Line #35 NationalStereoTypes/Africa


1	----
2	'''[[AC:General Stereotypes]]'''
3	* Africa is often depicted as if it's [[AfricaIsACountry one big country instead of a continent]]. In fact, there are a lot of examples of fiction even inventing extra African countries (see {{Bulungi}}).
4	* The continent itself calls images of DarkestAfrica with diamond mines, [[HungryJungle jungles]], savanna, undiscovered civilizations or creatures, elephants, giraffes, okapis, [[KillerGorilla gorillas]], [[ManiacMonkeys chimpanzees, baboons, makis]], meerkats, hippopotamuses, [[RhinoRampage rhinoceroses]], [[PantheraAwesome lions, leopards, cheetahs, panthers]], [[HeinousHyena hyenas]], jackals, ostriches, [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodiles]], [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent pythons, black and green mambas, tortoises, geckos, chameleons]], antelopes, wildebeest, gazelles, water buffaloes, warthogs, [[CirclingVultures vultures]], mosquitoes, [[ManEatingPlant flesh eating plants]], etc. Usually whenever people visit Africa they almost trip over all these omnipresent animals, which they invariably always encounter at a dangerous moment. Luckily, they can always escape by [[VineSwing swinging on surprisingly strong vines]].
5	* Africa is generally assumed to be an entire continent full of black people (with the exception of South Africa, which is instead generally assumed to be full of white people, even though the majority of the population there is indeed black). If there are whites they are always GreatWhiteHunter, MightyWhitey or AmoralAfrikaner, there are no other options. Apparently all the Asians, Coloreds, Indians, etc. have vanished overnight.
6	** It's sometimes to the point that you'd think North Africa, which is inhabited mainly by Arabs and Berbers, wasn't even part of Africa; e.g. referring to black people in Morocco or Libya as "Africans" as if it distinguished them from everyone else there.
7	** As a result, many people recognize Africa only as "that place where black people come from."
8	* In addition, it's a common stereotype that all black Africans essentially look like West Africans, with none of the variety in phenotypes found in Europe or Asia. This stereotype is especially common in the US because it's assumed that all Africans look like Afro-Americans or Afro-Caribbeans, who are mostly descended from West and Central African groups. As a result, Eastern and Southern African phenotypes are extremely rare in depictions of black Africans.
9	* Similarly, people seem to think that Africa is just jungles and savanna with no cities or towns, just loads of small rural villages that are many miles apart. The fact that Africa hosts a wide variety of biomes and many major cities is usually forgotten.
10	* Also, it's often thought that most Africans still practice "voodoo" and/or animist religions, like "primitive tribes" used to do. In reality, Christianity and Islam are the largest religions on the continent. On the other hand, voodoo is actually still practiced to an extent in some West African countries like Benin, and other traditional religions also persist across Africa (albeit often [[InterfaithSmoothie syncretized with Christianity or Islam]]). However, it should be noted that these practices are part of rich and complex faith traditions, not the mindless magic mumbo jumbo often seen in media.
11	* [[HollywoodNatives Out-of-date, racist images]] of Africa that crop up a lot in old novels particularly, have their roots in colonial times (ancient Africa). Black Africans are depicted as childlike, primitive, superstitious people who still worship idols, believe in voodoo and witchcraft, and live in huts. They defend themselves with spears and shields. White colonists can easily trick them by selling them worthless junk in exchange for valuable items [[SufficientlyAdvancedTechnology or scare them with modern technology]].
12	** The tribe's wizard is always a [[FakeWizardry manipulative fraud]] wearing a huge imposing mask covering his true identity. He will usually be scaring his naïve tribesmen into turning against the MightyWhitey visiting their town. When TheNativesAreRestless some JungleDrums will start playing.
13	** Pygmy tribes are usually small, pathetic little dwarfs who are depicted as if they are actually children.
14	** Black African tribes are often portrayed as if they are [[CannibalTribe cannibals]]. They will catch the BoldExplorer and [[TribalCarry carry him along with his arms and legs tied to a pole]]. After arriving in their village they will [[CapturedByCannibals put him in a large black cauldron for supper.]] When they escape they will ChasedByAngryNatives.
