WE ARE NOT ONE STORY. WE ARE AFRICA.
WE ARE NOT ONE STORY. WE ARE AFRICA.
WAA FOUNDER SERGE DIVE INVITES OUR TRIBE TO NARRATE THEIR UNIQUE STORIES OF AFRICA
WORDS BY KATIE PALMER
As Chimamanda Adichie pointed out in her TED Talk on ‘The Danger of a Single Story’, Africa is all too often defined by a single story of catastrophe, all too often painted as a place of beautiful landscapes and fascinating animals, but few other notable attributes.
Yet as Founder of We Are Africa Serge Dive explains, Africa is a continent that has almost everything. Yes, it lays claim to an incredible array of wildlife and mind-blowing scenery; but besides that it is also a richly woven tapestry of history and culture, home to a plethora of urban boltholes, contemporary artists and world-famous wines – the likes of which are often forgotten.
The fact that Africa is seen as a destination brand is one of its great strengths, but the weakness associated with this is the widespread misunderstanding of its diversity. This vast continent – which contains 54 countries and one billion people – is falsely and unjustly packaged as a single story by the tourism industry and, moreover, by the media at large. In order for Africa to claim its fair share of tourism arrivals and flourish, we must paint a more complete picture of this enchanting nation.
That’s why we’re giving our tribe the opportunity to narrate their individual stories of Africa. In demonstrating the uniqueness of each African country, we stand united in diversity.
Because we are Not One Story. We Are Africa.
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