If you had to describe your homeland, what would you want people to know about your nation? That's what many Africans have contemplated, and many of them want to give an accurate depiction of life in various parts of Africa. Their accounts are authentic and will challenge some preconceived notions about Africa.
Photo by Rachel Pfuetzner on Unsplash
35. Great Scenery and Stability
I'm from Tanzania. One of the things that attract tourists our way is Mount Kilimanjaro and the animal migrations in the Serengeti. Also relative to most African countries, we are considered to be quite politically stable and safe.
34. Respect Your Elders
Ethiopia.
If you're at someone's home it's disrespectful to decline food, and the more you eat the better. Never raise your voice to anyone older than you. Even though we don't have much over there we still share, so don't be surprised if someone shares their last birr (Ethiopian currency) with you.
33. Come to Paradise
I am from Mauritius. Despite being a small island in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius is an African country. We have beautiful beaches and the standard of living is quite high as is the literacy rate. Mauritius is a democratic country and free and fair elections are held every five years. All in all, it's great to live in Mauritius. Maybe the only major issues are the size of the country (the population is just over 1.3 millions) and the fact that we are far from Europe, Asia, America and most of the other African countries. As a result, we tend to be self-centered.
32. African Monarchy
I am from Swaziland. It's a pretty small country. Our currency is valued the same as South Africa's. Also we have a Monarchy.
31. Plots of Land Up For Grabs
Botswana. Our land is free. When you turn 21, you are entitled to apply for 4 different kinds of plots - residential, commercial, subsistence agriculture, ranch. Waiting lists are long, but you will eventually be allocated one on which to do what you want. It's quite quick to get a ranch plot - just drive out in the Kalahari and peg it, like the US homesteaders. Oh, also up until the early 2000's you were entitled to 100 goats when you turned 21.
30. Come To the Park, Stay In The City
Kenya. The largest migration of land animals on the planet. Although to be fair we share that with Tanzania. Also, we have the only national park located within a city.
29. An Island With Rare Animals
Seychelles, we're a tropical island with a lot of incredibly rare endemic wildlife, but culturally what I assume you are imagining about the country, it is quite different. We're not at all similar to other African countries landscape-wise and we have a real mix of cultures and ethnicities.
28. A Proud History of Defeating Colonialism
Ethiopia, people here are especially proud of being the only African country to have defeated a colonial power (Italy), granted the Italians raided us again when Mussolini was in power, but they did not occupy the country for more than a five-year period. This is why the AU (like the EU but for Africa) is located in our country.
27. Look After Your Belongings
I'm from South Africa, currently visiting Zimbabwe. In SA, there's a reasonably large wealth divide. You'll drive through neighbourhoods with large houses and gardens, and then another 10 minutes of driving will get you into bad areas populated by shacks. Crime is a big issue, as well as public taxis being risk-your-life on wheels. Our government and president are corrupt.
26. Get Away With Anything For The Right Price
I'm from Mozambique, living in Maputo. The corruption in my country is really intense. If you have a cooperative attitude and some money on you, you can get away with pretty much any offense. The amount you'll pay is proportional to the infraction and can be decreased further if you have the charisma.
25. A Signature Dish
I'm from Algeria! Couscous is our national dish! Don't let other countries take that away from us. Also, we are not all desert. And we don't have many camels.
24. African Melting Pot
I'm from Cape Verde. It's a small country spread across 10 islands off the western coast of Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. We are officially part of the continent. We were a Portuguese colony until 1975. Due to our location, we were once the optimal resting point for ships doing commerce. It resulted in a mix of different languages that we call Creole. Creole is spoken by the entire country, with variants in each island, but our official language is Portuguese.
23. Party Nation
I am from Uganda, otherwise known the Pearl of Africa. This is where the source of the Nile is and the home of the great big apes, gorillas, chimpanzees and many more. And we love to party we listen to dancehall music. We are generally peaceful party animals.
22. Hoarding The Wealth
Morocco. Our king is the 7th richest monarch in the world. People are pretty poor, and we pay for the maintenance of his palaces (he has one in almost every major city). The budget the government allows for this is bigger than education and health combined.
21. A Welcoming County
Kenyan, born and bred. Kenya has managed to be fairly peaceful an has graciously hosted refugees from several countries over the years, including Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, DRC, Rwanda among others. I'd like to believe we've been good hosts but also hope we never need the same favour ever, and that civil strife will become ancient history.