15	** Other stereotypical images are the woman with a lip plate in her mouth or a man with a bone sticking through his nose.
16	** Stereotypical female black African depictions include the bare-breasted woman with large hanging breasts and enormous buttocks (examples of this stereotype are the 19th century sideshow attraction Saartjie Baartman and Creator/RobertCrumb's comic strip character Angelfood Mcspade) or the woman who wears [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ndebele_people_(South_Africa) multiple rings around her giraffe-like neck]]. Note this type of neck ornament is also common in Myanmar/Burma with women from the Kayan tribe, but is generally associated with Africa.
17	** If they are not hunting wild animals they'll be eating manioc. Their favorite pastime is playing the djembé while everyone dances and jumps around like crazy. When they cross a lake by pirogue they will be [[AfricanChant singing in unison]] while paddling.
18	*** Sometimes there actually is a white person living in the African jungle. He or she is usually RaisedByWolves or apes, or just GoingNative. They'll spend their time [[VineSwing swinging from a vine]], living in a TreehouseOfFun and protecting all animals from the [[EvilPoacher evil poachers]]. If it's a woman, she will be a JunglePrincess dressed in a FurBikini. As always these white jungle people will be called "savage" despite actually being able to speak enough English to be understandable, wearing enough LoinCloth to avoid the censors and having enough manners to not repulse the audiences. They will rule over the jungle animals and even the local black tribes, who in comparison will still be more primitive than our MightyWhitey NatureHero.
19	* More modern stereotypical images of black Africans are the starving little child and the mother with multiple starving kids with flies swarming all over them, probably in some sort of refugee camp or hospital. In fact, the words "hunger and drought" have almost become synonymous with Africa.
20	** All Africans speak [[YouNoTakeCandle Pidgin English]] in popular fiction or talk in sentences like: "Me very afraid, bwana!"
21	** To this day Africans are still portrayed as laidback, if not [[LazyBum "lazy"]], people. They take their time to do things and prefer sitting down under a palm tree. Especially the men are seen as a LazyHusband who just sits there while their wives do all the work. Just like the siesta in Southern European countries, this behaviour mostly stems from the hot African climate. In Western (especially American) civilization where "time is money", African laid-back attitudes are seen as something to be ashamed of. This is even associated with white Africans: South African English, and Afrikaans, has the word ''justnow'', which illustrates a certain ''mañana'' mentality which Africa has given to its white population. ''Justnow'' - the two words always run into each other - is a phrase you hear a lot in South Africa. It denotes an elastic interpretation of time where the contemplated activity might be completed in five minutes time, in an hour, later today, tomorrow, next week, next month, or possibly never. If pressed and made aware of a sense of urgency, the Saffie might go up a gear and switch to ''na-now'', but even this is elastic.
22	** This is also where the idea of "backwards Africa" comes from. A lot of infrastructure found in Sub-Saharan Africa is very out-of-date with origins in the colonial era, and due to poverty and instability, in many parts of the continent, it has never been replaced. Black Africans are thus often portrayed as being [[HopelessWithTech too stupid]] or lazy to make something better or repair the old systems.
23	** This lack of proper public education also explains one of Africa's largest problems: the spread of various deadly diseases which gave the continent another negative association. It sometimes seems EverythingIsTryingToKillYou in Africa: AIDS, Ebola, malaria, yellow fever...
24	** Africa has a reputation for [[TheGeneralissimo brutal and often crazy dictators]] who oppress and massacre their own citizens by the score. They will usually be kept in power by Western governments to support their own benefits in the countries. Yet, just like the clichés about Latin America, most of these dictatorships are very short-term and one tyrant will quickly be replaced by another. If an African dictator is referred to by name, it'll usually be UsefulNotes/IdiAmin (Uganda), Bokassa (Central African Republic) or Mobutu (Democratic Republic of the Congo/Zaire).
25	** All African countries are constantly torn apart by tribal warfare between ill-disciplined thugs wielding machetes and AK-47s and committing genocide. They will exploit young boys into becoming child soldiers and indulge in gruesome murder, torture, and rape among other crimes. This trope is ''usually'' thought of as applying specifically to sub-Saharan Africa (except for South Africa, which has its own, relatively specific set of stereotypes).
