As these two traveling seniors got closer to pinning down our next adventure, we were hearing many myths about Africa that we need to do some research on!
Although Africa has always been a dream of both The Big Guy & I, the myths about Africa, the misconceptions & misinformation about Africa really had us reluctant to even think about the possibility of travel there. Through our research, we learned that Africa was a continent full of adventures. So, the next question was where should we go in Africa – of the 54 countries on the continent of Africa – what mysteries & truths would we discover on this mysterious continent full of myths & misconceptions? Could we find our little piece of paradise? …..drum roll please… Read on to find out which country would be our first stop in Africa!
Why Visit Africa?
In building up to our finalization of plans for this trip, these two traveling seniors want to share with you some general myths & misconceptions about Africa that we had heard.
1] Africa is a country!
This was not an easy one! In school we talked about Africa as if it was a single country. Guess what? Africa is a continent that consists of 54 countries. I know it sounds silly when you say it but we both had a bad habit of just saying Africa instead of the country we actually want to talk about! We decided to take a trip to a country referred to as “The Pearl of Africa.” Have you figured out what country yet?
2] African people live in grass huts & wear loin cloths
How many times have you seen television shows that show African people living in grass huts or wearing loin cloths. When you think of Africa your mind immediately goes to the somewhat negative images seen on television. About 100 years ago many Africans lived in grass huts & walked around in loin cloth skirts, but modern day Africans walk around in jeans, slacks and suits. The style of their homes vary from multi-million dollar condos to tin huts, it’s all based on their economic status. Though tribes may have there own style of dress, we have yet to see anyone in a loin cloth.
3] Africa is a poor continent!
No, not necessarily. Yes, of course like every other country or continent in the world, Africa has different levels of challenging economy & Africa has more than its fair share! With a fifth of the worlds’ hunger on this continent alone, we have all seen the ads on television showing starving & malnourished African children & while these programs may be well meaning, you have to give credit due to the grass root programs of the African people. In areas of Africa life is very hard scraping out a living but there is also always hope for the future. Is there an end in sight to end hunger? I wish I could say yes but until ALL the African leaders make feeding their people a priority over political disagreements, it cannot be….
As a side note, did you know that the amount of money sent home from Africa by Africans is more than that the world aid dollars given?
On another note, the amount of natural resources taken from this continent – which contributes to the poverty – is a story for another time – people, gold, diamonds…
4] Africa has wild animals running everywhere!
The country is rich in natural beauty. Twelve million square miles of savannah, deserts & tropical rain forests & it can also toot its’ horn as to having the largest elephants & tallest giraffes on earth. Finish that up with having one million species of animals found on the continent. The only animals we have seen roaming some of the streets are cattle & goats!
5] Africa is politically unstable!
There are countries in Africa that are politically unstable due to lack of leadership, corruption or internal conflicts. Having said that, 3/4 of the 54 countries of Africa have elected leaders, kings, prime ministers, presidents, etc.
A little history on this particular country:
“Uganda is named after the Buganda kingdom, which encompasses a large portion of the south of the country, including the capital Kampala and whose language Luganda is widely spoken throughout the country. From 1894, the area was ruled as a protectorate by the United Kingdom, which established administrative law across the territory. Uganda gained independence from the UK on 9 October 1962. The period since then has been marked by violent conflicts, including an eight-year-long military dictatorship led by Idi Amin.”
6] Africa is not safe!
Every country, no matter the continent, is going to have crime of one sort or another. Africa has it’s share of robberies, mugging, street crimes, etc. I was surprised to hear that South Africa has the highest crime rate with a safety index of 22.5%! As always, you have to be aware of your surroundings & it doesn’t hurt to do a little research on the country & area you intend to visit. Knowing a few people in the community can be helpful in finding out the ins & outs of the neighborhood you intend to visit or stay. Again, you must always be aware of your surroundings no matter where you are!
7] Africans are Black!
Black people’s skin colors comes in many shades & colors. Skin color ranges from some of the darkest skin color in South Sudan to the lightest skin color being beige/white in South Africa. There is a connection between the sun, region, European bloodlines & mutations in creating the wide range of color. As a side note, the darkest skin tends to be in countries along the equator where the UV rays are super strong. For more, read this.
8] Africa is Behind in Technology
You may be surprised to know that six of the ten fastest growing economies in the world are African countries.
As of 2018 80% of Africans own a cell phone.
9] Africa’s weather is HOT!
Not necessarily so! The country that we are in right now (Uganda if you haven’t figured it out yet) has tropical weather with an average temperature of 27 degrees Celsius or 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The average daytime temperatures can range from 24°C to 33° C (75° F to 91°F). The hottest areas in this country are in the North during the months January & February where temperatures can reach 40°C/101°F. It does cool down in the evenings here but not normally below low 60s. I understand in the higher elevations, it is a little cooler.
Looking at this image of Africa terrain, it is easy to see where the North’s desert turns into Central & Southern tropic. For more about the overall climate check this out.
10] Africa-How will you communicate?
Language can be a barrier in many African countries, but to our surprise the three top languages here are Lugandan & Swahili with English as the official language. This was a huge, but nice, surprise! Again, have you figured out what country in Africa I am talking about? Simply put, in this country alone there are 56 tribal languages spoken, but almost everyone can speak English. Now I can tell you the tribal language of this area is Lugandan.
Are there other myths & misconceptions about Africa? You betcha but we pulled out the top ones that were most often asked of us prior to our take off to this beautiful land.