Just this past month, Taylor Swift released her music video for her song “Wildest Dreams.” Throughout the video, the viewer is exposed to an African landscape and African animals, but, ironically, members of the cast of the video are completely white: no native Africans are depicted. Swift and her cast are also dressed in colonial-era clothing. Although Swift’s director Joseph Kahn did attempt to defend the video, claiming it was edited by a “black man” (Chancler Haynes) and produced by a “black woman” (Jill Hardin), it still helped further the negative perceptions of Africa.

According to an article released by National Public Radio last month, Swift’s video has the connotation that colonialism was beautiful and romantic, while in reality, it was the exact opposite–exploitative and brutal.

Though this perception of Africa may seem somewhat recent following the end of colonialism, the current school system in the United States where students are not taught enough information about the continent has furthered the stereotypes of Africa, according to John Oliver, host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight.” While students in the United States are taught the details of the histories of countries around the world, African countries are usually introduced in the era of European colonialism. Its introduction during the era of colonialism degrades it from being recognized for what it truly is.

This past summer, I took a month-long trip to Ethiopia. When one hears the word “Ethiopia” or any other country in Africa, the general tendency is to think of a continent of starving children and huts, completely filled with poverty. Although this does occur in places throughout the world, the arrow usually points toward Africa whenever disease and starvation is an issue. This problem can be simplified into one word: ignorance.

Let me set up a scenario for you: We attend a school many would describe as fairly “affluent,” but would it be fair to say everyone who attends CHS is a millionaire? Most would say this is absurd, but this parallels exactly what is occurring with the perceptions of Africa. There is so much more to Africa than what stereotypes portray, and I was able to see that first-hand through this trip.

While visiting Ethiopia, I was able to go on a weekend trip to Awassa, a city known for its clear water beaches and five-star hotels. Spending three days there truly allowed me to see how high standards are there, even though Western media tends to portray it differently.  The beaches and resorts that I visited can easily meet the standards of other five-star hotels that I have been to in the Bahamas and Hawaii. But stereotypical beliefs impede hotels, such as the one at which I stayed, from reaching those standards. These assumptions have gotten to the point where the modernization of the country and the rich cultural history are being disregarded for their importance in defining the country.

When looking at this situation as a second-generation Ethiopian-American, I cringe as I hear the constant criticism of Africa, which is, in fact, the cradle of mankind. According to a 2013 article by the African Development Bank Group, Africa is home to the world’s fastest growing continental economy, even faster than North America’s. As a whole, these economic strides taken by Africa and its people have proven successful in furthering the continent; hence, its perceptions in our world today should reflect this. Although the media’s portrayal of the continent, as seen in Swift’s video may say otherwise, we all must be able to “shake it off” and make sure that the perceptions of the African continent truly reflect what it has become today.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Bethlehem Daniel at [email protected].