26	* Africans of any nationality are conspicuously absent from fighting videogames, especially as this medium is usually presented as some sort of tournament involving fighters from "all over the world". This often leads to cries of ignorance and prejudice in fan forums. North American, European and Asian characters make up the lion's share of characters and in the main beat 'em up series, ''[[{{Franchise/StreetFighter}} Street Fighter]]'''s Elena, a native of Kenya, is one of the few African fighters depicted. Arguably, this might be explained by HollywoodAtlas. Fighting games rely heavily on exploiting well-known National Stereotypes when presenting characters (especially the pioneering ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' series), and for many people, African culture, iconography, and the multitude of nationalities therein all blend into one big melange, which Elena, as a Savannah-dwelling, Maasai-inspired Kenyan covers off nicely. It's far easier to design characters from [[QuintessentialBritishGentleman England]], [[LatinLover Italy]], [[AllChinesePeopleKnowKungFu China]], [[IKnowKarate Japan]], etc. because there are ''such'' distinct, iconically familiar, universally recognizable national character/appearance traits that can be referenced and parodied for these countries -- put simply, most of the game-buying public could not tell the difference between Kenyan and Tanzanian culture.
27	** Whenever Africans do end up showing in fighting games however, they tend up to be either very primitive (such as Elena, mentioned above, as well as fellow Kenyans from lesser known games: Zazie from ''Fighter's History'', Mahamba from ''Martial Champion'', and Baraki from ''Power Moves'') or very mystical (such as the Egyptian Menat from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' and Anakaris from ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'', as well as the Malian Dolores from ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters''[[note]]Her protege, Kukri, is also African, however his real birthplace is still unknown[[/note]]). Occasionally, there may be also African characters with futuristic influences, such as the robotic Cyrax from ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' (from Botswana) and the samurai-like Nagoriyuki from ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' (from Nigeria).
28	* To conclude with a more joyful, yet very romanticized idea of Africa: archaeologists widely see it as the birth place of mankind. Many prehistoric fossils of the first hominids have been found in Southern, East and Central Africa and indeed many tourists are attracted to Africa's rural atmosphere, almost as if ''they are coming home''. Typical images exploited by safari tourism are the sun rising above the equator, intense heat that makes the horizon appear to vibrate, elephants crossing the savanna and watching lions from the safety of your jeep.
29	* All African music is either AfricanChant, {{Afrobeat}} or JungleDrums.
30	* As a result of being impoverished, Africa [[DevelopingNationsLackCities has no large cities]]. Just huts everywhere.
31
32	'''North Africa'''
33	* Mostly many of the same [[{{Qurac}} desert clichés and stereotypes]] found in The Middle East (see NationalStereotypes/{{Asia}}).
34	** The people of the '''Maghreb''' (UsefulNotes/{{Morocco}}, UsefulNotes/{{Libya}}, UsefulNotes/{{Algeria}} and UsefulNotes/{{Tunisia}}. While UsefulNotes/{{Mauritania}} is usually included in West Africa instead of North, it's also part of the Maghreb) tend to be lumped together by Eastern Arabs, which is kind of a shame. They are universally stereotyped as TheUnintelligible, as their dialect is very hard to understand (foreigners should think of Russian with even more difficult consonants).[[note]]So yes, they speak [[Advertising/TheMostInterestingManInTheWorld Arabic... in Russian]].[[/note]] They also get a fair amount of "Berber" stereotype mixed in, which is similar to that of Bedouin, only not Arab.
35
36	'''UsefulNotes/{{Algeria}}'''
37	* Best known for being a former French colony between 1830 and 1961. The Algerian War for Independence (1954-1961) was one of the most well known conflicts for independence, immortalized in the film Film/TheBattleOfAlgiers (1966). Various internationally famous Frenchmen were also born in Algeria before usually moving back to France afterwards, like novelist Creator/AlbertCamus, fashion designer UsefulNotes/YvesSaintLaurent and boxer Marcel Cerdan (with whom Music/EdithPiaf had a relationship). Thus expect lasting hatred of the French that will be drummed up by local politicians for their agendas or to cover up for corruption, failures etc.
