A study published this Tuesday by the organization Africa No Filter concluded that the African continent is cited in a stereotypical way when mentioned by the West, Russia and China – who are accused of not providing genuine support.
The report “Building Partnerships in an Unequal World: Africa in the political discourses of the West, China and Russia” analyzed the “persistent representations and emerging rhetoric in political discourse” of these three regions in relation to African nations from 2020 to 2023.
Africa No Filter states that “despite Africa’s growing geopolitical prominence, world leaders continue to struggle with outdated stereotypes of the continent while trying to create a new collaboration narrative“.
Through a detailed analysis of speeches and public statements by the leaders of the G7 (United States of America, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Canada), China and Russia, the investigation identified recurring themes, including “partnership with Africa”, “African problems” and “helping Africa”.
During the 2020-2023 period, some Western leaders recognized the historical and contemporary implications of colonial violence and the disproportionate responsibility that industrialized countries must bear for climate change.
However, in most political speeches, help remains absent.
They talk, talk…
Aid remains an important topic when leaders of the most powerful nations talk about Africa, but partnership discrepancies remain.
“Concern about Africa’s instability is not altruisticas most Western countries, as well as China and Russia, are interested in investing in Africa and compete with each other in terms of trade volumes”, he said.
If, on the one hand, Russia plays the double game of food aid and military aid, the West does not directly use the word “aid”, but rather “aid” or “support”, “most likely to appease the interest of political capitalism“, he emphasized.
China, on the other hand, uses the BRICS bloc (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as a cooperation mechanism “to promote economic growth, improve global governance and promote democracy in international relations”, he indicated.
The research findings suggest that, although there is recognition of the autonomy and potential of African nations, the narrative dominant often gets falling short of truly equitable involvement.
“Our analysis does not surprise us: politicians, like the people they represent or govern, continue to cling to the stereotype of the ‘problematic Africa’ that needs help, the ‘exotic Africa’ whose emphasis is on Nature and, therefore, sometimes from ‘wise Africa’, which offers inspiring ideas.” Thus, the representation of Africa is simultaneously a reflection of persistent stereotypes and new learning, he said.
“This report calls for a conscious effort on the part of world leaders to avoid stereotypes and establish genuine partnerships and mutually beneficial actions that recognize the historical and contemporary influence of Africa”, he concluded.
