"Africa is a strong, beautiful country and has potential to be so much."
As you see from the words above by Angelina Jolie, actress and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, many people have misconceptions about Africa.
Although our Humanities 8 focus will be on the country of South Africa, for this post, you can include your thoughts about Africa in general. Here are some ideas that you can submit:
1. What do you know for sure about Africa? Have you been there?
2. What perceptions do you have about Africa?
3. What would you like to find out more about Africa?
You can also mention any books, movies, people, places and events that connect with Africa.
Below are some videos that give a variety of perspectives about Africa: (You may want the video clips to run through with the buffering that takes place the first time, and after that, you can watch them play smoothly.)
1. Lonely Planet TV begins a journey into Africa with a bungee jump over the Zambezi River in southeastern Africa, followed by whitewater rafting on the Zambezi.
2. Akon sings about his home country of Senegal in West Africa.
3. For Westerners, a place called Timbuktu is associated with being at 'the end of the earth.' However, this video tells us of the proud history of Timbuktu, a city located in the West Africa country of Mali.
4. A slideshow of African masks.
5. A look at a traditional dance of Angola called capoera, now a sport in the Olympics!
6. The British rock singer, Peter Gabriel, teamed up with the famous Senegalese singer, Youssou N'Dour in a 1990 song called, 'Shaking the Tree.'
7. Wangari Maathai, known as the 'tree lady' and winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, talks about the environmental and political challenges she has had in Kenya, a country in East Africa.
8. A mini-documentary in which the commentator says, 'In Africa, soccer is religion' and how football is being used to help fight against HIV/AIDS in the southern African country of Zambia.
9. A sport you could try in the southwest country of Namibia - sandboarding on the dunes of the Namib Desert!
10. A student presentation of the Barbara Kingsolver novel, 'The Poisonwood Bible' - about an American missionary family's attempts to change the people of the central African country of the Congo.
11. Here's a 2005 BBC report about a child soldier in the east African country of Somalia. Unfortunately, it is a true story. (You might want to read more about child soldiers in Africa, including the award-winning novel 'AK' by Peter Dickinson.)
11. Flying over the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, in a scene from the Academy Award winning movie of 1985, 'Out of Africa.'
12. Here are slideshows of two classes making gypsona masks, connecting to our unit on Africa and personal identity.
46 comments:
When I was 6 years old I came to South Africa to visit my grandfather who was living there at the time. My first perceptions about Africa where that Africa was the poorest continent in world and I at first I thought that Africa was country. But when I got to Africa I saw how beautiful it was because I got to stay out of the city and see the beautiful side of Africa. I even got to stay in the biggest safari in Africa and see Africa’s animals which are much bigger then animals in other parts of the world. I myself am part African since my grandfather is from the country of Morocco and I am proud of that fact.
1.I know that Africa is not a country. And there are many animals. But I have never been there.
2.When I hear name "Africa," I first think that Africa is place where many people live, and they always need some help like food, clothing, because I have seen many donation stuff in Japan that are going to be donated to Africa.
3.I actually have never been to Africa, so I guess there are lot of things to find out at there, like how people in Africa live, or how are they different than us?
I have never been to Africa but I have a little background information about it. For example, I know Africa is a continent (not like the actor mentioned above). My father has been to Africa, and the stories I heard from him are quite amazing. The food is not what I use to eat and the climate is amazingly hot. One other thing is the non stopping war that is going on in some places in Africa. I heard that there are days which hundreds of people die because of the war, that is quite amazing because I live in a country where war is no new news. In Africa people kill their neighbors for no reason. Because of that war I am quite afraid to go close to those places in Africa.
I know very little about Africa. I know that it is the poorest continent in the world, that it is known for its wildlife, and that it is a HUGE continent with many countries. I also know that it has many different cultures, languages, and tribes. I want to learn a lot about South Africa because it is the host country for the 2010 World Cup. All in all I think that this unit will be extremely fun.
I have never been to Africa before but my father's friend has an ostrich ranch/farm in South Africa. I know for sure that Africa is a continent, not a country. When I hear the word "Africa", it reminds me of savannas and deserts. Also, it reminds me of elephants and everything else. I would like to find out more about African tribes and their lifestyle.