38	* LegionOfLostSouls: The French Foreign Legion is another legendary phenomenon associated with the country. Expect people with a MysteriousPast to enlist in said army, usually a HeartbrokenBadass, [[NobleFugitive political]] [[YouCantGoHomeAgain refugees]] and/or various rogues and scoundrels and the like. They are always depicted wearing white khepis while standing guard at lonely outposts in the Sahara. In real life, the Legion operates in a variety of environments and conflicts (such as French Indochina) and wears camouflage as needed.
39	* Infamous for a [[UsefulNotes/AlgerianCivilWar long civil war]] between 1991 and 2002.
40	* Algeria is also known for a specific kind of folk music, named raï, which in the 1980s became more popular in the West too, when the local government finally accepted it as a national treasure. The most internationally famous Algerian musician is Cheb Khaled, aka Khaled, who scored two big hits with “Didi” (1992) and “Aïcha” (1996).
41	* Algeria has also been the largest country in Africa since Sudan split into two countries, although most of it is uninhabited desert outside of the coast.
42
43	'''[[UsefulNotes/ModernEgypt Egypt]]'''
44	* UsefulNotes/AncientEgypt: In popular culture EgyptIsStillAncient: pyramids, mummies, sphinxes (like [[Art/TheSphinx the one in Gizeh]]), ancient tombs, hieroglyphs, obelisks, sarcophaguses, pharaohs (expect references to UsefulNotes/CleopatraVII, Cheops, UsefulNotes/RamsesII, Nefertete, UsefulNotes/{{Tutankhamun}} or UsefulNotes/{{Akhenaten}}), and characters [[WalkLikeAnEgyptian "walking like an Egyptian"]].
45	** PyramidPower: Characters will usually discover an ancient yet undiscovered tomb built in honor of some pharaoh. The entire treasure will be present, but when they try to leave they are threatened by the "{{Curse}} of the {{Mummy}}". Either a mummy rises from its grave or they all fall ill or die in mysterious circumstances.
46	** Egyptians are also frequently portrayed as hypnotists and/or {{fortune teller}}s. The latter likely comes from a longstanding misconception that UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} people (often stereotyped as fortune tellers) are of Egyptian extraction--hence the slur "gypsy"--when in reality they came from northern UsefulNotes/{{India}}.
47	* The Nile, Alexandria, the piramids of Cheops, the sphinx of Gizeh, the temple of Luxor and Abu Simbel, the Aswan Dam, Port Said and the Suez Canal might get referenced too.
48	* In the Bible Egypt is most famous for the story about Moses leading [[Literature/BookOfExodus the exodus of his people]].
49	* In 1798 UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte invaded Egypt. Among the people he brought along with him was archaeologist François Champollion, who deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyphs, which led to an increase in public interest in Egyptian history and culture ever since.
50	* In the 1950s Egypt finally got noticed by the rest of the world again, when UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser became head of state and turned the centuries-old monarchy into a republic. In 1956 he also caused a major economic crisis when he nationalized the Suez Canal, which led various Western powers to go to war with Egypt. Since then the only major events that attracted international interest were the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981 and the 2011 Egyptian revolution which ousted President Hosni Mubarak from power.
51	* Culturally the world knows three world-famous Egyptians: legendary and influential singer Umm Khultum, film icon Omar Sharif, and more recently football (soccer) star Mohamed Salah.
52	* Out of all the Arab countries, this is the one most likely to be depicted with anything approaching affection for Israel.
53	* In Arabic countries themselves Egyptians are seen as laid-back. They are always cracking very lowbrow, overstated jokes about everything; PungeonMaster also comes into play, as does BoisterousBruiser (without the alcohol, most of the time). They are often considered BookDumb, but also quick-witted when it comes to solving practical problems. Nevertheless proud--if sometimes vaguely--of [[UsefulNotes/AncientEgypt Egypt's ancient heritage]], as evidenced by the phrase ''Masr omm ad-dunya'' ("Egypt [is] the mother of the world"); this has occasionally given others in the Arab world indigestion. Historically also seen as kind of submissive; [[UsefulNotes/TheArabSpring this was proven wrong in the most epic way imaginable]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2013_Egyptian_protests they did it again in 2013.]]
54	* Egyptian women have a reputation as belly dancers; Egyptians kind of brought this one on themselves, as Egyptian movies (the most popular ones in the Arab world) always have one.
