A reader has drawn my attention to this critique of the report of Swaziland’s 40/40 celebrations that appeared in the New York Times and that I featured on 5 September 2008.
What's So Funny About Africa?
Sept. 9, 2008--The New York Times ran a story on its front page last Saturday about the king of Swaziland, Mswati III, who leads a life of ostentatious luxury while the people of his small and proud nation struggle with poverty, malnourishment and HIV. The story of a greedy leader bilking his people is a sadly common one in Africa, as in much of the world. Usually these are not amusing circumstances. But apparently the Times finds them so in this case.
In this political season of outrage, why get excited about a front-page story in the paper of record mocking the greedy king of some place in Africa? Because the story highlights how stereotypes and prejudices render real people in caricature, making it almost impossible to seriously assess their problems or devise real solutions to them; this is Africa's special affliction, and something very familiar to those in the Diaspora.
To read more click here.
I come from Swaziland, and have been living in Finland and the Netherlands for the last few years. I keep a keen eye on international affairs on news website such as the BBC, as well as local newspapers, etc. Every few months I come across a small snippet of news regarding Swaziland, most often the King and his lavish lifestyle. These "news items" are rarely anything more than perhaps a tabloid piece informing ignorant (not to blame them) people about something odd happening somewhere they have never heard of. It is not deemed proper news, perhaps consciously or sub consciously, by both the writer and the reader, and thus is thrown on the heap of "odd-box stories" that in the end do little more than amuse or perplex you. This is the threat - it is not taken seriously. Even by those directly involved, especially in the case of Swaziland. I admit even I sometimes read what's going on in the little Kingdom, as well as other countries in Africa, with a grin on my face while shaking my head. Sometimes it is just so absurd you can't really do anything else but laugh. But that will not change anything.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see someone highlighting the other side of the coin regarding our attitudes to these sorts of issues,,,