I've never actually been to Africa before but I heard that it is a beautiful continent. When I think of Africa, I've always think of the African safari and the animals. I couldn't imagine how big the animals are. After all, there biger than most animals in any part of the world, especially the lions. Just imagine getting eaten by them. When we study Africa, I want to know more about there culture.
For one thing, I know Africa is definitely a continent, not a country. Focusing on what I know for sure, from an economic point of view,I know that most African countries are not in a wealthy state. Most are developing. Considering the society and the people of Africa, I know that many well-known people have come from Africa such as Nelson Mandela, Akon, Michael Jordan, Evan (a friend of mine) etc.
I have been to South Africa, the southermost country in Africa. It was an outstanding country with great landscapes. I really enjoyed visiting there. Although if I were to go back, I would like to see more of the cultural aspects of Africa because we didn't do much of that.
Agreeing with Angelina Jolie, I percieve that Africa is a strong country, even with its slight problems here and there (but everybody has there faults), that has the potential to be more.
With that said, Africa is a great continent and I am looking forward to learning more about all the aspects of it.
I never have been to Africa and I only saw Africa on TVs or in pictures. I briefly learned about them in history class at school and I don’t really know much about Africa. But I have lots of perceptions based on Africa. My perceptions are mostly based on the movies like “The Jungle Boy.” First of all, I have the perception that Africans aren’t really educated much and there aren’t many rich people in that continent because African countries are one of the poorest countries in the world. I think many people aren’t educated much because African countries were once colonized by the European countries. Also, when I was young, I thought people with black skin weren’t smart. This was an unpleasant perception based on races and I am really shameful to have that perception. Yet I was surprise –after seeing the video clips- that African culture was deep and they knew how to read and write earlier than the European countries. But why are they so poor now? I want to learn more about the history of Africa. Their continent contains many deserts, so I think Africa doesn’t have many trees. However, I realized that Africa also has enormous jungles and people are trying to plant more trees in these days.
Every since I was born, i lived in Africa, until I came to Thailand. I had enough time to get to know the real Africa, and to explore many places that are located in the continent. Africa is one of the continents, or maybe the one with a lot diamond and many other natural resources. Africa has about fifty four countries and my country Angola is one of richest. Some things I like the most about Africa is that there are thousands of places to visit, and that people there welcome everyone that comes to see the beauty of their continent, doesn’t matter what skin color, or what nationality they come from. Unlike some other places where you can’t go in because you have a different skin color that everyone else, or where you always have to be the last one, because since you skin color is different, you have less value that everyone else. Africa is different; they accept everyone that comes to see the beauty of the continent.
Including my home country Angola there are many other places to visit, places that have animals, plants and other things that are only found in Africa. An animal that is very famous and that is only found in Africa-Angola is the Palanca Negra Gigante. This animal is merely found in Africa- Angola in the province of Namibe. Ever since the war was going on in Angola, Palanca Negra Gigante got lost. It is somewhere in Angola, but no one knows where.
What I would love to visit other places other than the ones I have visited. I would also love to go to Egypt again and stay for a longer time. Be able to explore the beauty of it.
1. What do you know for sure about Africa? Have you been there?
For sure I know... that Africa is a continent, the Sahara Desert is located in the north of Africa. Lesotho is the only country-locked country in the world (its in South Africa). South Africa was colonized by the Germans/Dutch and then later the British. They are many deserts in Africa. Africa is home to the 2nd largest lake in the world, Lake Victoria. There are beautiful beaches in Africa. Zimbabwe is one of the many African countries that is suffering from disease and lack of food production at this point in time. There are huge savannas in Africa that are home to many game and indigenous animals, and last but not least, there are many African tribes in Africa.
I have never been to Africa, though my dad used to go to Angola about once a month when we lived back in Texas. He said it is a very nice place.
2. What perceptions do you have about Africa?
Since I have never seen Africa with my own two eyes, I have developed many perceptions about Africa that are probably not altogether accurate. One, is that overall, Africa is a very poor continent. Second, is that there is a lot of crime and fighting for land and food. Another is that there are Safaris all over Africa that chase after the animals so that tourists can get a glimpse of African Wildlife. There are not many schools that provide good education for their youth. Youngsters play football/soccer a lot and are very good at it. Starvation is a factor that many Africans face everyday. Black Magic and Voodoo are common rituals in African countries.