55	** To give you an idea about how Egyptians view themselves and their pervasive film industry, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE28t8qc1H0 these]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYpxQtXLVOA are]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlC0ey064ro some]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-rGCwe-XP0 commercials]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr0jiWvFaFI from]] an Egyptian movie channel (based for whatever reason in Canada), featuring a wannabe ''auteur'', a [[ExecutiveMeddling sex-obsessed and lowbrow film executive]], and the scripts of several top-notch American films. Enjoy.
56
57	'''[[UsefulNotes/{{Libya}} Libya]]'''
58	* From 1969 to 2011 the country was most famous for dictator UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi and support of terrorism. Expect references to Libya from that period to be mostly references to Gaddafi. For instance, a Libyan character will be wearing the same CoolShades he did.
59	* The city Cyrene may ring a bell to biblical scholars, because of Simon of Cyrene, who carried Jesus' cross a few miles for him.
60
61	'''[[UsefulNotes/{{Morocco}} Morocco]]'''
62	* Morocco, with its deserts and [[BazaarOfTheBizarre many bazaars]], is used as a template for ''"Middle Eastern"'' settings, and almost any Arab country (or generically "Middle Eastern" country) depicted in a live-action movie will almost ''always'' be filmed in Morocco. It has a big enough desert to build sets in (far away enough from major cities), while being secular enough that nobody will come and arrest you for having alcohol and girls in MsFanservice outfits. This is even referenced in films like ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'' and ''Film/NakedLunch'', where Morocco is depicted as a place where you can enjoy the excitement of participating in illegal activities.
63	* Known for Berbers, fezzes, carpets and scimitars.
64	* Occasionally whinges to Spain about those little bits of territory at its northern end, not that Spain cares.
65
66	'''UsefulNotes/{{Sudan}}'''
67	* Only known in the West for genocide and arresting people who give teddy bears Muslim names. The region is divided into Muslim Sudan in North Africa and Christian South Sudan in East Africa.
68	* Darfur Conflict and lots of rape, murder and refugees.
69	* Muslim Sudan is like the Congo, but hotter, sandier, and with people yelling "Allahu Akbar!"
70	* South Sudan is the world's newest nation.
71	* In UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire and the Anglophone it became the embodiment of TheHorde during the Mahdist Revolt which captured Khartoum resulting in the death of General George Gordon, and leading to a war for revenge on the part of the Victorian public.
72
73	'''UsefulNotes/{{Tunisia}}'''
74	* Historically they are best known for the empire Carthage, who were able to give the powerful Roman empire a hard time when conqueror Hannibal crossed the Alps with his elephants and invaded Italy. They also have been suspected to practice child sacrifices.
75	* Tunisia is also a popular film location, usually for biblical films and TV series, like ''Series/JesusOfNazareth'' and ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'', but different kind of pictures like ''Film/ANewHope'' and ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' have also been filmed here.
76
77	'''Southern Africa'''
78
79	'''UsefulNotes/{{Botswana}}'''
80	* Known as the least corrupt country in Africa, with a consistent record of uninterrupted democratic elections.
81	* Home of the Okavango Delta, one of the world's largest inland deltas.
82
83	'''UsefulNotes/{{Eswatini}}'''
84	* Often mistaken for being the origin of and speaking Swahili due to the country's former name, Swaziland.
85	* One of the only two absolute monarchies outside of Asia (the other being the Vatican).
86	* Known for having the highest rate of HIV/AIDS and the lowest life expectancy ''in the world'' at 49.18 years.
87
88	'''UsefulNotes/{{Namibia}}'''
89	* The country with a desert on its coast.
90	* The only German-speaking country outside of Europe and only African country with German as a recognized national language.
91
92	'''UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica'''
93	* From 1948 until 1994 [[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra Apartheid]] used to be this country's most notorious aspect, see for instance the ''Series/SpittingImage'' song ''I've Never Met a Nice South African''. Even though that system has been abolished it remains associated with the country.
