Western Media Selling Africa

Selling Africa.
A friend of mine was not feeling well when he woke up in the morning. As he was feeling dizzy and feverish, he decided to seek medical attention and went to the doctor’s office. The minute the nurse heard what his symptoms were, she got scared and was not willing to come closer to him even to take the vital signs. What could make a nurse, who took an oath to help the sick, act this way? You might ask. Well, it was the time where the Ebola outbreak was being extensively reported by the media and my friend, who has been in the United States for the last 6 years, happened to be originally from Africa. That’s why. The most exasperating experience one could have is misunderstood as a result of the others’ ignorance to pursue and present accurate facts. Countries in Africa are generally given flimsy news coverage in the mainstream western media unless the news has imminent devastation. This is not only damaging the relationship of people from Africa could have with others, but also would have a deleterious role in the …show more content…
People tend to trust the information from the media about specific issues regarding Africans rather than believing the truth they could get from a person who was part of the experience. “The media depiction of Africa in the media defines how people who migrated from Africa lead their lives in the western world.” Remi Adekoya writes, “Africans, especially those living abroad, fret about the perception of their continent and its inhabitants because their future often depends on the opinions of those in whose country they reside.” The negative media influence is so immense that people find it surprising to meet a fluent English speaking person let alone a scholar who graduated from a university in Africa. Consequently, most of the time it might be impossible getting a job using credentials from