Forum trends: Top 10 misconceptions about Africa

Updated: 2014-05-06 19:57

( bbs.chinadaily.com.cn)

Editor's note: All Africans are black. African people live in huts. Africa is a country. These are some of the common misconceptions that many Chinese people have about Africa and its people. One of our bloggers from Cape Verde (West Africa), who goes by the online tag of aderito.sander, explodes these stereotypes and explains the real Africa.

1 – All Africans are black

I was surprised when my teacher said to me that she thinks all Africans are black. Really, in my university, many students are not considered African because they are white. Also, my Chinese friends still don't believe that my mother is white. I don't know how did they reacted when in the 2008 Olympics the Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry won the gold medal. Maybe they think she is American, English, or any other country. Africa is known as the "black continent", but in Africa there are no African ethnicities characterized as all black. In fact, this is a cultural and ethnic variety widespread by its 54 countries.

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