In May 2015, members of the African Public Relations Association (ARPA) gathered in Yaounde, Cameroon, to discuss Africa’s reputational problem. The conference, themed “Africa Trending: Contemporary Challenges, Opportunities in Reputation and Crisis Management”, gathered professionals from across the world to discuss and devise strategies to help remedy the situation.
The African Union endorsed the event, and it enjoyed the support of the Cameroonian government. So, by all counts, it was a heavyweight conference. The calibre of attendees at this event and the quality of resources it commanded are pointers to the magnitude of the conversation.
For many decades, Africa has had to deal with negative representations and narratives. There have been talks of changing the narrative in the past, but these conversations often paint the matter with a broad stroke and do not go down into details and nuance.
The discussions also often happen primarily within the parameters of the Western media’s coverage and portrayal of Africa. You often hear statements like, “The Western media only covers negative stories about Africa”. Or comments like, “The Western media’s portrayal of Africa is based on negative stereotypes”. While these statements are factual, they are merely symptoms of more significant, often political, dynamics in play. The political dynamics are, however, usually out of the radar of everyday people. What matters to them is their reality. What is life for them like in Africa? How does Africa treat them? What do they think of their fellow Africans? How do the answers to these questions influence how they live and work?
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