94	** AmoralAfrikaner: White upper-class South Africans are either "Rooineks" (British) or "Afrikaners" (mostly Dutch, with German, Hugenot, and a little Nordic blood in the mix). Usually, they will wear khaki shirts and live in a big mansion or a hovel, lamenting the good old days when apartheid was still in effect. They are all viciously racist and bluntly call their servants "boys" and all black people "kaffirs". Middle class apparently doesn't exist, even though in reality South Africa has the largest middle class of any African nation. There also seem to exist no white South Africans of anything other than British or Dutch descent in popular culture, despite the fact that there are also a lot of people with Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Jewish, and Lebanese ancestry.
95	** South African TV characters in non-South African programs are disproportionately white. This has a partial justification because of apartheid -- whites are more likely to be able to afford to leave the country. Still, said justification is getting pretty dated by now, given the size of the non-white middle class these days (a recent news story claimed that more black than white folks were emigrating, make of that what you will). White South Africans will ''always'' be [[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra racist]] and stinking rich. This is probably because of [[TheLawofConservationofDetail The Law of Conservation of Detail]]. South Africa is where most white sub-Saharan Africans are from; if writers were looking for a black African character, they would likely pick [[{{Main/Bulungi}} some other African country]].
96	** If black South Africans ''do'' get portrayed, it's always in the context of the end of Apartheid, with Nelson Mandela often getting name-dropped.
97	** In post-Apartheid media, white South African men will almost ''always'' be [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenaries]]. This has a degree of truth to it, as the first PMC, Executive Outcomes, was founded by a former South African special forces officer and most of its personnel came from the apartheid-era military, which downsized significantly after 1994. This is a large part of the AmoralAfrikaner trope.
98	* South Africans will always speak Afrikaans or speak mangled English where they swallow certain syllables, over-emphasise the rolled "r", or flatten vowel sounds. It's always important to drop the word "wildebeest" at one point.
99	** South African comedian Creator/TrevorNoah of the Daily Show remarked that whenever a South African tries to speak German, it sounds like an Adolf Hitler speech to Germans. All Germans hear a [[BlackSpeech South African accent]] in spoken German and think "Hitler".
100	* Generally seen as the most Westernized of the African countries, with some outright considering it part of the West, though it still retains much of its African culture and traditions.
101	* Birthplace of Creator/JRRTolkien and Elon Musk.
102
103	'''West Africa'''
104
105	'''[[UsefulNotes/CoteDIvoire Ivory Coast]]'''
106	* Know for their production of chocolate and the child slavery involved in it.
107	* Also, a rather recent thing, the country is a prominent nest of "brouteurs" -- [[{{GIRL}} Internet scammers posing as attractive women]] in order to strip unsuspecting single men of their cash via online payments systems.
108
109	'''UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}}'''
110	* An African country founded by African-Americans.
111	* One of the only two countries in Africa to not be colonized by Europeans, the other being Ethiopia (though Ethiopia was briefly taken over by Italy in World War II).
112	* For a time, Liberia was synonymous with civil war, war criminals and maniacal warlords who committed horrific atrocities every day, being at its worst considered a pariah state. Fortunately, since the end of the civil war the situation in the country has improved considerably.
113	* Home of Raiden from the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' franchise and George Weah.
114
115	'''UsefulNotes/{{Mali}}'''
116	* Known primarily for the ancient city of Timbuktu, speculated by Europeans to be the African equivalent of El Dorado.
117	* The ancient Mali Empire might also get mentioned here and there, especially its most famous ruler Mansa Musa, possibly the wealthiest man to have ever existed.
118	* Now known for UN peacekeeping missions due to the rise of terrorism in the country.
119
120	'''UsefulNotes/{{Nigeria}}'''
121	* '''Nigerians and West Africans''' in general are known across Africa as Internet scammers and people involved in [[HollywoodVoodoo Black Magic or Voodoo]], whom you better not to mess with.
122	** Not to mention the most common scam Nigerians are associated with is the FourOneNineScam.
123	* Music fans know it for being the birthplace of Music/FelaKuti alongside several other Afro-beat stars.
124	* Sometimes acknowledged as the greatest powerhouse of sub-Saharan Africa.
125	* Expect African Terrorists to come from here if not from Somalia or Uganda.
126	* Most African-Americans are of Nigerian descent. So are most Black Canadians, though a substantial majority of that group trace their Canadian origins to the Caribbean and identify much more with that region. (Though it should be pointed out that a good number of them, particularly in Nova Scotia, can trace their roots to America).