3. What would you like to find out more about Africa?
During this unit, I would like to learn more about the history of Africa and Africans as a people. I also want to learn a lot about the similarities and differences of urban and rural life in Africa.
You can also mention any books, movies, people, places and events that connect with Africa.
Pathetically, I have only one connection to Africa. That's my friend Hilary, who is Angolan. Honestly, I cannot think of any book, movie, place or event that I know that can be connected with Africa.
I have never been to any country in Africa and neither do I know anything extraordinary about that continent too. I only know that some African countries are not very wealthy and thus suffer a great deal in many ways. I also have learned a bit more about Africa after watching the Leo DiCaprio movie "Blood Diamond". In this movie they talk about how people in Africa suffer when diamond collectors from other countries steal diamonds from Africa. This, in the movie, damages the economy severely. In the movie, people kill each other to obtain the diamonds. In this unit, I would like to know more about how the people in Africa live, more about African culture and also about the African economy.
I've never been to Africa before. However, I've watched a lot of nature shows about Africa. I want to learn more about Africa's animals. Also, I want to know about the native people and how they live. From some of the shows I watched, I learned that Africa is a beautiful place and I would like to visit there some time. My first perception about Africa was that it is a poor country (I used to think Africa as a country!) But now, my perception has changed and I think Africa will be a wonderful place to visit!
The safari sounds beautiful- I've never been to Africa but I'd like to go there someday...
Firstly, I'll willingly admit that I have near-zero knowledge about Africa, but I do have some perceptions about it that are totally based on stereotypes. I did do a Science project on some parts of Africa involved in blood diamonds, but when I was young I didn't know Africa was a continent at first, and I always thought of Africa as this far-away, hot, poor desert place that is full of tribes and camels. Now I know that's not entirely true and I hope to find out more about Africa's culture through this unit.
During 7th grade, I've watched a film called 'Invisible Children'. It's a documentary about children soldiers from Uganda. They fight in wars just like adults. After watching the video about a child soldier in the class blog, it reminded me of the Invisible Children. I think it's very disgusting to make children, especially children who are smaller than me, to fight in wars.
Alex Lee- I have never been to Africa before, but I wanted to. Especially Egypt is the country where I really want to visit out of 53 countries because it has a lot of ancient histories and mysteries. Also, what I know about Africa is that it's the continent where the early humans first born. I know that they have very different cultures and traditions comparing to other countries. Africans are having hardships about eating(poor). They have lack of repast. The 2nd largest continent, with people dying in hunger, should be ceased. This makes them become malnourished. What I really want to know about Africa is more details about their cultures, traditions, histories and mysteries. In addition, I would like to know about how many people die per day and how much food can feed per capita.
When many people imagine Africa, they would often come up with an image of an undeveloped continent. A poverty-stricken place with emaciated children whose body is so skinny, we can obviously observe their bones. People frequently perceive Africa as a continent with war and bombings.
From my perception, Africa is a continent which consists of wild animals and magnificent landmarks. I believe that if people look at Africa with a positive perspective, they would be able to distinguish the fact that the continents consists of so much more that poverty and war.
In humanities class this semester, I would like to find out more about the history of Africa and the reason behind the war in the continents.
When many people imagine Africa, they would often come up with an image of an undeveloped continent. A poverty-stricken place with emaciated children whose body is so skinny, we can obviously observe their bones. People frequently perceive Africa as a continent with war and bombings.
From my perception, Africa is a continent which consists of wild animals and magnificent landmarks. I believe that if people look at Africa with a positive perspective, they would be able to distinguish the fact that the continents consists of so much more that poverty and war.
In humanities class this semester, I would like to find out more about the history of Africa and the reason behind the war in the continents.
My perspective of Africa is that it would be a great place to live. To be specific I would like to live in either Nigeria or Ghana. I would like to live in Ghana because I thik that their culture is very cool and I also thin kthat the people there are extremely polite and nice. I would like to live in Nigeria because a lot of kids from Chevron live there and my friend says that it is a very interesting place to live.
