Last week, I wrote about the most common misconceptions of Africa, as commonly found in the United States. If you didn’t read that post, be sure to do so, as it can be found here. In my quest to confront common misconceptions on Africa Boy, I have managed to think of even more true misconceptions about Africa.

As stated before, these misconceptions are common. I see these every day when I’m in the United States, and, to be honest, they can be a little frustrating. People claim they don’t have the time to learn them, but in all honesty, how hard is it to spend a few minutes reading these posts or doing a little research? If any of these misconceptions describe something you used to think, then that’s alright- you were one of many. Just be sure to correct what you previously believed, and correct others if they make the same mistakes. 

So, without further ado, here are five other common misconceptions about Africa.

1. Africa is a country. This is an extremely simple misconception, but a notorious mistake. Obviously, if you know anything about Africa at all, you’ll know that it’s a continent, not a country. Sadly, not everybody believes that. Some mistakenly believe that Africa is one country made up of several states, similar to the United States of America. Thankfully, Africa is made up of fifty-four countries, all independent.
2. Everybody in Africa is black. This is absolutely wrong. While the majority are black, there are still millions of Hispanic, white, Asian, or other races found within Africa. Assuming that Africa contains only dark-skinned people is equivalent to saying that the United States contains only white people.
3. Africa is homogeneous. Sadly, this is an extremely common belief. Many are under the impression that the people of Africa are the same, from skin color to attitude, religion to politics. Unfortunately, this is so far from the truth, it’s almost like saying Michael Jordan isn’t the greatest player of all time. The people in Africa are so different from each other, the diversity found within Africa is completely unparalleled. Even within the same country and district, you can find dozens of different tribes and people groups, speaking different languages, believing different religions, and supporting different political parties.
4. Africa needs Christian missionaries more than any continent in the world. As usual, this is not true. There is not a particular continent that needs particularly strong Christian support. I mean, personally, I would have said that the United States needs Christian missionaries more than any other continent, but that’s not true either. Every country and continent needs equal amounts of support and mission work. It’s up to God to determine where missionaries should go.
5. Africa is always hot. While this may be true on the Equator, there are actually seasons of snow in South Africa. In fact, even on the Equator, there are seasons in which the temperature never passes 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Interestingly, I have never seen the temperature pass below 60 degrees here, even at night. Despite that, the hottest days here are actually not as hot as the hottest days in the United States during summer. However, the humidity here often rises quite high, so even if it feels hotter, the thermometer says otherwise.

Alright, those are another five misconceptions that are commonly found in today’s world. If those changed even one of your misconceptions, then my goal has been achieved. I am going to continue to write more of these, so if you have any ideas for me, please tell me in the comment section below!

As always, thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed that post. If you haven’t already, be sure to click that Follow button below, so as to not miss out on any new posts. Thanks again, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Related Post: The 7 Most Common Misconceptions About Africa

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