20. Warm Hearts Amid Struggle
Eritrea. Established as a country in 1993 after a 30-year war against Ethiopia who had backing not only from Russia at one point but also the United States. Currently, it is the only country in Africa that does not accept foreign aid (which I think is good) but also ranks last in the world in free press (not so good). Although it is divided on political boundaries from Ethiopia, we are still one people in many respects. We are usually referred to as "Habesha" people, which translates into "the mixed people." The food is awesome and the people are the most welcoming people on earth. I'm not even saying that as an exaggeration. The current state of affairs is a little sad after overcoming so many obstacles, but the country still holds a fair amount of valuable natural resources, which hopefully can be utilized to boost GDP.
19. Overcoming Stereotypes
I'm from Nigeria. I know Nigeria has a bad reputation and honestly, she's deserving of it most of the time. Somehow, everyone here seems to grow up with the mentality that we are above the law and your actions should suit you best; it doesn't matter if it's hurting others as long as you're happy. Basically what I want you to know is not all of us are crooks.
18. A Deep Divide
I'm from Kenya. There's a pretty huge income gap even between people living in the same neighbourhood. You could have a home-owner who drives a range rover living across the road ( and behind a guarded gate) from someone who rents a mud hut. Everyone votes along tribal lines. The media reinforces this and if you base your candidacy on anything else, you won't even get coverage.
17. Peace And Struggle
Algeria. Think of the most corrupt government you know. Multiply that by 10 and you get Algeria. Other than that... it's an okay place to live. We are the largest country in Africa. We have a ton of natural gas and petrol, and we have warm relations with both the USA and Russia. Surprisingly, not all of us are nomads. The population is concentrated on the coast, mostly because everything below that is desert or mountains.
The colors of our flag represent green for the land we fought so hard to regain, red for the blood of our martyrs, and white for peace. In 1962, we kicked out the French after an 8-year revolutionary war, relying mostly on hit and run tactics, sabotage, and espionage. This was because of the superiority of the French army. We also received help from Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt: the first two gave us weapons, and Algerian independence was first declared on Egyptian radio on the 1st of November, 1954.
16. A Mixed Bag Of Chaos And Beauty
Somalia: There is fibre optic broadband in the capital and a super stable north part of the country (unofficially known as Somaliland). We are the world's only population of pirates (although the numbers are rapidly decreasing). There are beautiful sights if you ignore some other major political and religious discourse problems.
15. A Former African Empire
Malian here, I've lived in North America for quite some time. But Mali is very beautiful and green with tons of agriculture. We also have gold. Mansa Musa I was one of our most influential rulers in the world. He was known for his travels around the world and was one of the richest individuals in the early developing world.
14. Land Of Riches
I'm from Sierra Leone. Unfortunately, we were hit hard with Ebola. It is, however, among the largest producers of titanium and bauxite, a major producer of gold, and has one of the world's largest deposits of rutile. Sierra Leone is home to the third-largest natural harbour in the world.
13. Great People But Bad Governance
Eritrea. It's very similar to Ethiopia culturally with a lot of Italian influences (we were colonized by them), but comparable to North Korea politically (we're the country with the least amount of free speech). It's still a pretty cool place but I wouldn't buy a timeshare there.
12. Struggle For Freedom
As far as I see, I'm the only Sudanese Redditor here. Central Sudan, born and left. I want everyone to know that the whole country is not a war-torn battle-state defined by the tragedies of Rwanda. It is, however, a nation of people trying to get by under a neglectful "president". A lot think the Sudanese hate people from South Sudan but most of the population played no part in that and is generally happy that they were able to get rid of Al Bashir.
11. Looking For Somali Food? Think Again
Somali- I was born in Somalia and now currently living in the States. An interesting fact about Somalia is that Somali food is Italian cuisine. Somalia was colonized by Italy for years and the culture is that of Italy.
10. No Lights, No Hope
I'm from South Africa.
SA is one of the largest fruit exporters in the world and all our best fruit is exported. SA is home to the largest commercial bungee jump in the world as well as the oldest meteor impact. SA is also the only country to voluntarily give up its nuclear weapons program. We don't have wild animals roaming around on the streets as many Americans believe we do. My home city has the longest row of Oak Trees in the World.
Despite 20 years of democracy and the end of Apartheid, racial prejudice is still rife in the country. Besides racism, crime, rampant corruption, and an ever-growing wealth divide, the biggest things holding South Africa back are the ailing parastatals (state-run companies) such as our electricity companies, telecommunications services, and postal service providers. These companies undergo poor planning, mismanagement, and maladministration. As a result, we suffer through rolling power blackouts, expensive and slow internet, and an unreliable postal service which has done significant damage to the economy. Not a single parastatal in the country is successful.
