Recent social media outlets have picked up on the current spate of sites aimed at changing the way Africa is perceived. Videos and images on Twitter, YouTube, and FaceBook, are promoting challenges to the stereotype of Africa as war-torn, violent nations of poverty-stricken people with little hope.
Campaigns at #theafricathemedianevershowsyou, #changethenarrative, and #seeafricadifferently turn mainstream media portrayals on their heads, sharing examples of Africa’s fashion couture, celebration of the fine arts, and impressive technological advancements.
One group of university students collaborated with advocacy organisation MamaHope to produce a video mocking Hollywood stereotypes of African men, while another celebrity series by See Africa Differently ridicules media campaigns depicting Africa as a hopeless case, worthy only of pity.
The movement seeks to instill a sense of respect for every-day African people, part of what a growing field of academics and humanitarian workers believe has been missing in previous attempts to intervene in the continent. In this video, we speak with Katrina Boratko from the organisation MamaHope, about how this social media movement began and how it impacts on peacebuilding in Africa.
