Disproving Misconceptions About Africa - 1743 Words

Disproving Misconceptions about Africa Africa is a country filled with primitive tribesmen who have made insignificant contributions to history. Today most Americans pride themselves on being open-minded, politically conscious, and socially aware of world wide problems. Yet when discussing Africa, its history, and present state, most misconceptions as seen above are accepted without question. These myths have been developed over a century of time and have become imbedded in the minds of the Western world as a sad truth regarding Africa. In order to progress and move ahead as a society, the fallacies of Africa must be disproved and misconceptions need to be replaced by facts. Before disproving the misconceptions, it is important to†¦show more content†¦These sciences added to the development of the Western world as we know it. In fact, many of the Greek philosophers that Westerns idolize adopted their philosophies from Egyptian theorists. While the word primitive could refer to the prehistoric and ancient developments, it often carries the negative connation of being unrefined, simple, unsophisticated, and rudimentary. Most people think of Africa as being full of unlearned men. Once again, looking at Egypt that myth is dispelled. The pyramids are one of the greatest manmade structures on earth. They were designed by the Egyptians and have stood the test of time for over thousands of years. Most contain many secret passage ways as a means of warding off potential thieves in addition to rooms and vaults. When attempted to be rebuilt by scientists, their recreation immediately began to crumble. There is nothing unsophisticated in those structures. The primitive concept is often applied to Africans today because they do not implore the same technology that many Americans do. Once again, Americas view is seen as superior and the way of the Africans as being inferior. Africa as a whole is not as advanced in their technology as other countries. However, the reason being is Europe became more efficient during their industrial period, finding better ways to manufacture steel and iron. In addition to technology, primitive is often associated with African arts. This behavior is continual in that anythingShow MoreRelatedChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart1763 Words   |  8 PagesThe African civilizations are often thought to be primitive, unsophisticated regions made up of barbaric and merciless people.  Ã‚  However, this notion is a common misconception that has been portrayed by the British to justify slavery.  Ã‚  The author of Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, attempts to educate his readers by disproving the common perception of African civilizations and by initiating a process of re-storying.  Ã‚  He believes that the African side of the story has not been told and he must tell