When I think about Africa the first country I think of is Kenya. I think this happens because to me Africa is associated with wildlife and Kenya is very famous for its amounts of wildlife.
When I think about Africa I also tend to think about poverty. Africa is the poorest continent in the world. Despite that minor set-back I still think that Africa is very interesting and I would love to learn more about it
When I think of Africa, the first word that pops up into my head is desert. Africa is known to be a hot continent and also known for the Sahara Desert. Long ago when I was in grade 2, we learned about Egypt. Egypt is in Africa and what we learned about included pyramids, stories, clothing, jewelry, and also about King Tutankhaman.
I have been in South Africa before and I am glad to know that we are going to be learning more about South Africa. While visiting South Africa, I saw that it was a really beautiful place with a fascinating wildlife. I got to interact with different animals such as ostriches.
I also know for a fact that 'Invisible Children' are in Africa and are affected by an army.
I've never been to Africa but I had some perceptions of Africa. The image of Africa to me is a continent with many poor countries. Because there was many donations that were for the kids in Africa. And I always thougth of the wild animals and jungles of Africa as there are lots of TV shows about them. One fact I know about Africa is that some parts of Africa is turning more into a desert.
I would like to know more about their traditional cultures.
I visited Africa when I was in 1st grade. I remember visiting South Africa and Zimbabwe. Some things that I know about Africa are that there are lots of animals in Africa that are different than animals in other countries. I also know that there are a lot of deserts, jungles, and savannas in Africa. Another thing I know about Africa is that it is a poor and underdeveloped country.
I percieve Africa as a tropical continent with lots of rainforests and animals. I also think that Africa is a very dangerous place because of many wars in different countries. I would like to learn more about the different kinds of animals in Africa and it's history as well as its culture.
After watching the video about the traditional dance in Angola, I was really interested in it's different cultures. I also thought the dance was really interesting because the dancers were all really good at it.I also thought the sandboarding video was really interesting because I have snowboarded in a cold climate with snow but I never imagined people snowboarding on sand. I think Africa is a really interesting continent and I hope to go there again.
I am glad that we shall be studying Africa in Humanities this quarter because I have only studied Ancient Egypt before. My father’s side of the family lives in South Africa and I have visited many times however I do not know very much about South Africa. I watched a few of the videos posted on the blog such as the sand boarding video, the documentary on Timbuktu, the video about Wangari Maathai and the exert from ‘Out of Africa’. Before I watched the video about Timbuktu I thought that it was a place in Asia and I never knew it used to be culturally ahead of all other cultures. I think I will enjoy learning about South Africa and Africa in general since I never have.
To this day I thought that Africa was both a country and continent like Australia. But now that I know that I was misconcepting, I know for sure that Africa is a continent and not a country. Based on previous knowledge I know that Africa is a continent that is made up of many deserts and jungles and is also home to many wildlife. I have also known that Africa is a very poor continent containing countries that have shortage of food. Africa is also known to having poverty and pictures were shown of extremely skinny kids making it an undeveloped continent as learnt last year. In the past I have visited Africa in the southern are called Capetown. Since many years have past since the visit not much of Africa were remembered.
When hearing the word "Africa", it reminds me of the wild life, deserts, jungles, and pile of sweat from the burning sun. From pictures seen I percept Africa as a continent containing many poor countries with many unfortunate people.
I can also imagine seeing starvation, and lack of education and water in Africa.This is because people there can hardly survive, not having enough food to eat, then how can they afford education? The though of lack of water came up when being reminded by the large amount deserts in the continent.But nevertheless, the beauty Africa is not to be look passed. For example wild animals (the safaris), it's art work, and cultural activities unlike others.
I would like to learn more about the history and different cultures of Africa to find out background information of the place I visited. This would also be a good way to refresh my memory of Africa, remembering so little of the trip I took.
I would like to add more to my comment. As most say, people usually percieve Africa as an undeveloped continent. I know for a fact that it is the second most populous continent after Asia. There was also a famine problem last year in Africa. About few of the places sustain democratic government. A big part of the population is uneducated and going through hunger. But what people outside of Africa don't see is the wildlife of Africa.
