Preconceived Notions

"The problem was not the ignorance, it was the preconceived notions."

 I've been disappointed with people's reactions to my upcoming trip to South Africa. "What will you eat?" "Where will you live?" "Do you need to get shots?" "Be careful." These responses aren't entirely unwarranted but I think they reflect an incorrect assumption about the world today. Africa, we've been taught, is a place where people are poor, hungry, and sick. Africans live in shacks and fight in civil wars. While this description may be accurate for many parts of Africa, it is not representative for all of it. Africa is not one big country. It is made up of many nations, large and small, rich and poor, war-torn and peaceful. South Africa has had a tumultuous history; I have heard that racism and homophobia are still rampant and that poverty is common. However, it is also a member of the G-20 and a founding member of the United Nations. It ranks 25th in the world for GDP.

South Africa is also the most progressive country in Africa and perhaps in the world. In 2005, the Supreme Court of South Africa declared it unconstitutional to deny gay people the right to marry. In 2006, "South Africa became the fifth country, the first in Africa, the second outside Europe, and the first republic to legalize same-sex marriage."*

Hans Rosling, a stastician and doctor has given a few TED presentations about poverty and development in the world. He says that the idea that there still exists a dichotomy between what he calls "We" and "them" or the Western world and the third world "a stupid concept of developing countries." He has some fascinating data (shown in pretty graphics) here: http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen.html 



He presents a follow-up here: http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights_on_poverty.html




*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_South_Africa