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.
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