Africa is full of amazing culture and flora/fauna. I would like to learn more about the different cultures and how they differ or and compare to each other.
I have never been to Africa but I know that Africa is not a country but a huge continent with many countries.
Africa is a poor continent, but there are many things to do and see. There are many unique animals in Africa and many ancient structures, and some interseting sports like sand-boarding.
Africa. When I hear if this place soulfull music starts playing in my ears with images of grasslands, animals and rich culture running through my head. I think these images come to my head because of the way africa is portrayed internationally. It is shown to be a continent rich in culture, with a lot of wildlife and geological beauty. But sometimes Africa is portrayed as a continent with quite alot of problems. I used to live in South Africa when I was a toddler and I don't remember anything but what I've seen pictures and it's beautiful. My parents have told me that we often went on safaris where we would spend the night in traditional hut. But apart from the good side of Africa they also told me about a few very dangerous situations we were in when we lived there. My perception of Africa is that the continent is 'pure' and beautiful, but with some glitches. These glitches would be the political and economical un-stability in some of the countries. I think during this unit I would like to learn more about African culture since that for me is one of it's most appealing parts.
As many other people already mentioned, even I know for sure that Africa is a continent and not a country. I know the continent is also home to the world's largest desert, the Sahara. I know that Africa is also home to one of the wonders of the world, the pyramids in Egypt. I also know that many countries in Africa have been colonized by the Europeans. I have never been to Africa but I would love to go there, especially to South Africa, where the 2010 Football World Cup will be held. I've had friends either from Africa or those who have lived there for quite a long time, and according to them, it is a very pleasant place to live in.
Many people have the perception of African countries as struggling, undeveloped and in some cases, corrupt. Words like conflict, resource shortage and poverty often seem to go along with the idea of Africa. However, I do not like to think of this continent in such a depressing and unfair way. It is true that there are many problems in Africa, but there is always hope and development too. South Africa hosting the prestigious Football World Cup in 2010 is just one example of this. In science, I did a project about blood diamonds and got to know a lot about several African countries such as Sierra-Leone and Botswana. Militants used to pay for their assaults and arms by forcing people to mine for them. This problem too is being solved with the UN helping to stop the trade of blood diamonds. I like to think of Africa as a mysterious and tropical land with a rich history. The ancient Egyptian civilization has always fascinated me, with their ability to construct the mighty pyramids without the assistance of machines. I would love to go to Egypt.
I would like to learn about the wildlife and culture of African nations. I watched the video about
Sandboarding and thought it looked pretty cool. I would like to try it out. I also watched the video about soccer in Zambia. I can relate to that because in the English Premier League of Football (which I follow), there are many African players, many of which have amazing 'rags to riches' stories. I know that football is a passion for many African people. I think it’s wonderful how a sport is proving to be helpful in the fight against AIDS.
A connection that I have is that in my school in Vienna, I had to friends from Nigeria: Sam and Nzau.
1. I have never been to Africa although my dad has. I already know that Africa has many unique animals, and I know that South Africa once had to deal with problems with English settelers.
2. From what my dad has told me, I percieve Africa as being a place with mostly friendly people, and when I think of Africa I also think of it as having may amazing animals such as large cats. Also, i think of Africa as being a great place to go to learn more about some wild animals that cannot be found in the wild in other places.
3. I would like to find out more about what types of animals live in Africa and how they live. Also, I would like to find out more about some of the water animals in Africa, such as sharks. One other thing that I want to learn about is if there are any places such as mountains that are used by hikers, and what the soccer teams in Africa are like.
I have never been to Africa before but I would like to go there sometime. My mother has been to Egypt and South Africa several times and has taught me some facts about the giant continent of Africa. Once we were on our holiday visiting Madrid (I think) and we saw a large group of people dressed in t-shirts with the Brazilian flag on it who were dancing to weird African music as if fighting with each other but not actually touching the other person. Now I understand that they are doing the traditional dance of Angola called Capoera. I first thought the dance was from Brazil but now it seems to be from Africa. It is interesting how one culture can be affected by another. I am looking forward to the unit on Africa.
I feel regretful that I have never been to Africa. However, my dad works in the United Nations in Sudan, the largest country in Africa where it is unstable. Apart from the negative side of Africa, I perceive it as a glamorous continent, full of beautiful landscapes, African animals, and having a unique culture.
