In a taxi somewhere on the streets of West London the cab driver turned to me and said "What continent has got six of the fastest growing economies in the world?"
"Well it's Asia isn't it!" I replied firmly.
And there an awkward silence ensued...
Ok, so this wasn't a real conversation but a line from a new short film I've made with an online campaign from Comic Relief called See Africa Differently. And yes, the correct answer is Africa! Whilst the driver was an actor and the dialogue was scripted, the cab and the statistic are 100% real.
If I've learnt one thing as an actress over the years it's that there is more than one way to tell a story and this is no truer than when talking about Africa. So often in the media we're faced with a continent ravaged by war and famine, but this is just one narrative among the many untold stories.
This is why I have become involved with this brilliant campaign, See Africa Differently, which aims to tell the good news from the continent which is so often ignored in the news agenda.
There's an African proverb that says "When the music changes, so does the dance." See Africa Differently has a new take on the continent and I think it reflects the changes we're seeing across Africa.
So what have I learnt? Well, I've always known the arts have been at the heart of African culture but did you know that every year the Nigerian film industry produces more movies than Hollywood? I should probably take a trip to Lagos!
Women are also making themselves heard across the continent; 16 African countries have a higher proportion of female MPs than the UK!
This new film hopes to illustrate that Africa is a lion on the move, it's diversity and richness in all things from music to fashion and film and business doesn't leave much room to doubt why it is home to six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world.
You can find the campaign on www.seeafricadifferently.com follow them on twitter @see_africa and you really ought to like them on Facebook at facebook.com/seeafricadifferently
I really enjoyed making this film and its time we all opened our eyes to Africa!
Andy Murray: Could You Live on £5 for Five Days?
Tony Blair: Africa can be Free of Dependence on Aid in a Generation
Josette Sheeran: From Hand-outs to Handshakes: The Time Has Come for the African Farmer
Marcelo Giugale: How Can Africa Compete With China?
Economy of Africa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
African Economic Outlook - Measuring the pulse of Africa
Judgment day for Liberia's warlord - Africa - World - The Independent
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As rubbish piled up uncollected in Naples, if reports are to be believed, Berlusconi was still spending lavishly on his ‘bunga bunga’ parties. As we read reports of the desperation of the average Greek resident, are we to conclude that no good can come out of there at the moment? Is the British media forever doomed as a result of the phone hacking scandals? Are all MPs of dubious reputation following the expenses scandal?
We can either decide that we will open our minds, continuously educate ourselves about other countries and cultures or we can decide that we will remain in our ignorance and continue to make sweeping generalisations.
Every country faces its own peculiar challenges – are you willing to see Africa differently?
One day I would like to donate or help in some way without this frustration in my belly, and just feel the good that is asked of me. I wonder what that feels like.
After he left the country in 1969 the company gradually nose dived until it appears to be just a name now. My father died in 2008, but his heart was always in Sierra Leone. He and his team had provided the country with a means by which they could have improved the economy, but tribal conflicts and corruption prevented that from happening. My point is that the British did genuine good as well as bad in their colonial days, something modern day history prefers not to recognise.
Entirely?
Lets start with the means by which we “see” reality. Thereafter, all of the rest will fall naturally into place.
"the cab driver turned to me and said"
“What is the most important function humans perform? Surely its ensuring the next generation. Because nothing that’s reliant, or dependant, on the existence of humanity can occur in the absence of humanity. Yet why don’t we see that?”.
"100% real."
Is your understanding of reality 100% correct? If yes, you should be able to answer any question presented to you. If no, what percentage of your understanding of reality is incorrect?
"there is more than one way to tell a story"
Which is why, each of our unique internal renditions of reality is different. And in turn, different from actual external reality itself.
"When the music changes, so does the dance."
When we appreciate the presence of the flaw, we can sidestep around it.
"So what have I learnt?"
Question everything. Because most of it doesn’t make testable sense.
"a lion on the move"
Lets expose all the lyin’, that's the mane thing.
"its time we all opened our eyes to"
our own inbuilt inherent inherited delusion.
Lets expose all the lyin’, that's the mane thing.
Ouch - but so true. Look at this paper in South Africa for example:
http://dailymaverick.co.za/
Case in point: the successful Steve Harvey film 'Think Like A Man' was recently reported to have been banned by France because the French have a problem articulating the image of successful functional Black people - how do you think they would cope with a whole continent of them?
Accepting a positive image of Africa would make the Western working class question why Black people are doing better than they are and may cause unrest, so it is in the interest of their governments to let their populace think that no matter how bad their situation is, it's still better than the Africans.
"poor Europeans can still buy their bananas from the supermarket"
What exactly is your point? You've lost me in your ramble ....
"So I don t believe Americans have to show Europeans how successful Africans are."
Uhm...I think the article was about the African continent...over 50 countries and over 1 billion people. Are you saying a handful of successful black actors and rappers are really representitive of that and that the western world's perceptions of the African nations and people are based on what they see in hollywood movies and the music industry?
I also don't see anyone saying it is America's responsibility to show Europeans how successful African's are. Tara's point about the movie wasn't about America's responsibility to show a European country successful black people...just a demonstration about one Western countries refusal to accept black people as an equal to their white population...France has quite a large population of black people yet there are very few in corporate France, and blacks have very little political representation either in the National Assembly or in a regional parliament.
Maybe I've misinterpreted your post, it was a little difficult to follow...
You want to impress the West? Show the new rich paying HIGHER rates of tax than Westerners so that African countries can break their dependence upon aid. That will impress.