How afrobeats, Nollywood, diaspora leaders are redefining Africa’s global image
(Patoranking performing on September 26, 2024, at the Apollo Theatre, Eden Harris/New York) Amsterdam News)
(Patoranking on the left pictured with Next Narrative Africa CEO, Akunna Cook, on September 26, 2024, at the Apollo Theatre, Eden Harris/New York Amsterdam News)
(President and CEO Travis Adkins of the U.S. African Development Foundation on the left pictured with United States Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, on September 26, 2024, at the Apollo Theatre, Eden Harris/New York Amsterdam News)
For many years, Africans in the U.S. have experienced ongoing disadvantages from negative narratives and have often been treated like they are incompetent.
A United Nations General Assembly report from the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent says these stereotypes perpetuate racially biased decision-making and continue to “harm people of African descent.”
The news media’s portrayal of poverty and an inadequate education system has shaped the perception of Africans among Americans and the global community. These portrayals have resulted in Africans being passed over for opportunities.
Bobby Digi, a Nigerian American and president of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization New York chapter, knows this story too well. He said he was passed over for a job “back-to-back” even after training the individuals who were promoted instead of him.
“I trained him. He came on, and after maybe six or seven months, he was promoted. Imagine you train someone … and you’re the one always available when your boss needs someone to step in for someone that’s not able to make it; you’ve done everything right, and then you get passed [over],” Digi told the New York Amsterdam News.
Digi said the narrative around Africa has skewed America’s perception as well as the world’s view of their intellectual capabilities.
“For a very long time, people questioned your level of intelligence just because [American institutions] think you are subpar because your [African] education system can’t compete… And that actually isn’t true,” Digi said, reflecting on how the academically challenging African education system can be compared to schools in America.
However, one thing changing the narrative of Africans and the continent is the rise of Afrobeats and Nollywood. Its worldly influence has catalyzed how the world views Africa and the diaspora. Africans are mainly being met with curiosity by people from various backgrounds, asking what country they are from in Africa. When the Ghana government launched its Year of Return program in 2019, close to 1 million people visited the country during that year to learn about their background and the country’s offerings.
Digi attributes much of the newfound love and respect for Africa to Afrobeats, where he says success from artists such as Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy have helped open up the sound.
“And now it’s kind of cool to be associated with Afrobeats, African fashion, even traveling to Africa and West Africa, the Year of Return to Ghana, and the different parties that happened there,” he said.
“And now [being African] is a thing to be proud of, to the point where you can take your friends, colleagues, elected officials, celebrities, to Ghana; they want to go to Nigeria, they want to go to Zanzibar, they want to go to Rwanda, so now it’s a cool thing,” Digi said.
Another Afrobeats artist who has helped change the narrative about Africa is Patoranking; he co-headlined a show with the Next Narrative Africa The Bridge at the Apollo Theatre. He said times are changing for Africans and their diaspora, and they feel empowered regardless of circumstances.
“We are telling the world that we don’t need to bring our chair to the table, we are the table, come sit,” Patoranking said. “For every door that was locked, we are buying the whole building.”
Next Narrative Africa CEO, Akunna Cook, said. “We are looking for storytellers, content creators who have in their DNA and in their intentionality to change [these] negative stereotypes about Africans that exist on screen.”
President and CEO Travis Adkins of the U.S. African Development Foundation believes Africans have to take back their narrative.
“The narrative we have to change is the one we have created for ourselves, but it’s one that was created for us and is about us, without us,” he said. “For us, we know the beauty of the continent and its people. We know the richness of our spirituality and our traditions. We know the wealth that is in both the people and the land, and so what better way to tell that than for us to tell it ourselves?”
The Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent said that racial stereotypes and racial stereotyping continue to be prevalent in everyday life, encompassing advertisements and the media. However, the continuing rise of Afrobeats has helped change some negative views about the continent.
Patoranking believes that not much can stand in the way of Africans claiming a rightful place to be viewed in a continuous positive light now due to Afrobeats. “We have the resilient spirit. We don’t take no for an answer. We are unstoppable. We just like to get it done.”
The post How afrobeats, Nollywood, diaspora leaders are redefining Africa’s global image appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.