What I know for sure about Africa is that it has different landscapes in one continent, like forests, savannas (tropical grasslands), and deserts such as the Savannah Desert. Also, since it is the world’s second largest continent, it is divided into four different regions and there are many tribes in each region. In my perception, when I hear about Africa, I first think of it as an underdeveloped continent where poverty happens in most places. In the African culture, people like to sing and dance, and in some tribes they wear traditional masks too, seeing this from the videos on mask and the Angola traditional dance called Capoera. One thing I never knew before until I watched one of the videos was the sport called “sand boarding.” I knew only snowboarding and skateboarding, but never heard of sand boarding. It looked cool, skating on sand in the desert of Africa.
One question I want to know before we start the unit is, “why are we studying about South Africa instead of Africa, the whole continent?” Other things I’m curious about are how many languages are spoken in Africa and what are the differences between the four regions of Africa that made them be divided up and each became different. Is it divided by the level of wealth of people? Or is it based on the landscape of the continent? Furthermore, as we study through this unit, I want to find out more on the African culture, such as the religions, beliefs, music and dances, and arts.
Last year in grade seven in Intercultural Communication class, I did a presentation on Algeria, the second largest country in Africa. Algeria is in the fertile and mountainous region where high plateaus are located. Ninety-nine percent are Muslims and only one percent is Christians and Jewish and English is rarely spoken in Algeria.
Even though I have some basic ideas about Africa, I am looking forward to learning more.
I have never been to Africa before and I must admit, I know very little about the continent and its countries. Because of that reason, I have developed many perceptions about Africa based on what I have seen on television, in books, and from what I have heard from others. When I think of Africa, I think of vast deserts and savannahs, wildlife, and the unique culture of each tribe in the countries of Africa. From what I’ve heard, poverty, malnutrition, and lack of health care are major problems that the people in Africa have to face, although my piece of information may not be accurate. What I know for sure about Africa is that it is the world’s second largest continent and that it is famous for its wildlife. It has abundant natural resources, however it is the poorest and most underdeveloped continent in the world.
I have a friend who is Angolan and I have learned some of the country’s culture and tradition from her, but other than that I do not have any connections with Africa. I would like to learn more about the culture, history, and the lifestyle of the people in Africa. I believe Africa is a fascinating continent just waiting for people to explore and appreciate its beauty, and I am really looking forward to studying this unit.
I know for sure that Africa is a continent and it contains many countries. Each country is slightly different from another and countries in North Africa can have a complete different culture comparing to countries in South Africa. I know that many deserts exist in Africa, for example, the Sahara Desert. I have never been to Africa, so I look forward to leaning more about it in this humanities unit.
The video of sand boarding on the blog reminded me of my trip in Brisbane, Australia. I remember sand boarding with my father when I was six. We went to a small sand hill in Brisbane and slid down the hill on a wooden board. This video gave me more clues on the activities in Africa.
I would like to find out more about mask making and other cultural aspects of Africa.
I've never visited Africa before, and the only thing I'm sure about is that Africa is a continent, not a country.
I always think that Africa is a very poor country where they need a lot of donations and money. Also, this might be just only what I think, but when I hear the word Africa, I think of African people doing traditional things such as festivals.
Since I think that they have a lot of traditions, I would like to know more about traditions in Africa. But not only one part of Africa... I want to know different traditions in different regions, and see if there are similarities between different places of Africa.
When I think of Africa, I think of the Sahara desert. The worlds largest largest hot desert stretching out to 9,000,000 kilometers which is almost as big as The United States. I also think of poverty but that's only one part of Africa. Africa is actually a rich continent, the only problem is that the rulers of Africa keep all the money for themselves. For example, look at Senegal, it is such a beautiful city full of tall buildings like in Thailand. When you see advertisements of Africa on TV its always about bad things, there is always another side to things and there IS a good side to Africa. One thing I definitely have to try this summer is sandboarding! I saw the speed they were going at going straight down with no turns 75km/h! Which is pretty fast in the sand cause if u fall down you're literally landing on rocks! I would definitely want to visit Africa for holidays because i want to experience the 100 degree heat in the Sahara desert by doing a tour on an off road car or something.
