guernicamag: bostonreview: The White Correspondent’s Burden We Need to Tell the Africa Story DifferentlyJina Moore Guernica’s non-fiction editor Jina Moore is in the pages of Boston Review this week writing about what’s wrong with Africa coverage. “Even if this is a “democratization” of storytelling, it misses an undemocratic truth, one also at the core of our narrow understanding of Africa: being an object of compassion is not the same thing as being the subject of a story. It wasn’t then, and it isn’t now. In American newspapers and on American TV, Africans remain objects—of violence, of poverty, of disease, and ultimately of our own compassion. Like the abolitionists’ stories of the Jamaican slave revolt, our compassion narratives ultimately are not about the people in whose name they are told. They are about us. We like these stories because at some level, we already know them, and because they tell us we are caring, and potentially powerful, people.” Great article by Jina Moore challenging American journalists’ one-note coverage of Africa. Last week Milos Stehlik took on non-African filmmakers’ portrayal of the continent,counting Milking the Rhino among the few films that get it right. 
View Separately

guernicamag:

bostonreview:

The White Correspondent’s Burden

We Need to Tell the Africa Story Differently

Jina Moore

Guernica’s non-fiction editor Jina Moore is in the pages of Boston Review this week writing about what’s wrong with Africa coverage.

“Even if this is a “democratization” of storytelling, it misses an undemocratic truth, one also at the core of our narrow understanding of Africa: being an object of compassion is not the same thing as being the subject of a story. It wasn’t then, and it isn’t now. In American newspapers and on American TV, Africans remain objects—of violence, of poverty, of disease, and ultimately of our own compassion. Like the abolitionists’ stories of the Jamaican slave revolt, our compassion narratives ultimately are not about the people in whose name they are told. They are about us. We like these stories because at some level, we already know them, and because they tell us we are caring, and potentially powerful, people.”

Great article by Jina Moore challenging American journalists’ one-note coverage of Africa. Last week Milos Stehlik took on non-African filmmakers’ portrayal of the continent,counting Milking the Rhino among the few films that get it right. 

Source: bostonreview

51 Notes/ Hide

  1. youweretheonethrowingdyingstars reblogged this from bostonreview
  2. avibus-libri reblogged this from guernicamag
  3. afrogalactic reblogged this from bostonreview
  4. cetacea-borealis reblogged this from androphilia
  5. kmb-a reblogged this from androphilia
  6. ya-lahwi reblogged this from azaadi
  7. hyperlaxe reblogged this from androphilia
  8. bewildered-making-browsments reblogged this from androphilia
  9. androphilia reblogged this from azaadi
  10. sheeptowolf reblogged this from bostonreview
  11. azaadi reblogged this from gatsbysfuneral
  12. denyinghipster reblogged this from guernicamag and added:
    “Congo, like America, is very many things, all at the same time. This should be obvious. Why would a foreign country be...
  13. highlightergirl reblogged this from radiatorhums
  14. radiatorhums reblogged this from guernicamag
  15. afropicking reblogged this from guernicamag
  16. freshlysqueezedjuices reblogged this from guernicamag
  17. kartemquin reblogged this from guernicamag and added:
    “Even if this is a “democratization” of storytelling, it misses an undemocratic truth, one also at the core of our...
  18. obruniradio reblogged this from aaronleaf
  19. palmofmyhands reblogged this from bostonreview and added:
    “In May, political scientist Laura Seay set off a weeks-long debate about journalism from Africa, in part by arguing...
  20. gatsbysfuneral reblogged this from bostonreview
  21. aaronleaf reblogged this from guernicamag and added:
    I’m sorry if you follow both me and Guernica. All this reblogging must be hellish.
  22. whatwouldkristindo reblogged this from guernicamag
  23. This was featured in #Lit
  24. guernicamag reblogged this from bostonreview and added:
    Guernica’s non-fiction editor Jina Moore is in the pages of Boston Review this week writing about what’s wrong with...

Recent comments

Blog comments powered by Disqus