9. Scenery To Remember
I'm Zimbabwean. I'm sure many of you have heard terrible things about Zimbabwe and I can say they're not completely false. The government is one of the most corrupt and dare say the most incompetent in the world. The vast majority of the population are uneducated, and it's expensive and dangerous to live here. The cities are also falling apart.
Infrastructure, power lines, water-lines, and roads haven't been maintained since Rhodesian times. But there are plenty of places largely unaffected by this. The schools are fantastic, with the town of Victoria Falls thriving, and the Zambezi is as wonderful as ever. The national parks remain largely undisturbed and the countryside is among the most beautiful in Africa. If someone were to ask about visiting Zimbabwe, I'd say it's a great idea as long as cities are avoided and the countryside is explored.
8. Snug And Warm Clothing
I'm going to represent the country i was born in, Lesotho. It's a small landlocked country completely surrounded by South Africa. We basically live off South Africa. The country is located with tons of mountains and hence we have a lot of fresh rainwater that is supplied to Johannesburg in return for other stuff. The country is politically more stable than many other African countries but still suffers from corruption and crime. One interesting thing about the people is that they wear a traditional blanket around their shoulders almost year round, regardless of the weather.
7. Stampede Crossing
Niger. It is NOT Nigeria. We're the landlocked country to the north of Nigeria that looks like a fish or a whoopie cushion. It's pronounced ni-jerr (the i sounds like eye) OR knee-jair. Not ni-jeer. Ugh please, not ni-jeer.
Ninety percent of the country is desert and unfarmable, which sucks because over 85% of the population relies on subsistence farming. It's one of the poorest countries in the world and has very few natural resources. It's very predominantly Muslim, and there have been a few fanatic groups that have targeted foreigners, but the capital is pretty safe.
It's a very dry, desolate country but its beautiful in its unique way. French is the official language but you have better luck getting around with Hausa or Zarma. Tamajeq and Fufulde are also commonly spoken. Niger is home to the last wild herd of giraffes in West Africa!
The capital in some ways is the biggest village on earth. There are two bridges across the Niger river, and one was only completed in 2010. The older one was named after President Kennedy and it is a two-lane bridge routinely blocked by herds of cows, goats, sheep, camels with huge bales of hay on their backs, and broken down trucks.
6. Breathtaking Views
I'm from Zimbabwe currently living in Australia. Despite its negative reputation lately, Zim is a beautiful currently with places like Lake Kariba and Victoria Falls - which are breathtaking. And the people are awesome. The level of strength and resilience I saw last time I was there was impressive, to say the least. As we say back home, we're definitely a people that know how to "make a plan" and overcome any situation.
5. Stuck In The Middle
Ghana.
Truly the gateway to Africa. Never too much or less of anything. From Ghana, you can move into the other neighboring/adjoining countries where depending circumstance there are extreme cases of things happening. Mention an aspect of society and you'll find a country with either an extreme case of it or a better form as compared to Ghana's. You'll always use Ghana as the yardstick. It's like we're in the middle somewhere in there. I love this country.
4. Wanna See Something Cool?
Uganda. The Nile starts in Uganda and we are right on the equator. There is a cool thing on the equator site where you can see the water swirling in different ways than it would normally. It's pretty cool. We also have Lake Victoria.
3. Abundant Natural Wealth
Guinea. We were the source of the Ebola epidemic. Our President tried to cover it up but it got worse. When Sierra Leone and Liberia got infected, he couldn't cover it up anymore. On the bright side, since it got so bad, money will be invested in research and we will have an available Vaccine. We have a ton of resources, such as gold, diamonds, bauxite, and iron. Political instability and corruption are big issues.
2. Glorious Beaches
Egyptian here:
Currently (unlike it may be presented to you on Western Media), Egypt is quickly progressing and is in good hands. It is very safe to visit and it is an amazing sight to see. From the beautiful beaches of Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, and Marsa Matrough, to the untouched desert of El Wadi el Jadid, Egypt is returning to its former glory. Most Egyptians are happy with the current political situation, even though a vocal minority are displeased since the current government does not serve the interests of corrupt businessmen and the champions of extremist ideologies. We are also part of Africa, and not Asia (or the middle east, which is not even a continent), which some people will not believe until I show them a map.
Note: We were the first country in Africa to gain independence from the colonists.
1. Natural Wonders
Zambia. It's a beautiful country located above Zimbabwe. We have one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, and we are the second-largest producer of copper in Africa. In our 50 years of independence, we have had five presidents, of which 3 have passed away (two whilst in power), yet the oldest is still alive.