‘Africa,’ when I was young, I always thought Africa was a one big country on the equator. However, as I grew and learned more things about the world, now, I could definitely say that Africa is a continent. I also am sure that there are a lot of countries in Africa. I have never been to Africa but I really want to go there because I want to experience the wilderness and learn more about specific African cultures.
When I think about Africa, I think of jungle, wildlife and desert. I think Africa is very tropical place with lots of jungles and wildlife animals. On the other hand, I also think that Africa is very deserted place, because of Sahara desert. Also when I think about Africa, I think about those world’s best long and short distance runners because most of them are from Africa. Also Africa makes me think that it is the poorest continent in the world because we always make donations to groups, kids and governments in Africa. Lastly, I think Africa is a dangerous place because of all the wars and government problems. However, I still think it is a nice place to live with nice people.
I would really like to learn about different cultures of Africa because after seeing the video of Capoera, I realized that some African cultures are very fun and exciting. I would also like to know more about South Africa in general because, I like to watch rugby in TV and I’ve noticed that South Africa is one of the best rugby team in the world.
The one thing for sure, I know that Africa is a continent. I have never been to Africa before but I’ve watched the shows about Africa quite a lot. And I have some perceptions of Africa that based on what I saw on TVs, movies, and the photos. My perception of Africa is that it is poor and is not in a wealthy state. Also it is really hot (especially, the desserts), people are not educated much, and there are many kinds of animals like a jungle. But I was really surprised after seeing the video clips on the blog- that the Africans are educated much and they knew how to read and write earlier than the European. And now I knew that my perceptions of Africa that based on what I saw on TVs are just the stereotype. I want to learn about the traditional culture and history of Africa in detail.
Although I have never personally been to Africa, I have heard stories through my grandfather. Africa is a large continent, but also one of the poorest. Africa is a place of wildlife, where there are many different species of animal that roam over deserts, grassland, and in a few places, even mountains! Other than being a place of wildlife, Africa also has a good share of resources. These include the oil found along the west coast in Nigeria, and diamonds found in South Africa. Even though it is rich in resources, Africa is mainly poor and underdeveloped. Many countries are lacking education and health care, contributing to the wide variety of diseases found in Africa.
Unlike most people, my perception of Africa is not of a drought-hit desert with poor people. I think of Africa as a very complete continent. There many are poor countries, but there are also richer and more developed places such as those along the Mediterranean Sea and South Africa. Thus, there are many natural resources and animal life. It might just be the lack of education that holds Africa from its full potential. In my view, it is actually a very nice place. My grandfather described it (Kenya, Africa) to me as a wide stretch of grassland filled with animals and the backdrop of mountains. I would very much like to visit Africa someday.
The thing that I would like to learn more about Africa is the cultures in Africa. I know a brief history of the Egyptians and the Phoenicians, but I just want to learn about the different and more current African customs--beliefs, traditions, food, dances, etc.
I haven’t seen the beautiful sightseeing of Africa in reality. Though I had seen and heard of some famous places such as, pyramids of Egypt which still remains in a mystery to us. I wonder how Egyptians could possibly erect such an accurate and a remarkable architecture when there wasn’t enough technology to carry heavy stones.
What I already know about Africa unfortunately, are not much. I know that Africa is a LARGE continent, not a country. I know that most of the countries in Africa are included as an “undeveloped” country. However, I believe that Africa has potential to be so much like what Angelina Jolie said. I somehow indirectly helped poor children in Africa, by donating money for the UNICEF and thought that many children lack in food and education. This stereotyped me to think that Africa is definitely not a good place to live. But now I truly want to visit Africa and enjoy the beautiful sightseeing. Through Humanities class, I want to learn more about their cultures and more of famous sightseeing. Really, I want to visit Africa on someday. Just imagine the jungle full of wild animals and tropical fruits and I got lost there. It would be thrilling and fun only if I don’t die there. I’m looking forward to study Africa and hope to visit the jungle when I grow up.
What do I know for sure….
I gauss that I am not really sure about anything now after seen this vides
The perception I have about Africa is that there are people who are dressed kind of different then us, they have different culture then us.
