August 13, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
A controversial charity ad campaign has sparked a discussion about how nonprofit groups and philanthropists aid Africa.
Last month the German branch of Unicef pulled a series of online ads that a few bloggers decried as racist.
The advertisements featured photos of white children with such phrases as, “I am waiting for my last day in school; the children in Africa are waiting for their first one.” A seemingly innocent solicitation except the kids appear with mud on their faces, which reminded some people of the blackface used in minstrel shows.
Jennifer Brea, a freelance journalist, writes on her Africabeat blog that the questionable ads are an example of how many Western charities and donors stereotype Africans even as they try to help them.
“There are a million ways to communicate a positive message without unwittingly reinforcing the same tired stereotypes: Africa is a continent, poverty is black, it’s up to whites to represent, and to save, Africa,” she writes. “If we are not sensitive to basic differences in attitude and perception, to how Africans might react to images of themselves, conjured by media they do not control, how can we begin to know enough about the needs of the people we want to help to do no harm, let alone offer right solutions?”
“If you’re an A-list Hollywood actress or a housewife from Bavaria, and you’re reading this now, I don’t want you to stop saving Africa. But know that we will never get it right until we actually start listening,” she writes.
What do you think? The Unicef ads aside, are charities in America and Europe stereotyping Africans in how they appeal for funds? Click on the comments link below to share your thoughts.
