater region can be daunting, but this is the ultimate haven to flee home to after a day of game watching in this amazing caldera.Photo Courtesy of andBeyond
Mnemba Island Lodge, Zanzibar, Tanzania(07 of16)
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Bandas range from $790 to $1550 per person per night depending on season (for 2014). Photo Courtesy of andBeyond
Mnemba Island Lodge, Zanzibar, Tanzania(08 of16)
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Why We Pay:Mnemba Island Lodge is set on a private island off Zanzibar with just ten en suite banda cottages, bordered on three sides by tropical beach forest and overlooking the beach and coral reef. Mnemba Island offers the ultimate in barefoot luxury. No frills, simplicity, privacy, service, and fabulous white sand beach on the famous Mnemba Atoll. Relax and enjoy some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world. Photo Courtesy of andBeyond
Zarafa Camp, Botswana(09 of16)
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Between $1440 and $2,250 per person per night depending on season (for 2014).Photo Courtesy of Great Plains Conservation
Zarafa Camp, Botswana(10 of16)
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Why We Pay: Zarafa Camp is located in the 320,000-acre Selinda Reserve in northern Botswana. It sits on the Zibadianja Lagoon, the source of the Savute Channel, an area which boasts incredible densities and varieties of birds and mammals. Zarafa’s knowledgeable guides are the perfect complement to the abundant wildlife in the area. We love Zarafa because it is high-end yet approachable and evokes a sense of old-style safari. It is very low key with a high level of service in a beautiful setting. Its four large, luxuriously appointed tents host a maximum of eight guests.
Singita Serengeti House, Tanzania(11 of16)
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Ranges from $6800 to $8500 per night for the whole house (for 1-4 people) depending on season (for 2014).Photo Courtesy of Singita
Singita Serengeti House, Tanzania(12 of16)
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Why We Pay: This is the most exclusive of the properties in the most exclusive reserve in the Serengeti: Singita’s 350,000-acre Grumeti Reserve. Serengeti House is retreat for a family or group of friends where each day’s activities and meals are tailor made and tweaked as guests dictate. Located on the slopes of Sasakwa Hill, Serengeti House offers breathtaking views across the endless open plains of the Serengeti. The game-viewing, the guides, the service, and the luxurious setting all come together to provide an unforgettable safari experience.Photo Courtesy of Singita
Abu Camp, Botswana(13 of16)
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Between $1783 and $2577 per person per night depending on season (for 2014)Photo by Mickey Hoyle for Wilderness Safaris
Abu Camp, Botswana(14 of16)
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Why We Pay: This is the home of the original elephant-back safari. The focus at Abu Camp is interacting with the camp’s herd of 7 habituated elephants. These interactions include everything from elephant back-safaris, to walking with the elephants, to watching mud bathing, training and veterinary care, to learning about local elephant research and conservation efforts. The camp itself consists of six beautiful tens raised on teak decking and overlooking a lagoon. The staff and service are excellent. The opportunity to interact so intimately with elephants, combined with the level of luxury the camp offers, make it an experience you cannot have anywhere else.Photo by Andrew Howard for Wilderness Safaris
Mara Plains, Kenya(15 of16)
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Between $956 and $1365 per person per night depending on season (for 2014).Photo Courtesy of Great Plains Conservation.
Mara Plains, Kenya(16 of16)
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Why We Pay: Mara Plains is a small, luxury camp located in the private Olare Orok Conservancy, just a few hundred yards north of the Maasai Mara National Reserve boundary. Staying in Olare Orok allows you easy access to the main Mara and the privacy and freedom and superb wildlife viewing experience that comes with staying in a private reserve. This includes night drives and walking safaris, activities not available within the national park. The camp epitomizes classic safari style while also being environmentally friendly.
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