I would like to know how do African people live or what is their lifestyle and how is it different then the lifestyle in Thailand
Okay similiar most of people who commented, I definitely know that Africa is not a country but a continent and is one of the biggest continents for sure. I have never been to Africa, well acutally anywhere other than Asia, but I would like to go there and have a tour around during vacation soime day.
One perception I have about Africa is that there are a lot of 3rd countries located in Africa, and many people are suffering from poverty in Africa. I guess that might not be true for everyone in Africa, but I think many people are poor. Another part of Africa I know is that there is a vast area of field where are a lot of wild animals and it's really a good expereince watching them freely.
Part of Africa I would like to more know about Africa is about Egypt with is a place where I heard a lot of that it is really mythical. I would like to learn about the past of Egypt and the modern cultures of Egypt.
Through many TV programs, I learned about Africa but I have never been there myself. When I think about Africa, the first thing that comes in my mind is the plains and the wild life there. I never really thought much about Africa other than the animals. Another thing that I know from hearing other people around me is how poor the continent was. It was poverty-stricken and very violent in times. On the news, when I heard about Africa, many times it was about the violence that was going on and how the people were mistreated by the government or they didn't have enough to eat. There was nothing really outstanding about Africa to me. Most of the time on TV many celebrities were and still are trying to help Africa in many ways. Some help raise money, some try to bring business to the country, and some try to help end the violence.
After watching the clip about 'tree lady' and what she did to fight for her country and the welfare of her people, it left many thoughts in my head that I had never had before about Africa. I never knew any African had won a Nobel Peace Prize, and I did not know any famous African people either, except for Martin Luther King Jr. I also saw the political turmoil that Africa was in, and how long and how much it cost for many people to stop it. I know that there are still a lot of problems going on, but it is good to know that there are still people fighting for the right cause and triumphing in the end.
I have never had the chance to visit Africa, but I would like to. I know that Africa is well known for its amount of wild life. I also know that Africa has some of the world's most poorest countries. I think that Africa is a unique continent because I think it has a wide variety of cultures and languages. I would like to learn more about what they do in their leisure time. I would also like to know what they celebrate and how they celebrate certain traditions.
This was the project I was waiting for. Before I was not so, interested about Africa. I thought Africa was all about the Pyramids and a continent that was hot. But after the watching the video about Africa in my old school, I found out Africa was not all about pyramid. The African cultures (the masks, dances, and food) and the cool things there (Bunge jumping, the desert and stars) was very fascinating. I wanted to learn more about it but I couldn’t. So, This project could be an way that I could experience Africa.
I haven't been to Africa, but I hear about the continent on the news or a magazine. Mostly, Africa is poor, and have poverty. But I heard from Global Studies that the African mothers have more babies in order to help the family. I hear a lot about how people have to drink dirty water, because there is no other choice. So I thought when I was little that all the countries in Africa are poor. However, some countries are more developed than others.
Even if Africa is the poorest continent, it has the most resources, and wild animals, such as lions, elephants, giraffes...etc.
Now, I want to learn more about their culture, traditions, what they eat, and music.
I have never been to Africa and know very little about it. Although I am uneducated on Africa I have many perceptions do to media including movies and TV shows. When I think of Africa I think of sickness, war, violence, and chaos. This is mainly dud to a movie I have seen before called Sahara. This movie has multiply seens of violence between the government and a rebellion organization. In this movie they also include scenes were there are many people dying do to a certain poisoning in the water. This is the main source to my perceptions on Africa, although most is probably untrue and exaggerated to the extreme. While doing this unit I would be very curious to know if all this is exactly true or if any of this is true. I would also like to learn about there system of governments and how they functioned.
About 3 months ago, I didn't know anything about South Africa. But now that I learned quite a lot from it, I know that South Africa had a horrible law to keep the whites and blacks separate. The Apartheid was a very cruel law to the black africans, but a triumphant law to the Africaners. I haven't been to Africa ever in my life. Africa has a very poor economic status. Why? because when others countries colonize parts of africa, they deplete the natural resources in parts of Africa. Overall, Africa is a very unfortunate continent because of all the unfortunate events happening inside its territory.
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