[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_Ebola_virus_epide...
.png){kind=link}
I agree 100%.
Said in another way, the Western Media is doing a terrible job of informing people in Western countries about Africa.
Having been here a year, I now go so far as to say the Media are doing a negligent job. It's disgusting and is causing real harm (as you illustrate).
And that the wars they read or see on the news is happening all across Africa. It really upsets me.
Am from Zambia and we have never experienced any war (yes not even civil war) its a beautiful, peaceful country. The only thing westerns know about Zambia is the Victoria Falls, because it was named after Queen Victoria. The rest is not important.
And FYI am the Co-founder of www.cognifly.com
A search engine for Zambian web searches.
Edit: typo.
You don't see many chains/franchises here: takes capital to start and expand them, which people can't get access to. So most businesses are one-offs. There's a lot of space for innovation here; living in Kenya, I used to say you couldn't walk down the street without literally tripping over a market inefficiency. Just gotta get the investment to come in and get to the right people...
(There's a direct flight from Atlanta to Lagos these days if anyone is interested in checking it out, by the way.)
My details are in my profile.
Hell, the now 14 year old African girl my daughters class sponsors, who is from one of the poorer areas, recently build a water filtration system and hooked it up to their solar panels and a raspberry piish device that I don't even know what is.
I was in Africa last year for 2 months after 16 years in the US. I share your feelings 100%.
I am in West Africa right now, have been to 15 countries in 12 months, and will visit another ~22 over the next 12-18.
CNN, Fox, the whole western media are not telling you the truth about life here. They are showing you the sensational stuff that makes headlines, nothing more. Because of that, anyone that has never been has very little information about the realities.
The comments in this thread are so far from the truth they are a disgrace. People are commenting here that clearly have no actual experience, and are just parroting what the media said about africa in the 1980s. It is not the 1980s now.
Comments about constant war, "most African countries already have huge problems to provide even basic needs to already existing population", etc. just show how ignorant about the realities here people in the developed world are.
There is a massive, massive amount of development here, and hundreds of millions of extremely happy, friendly and kind people pulling themselves up into the middle class and beyond.
If you "think" otherwise I challenge you to come here and see for yourself. You will be utterly shocked (I was, after years and years of research and talking to >50 people who have done what I am doing now)