127	* In Africa itself, Nigerians (especially the Yoruba) are known for their bombastic, lively, personalities, the campy nature of Nollywood films, and their immense pride, often lording their status as the 'powerhouse of Africa' over the rest of their neighbors.
128	* They are also known for their perpetual feuds with other West African countries (especially Ghana) over who has the best Jollof Rice.
129
130	'''UsefulNotes/SierraLeone'''
131	* In a constant state of civil war for control over the diamond mines, with rebels hacking people's limbs off.
132
133	'''East Africa'''
134
135	'''UsefulNotes/{{Ethiopia}}'''
136	* '''Ethiopia''''s pretty much only known in the West now for its horrific famines, thanks to that particularly brutal one it suffered through in the 1970s and '80s that led to Live Aid, Band Aid, "Do They Know It's Christmas?", etc. Otherwise, it's lumped in with the rest of sub-Saharan Africa in terms of being thought of as a heavily pagan, juju spirit-believing culture, although UsefulNotes/OrthodoxChristianity was introduced in the 4th century, Judaism even earlier, and there is a decently large Muslim population.
137	* It's one of the two countries in the Horn of Africa (the other being Eritrea, though Eritrea has a huge Muslim minority with them being almost half the population of the country) that aren't Muslim.
138	* It's also known as Kenya's main rival in running competitions, although in a AlwaysSecondBest way.
139	* Known for its extremely delicious food, particularly injera (the local flatbread) and wat (stews).
140	* Increasingly, it has become acknowledged as the only indigenous African nation to withstand the full brunt of colonialism.
141
142	'''UsefulNotes/{{Kenya}}'''
143	* '''Kenyans''' are known for being [[SuperSpeed exceptionally fast runners]] and for the massive abundance of stereotypical African wildlife (Lions, Elephants, and Giraffes, oh my!) that live in the Masai Mara, a nature reserve that crosses the border between Kenya and Tanzania, where it is known as the Serengeti. Oh and, speaking of Masai, every Kenyan who isn't dressed for a marathon at the moment, is dressed in red cloth and carries a spear.
144	* More ignorant people think U.S. President UsefulNotes/BarackObama was born there. In reality only his father's side of the family hails from this country, which still prides the local population. (Chris Rock used to joke that Obama's name makes you picture the aforementioned red-draped spear-carrier standing over a dead lion.)
145	* Among UsefulNotes/{{Cricket}} followers, they are considered an able second-unit team that has on occasion won quite a few underdog victories.
146	* Birthplace of UsefulNotes/RichardDawkins.
147
148	'''UsefulNotes/{{Madagascar}}'''
149	* Yes, there's [[WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}} a movie series]] named after it. No, the real Madagascar is nothing like the movies. For starters there are no penguins; there are lemurs, though, but they don't "like to move it, move it".
150	* Known for its exotic fauna and flora that can be found nowhere else, sometimes getting the nickname "the eighth continent" by ecologists.
151	* Due to a bunch of silly ideas circulating for a short while among various strands of nationalists in Central Europe before the Second World War and the subsequent MemeticMutation resulting from sheer ridiculousness of the whole concept, Madagascar has become, in relevant parts of the world, the go-to name for an odd and very deluded sort of colonialist mindset coupled with an equally insipid side order of anti-Semitism.
152
153	'''UsefulNotes/{{Mauritius}}'''
154	* Primarily known for the extinct [[DoofyDodo Dodo]].
155	* A tropical island paradise, with Creator/MarkTwain stating "Mauritius was made first and then heaven; and heaven was copied after Mauritius."
156	* They are also known as the only Hindu-majority country outside of South Asia.
157	* A mention might be made of a postal stamp, which is the Holy Grail for stamp collectors.
158
159	'''UsefulNotes/{{Rwanda}}''' & '''UsefulNotes/{{Burundi}}'''
160	* Best known for the 1994 genocide between the Hutu and Tutsi population, which inspired ''Film/HotelRwanda''.
161
162	'''UsefulNotes/{{Somalia}}'''
163	* Somali people are usually portrayed as being very tall and very skinny. In the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, they (as well as other peoples from the Horn of Africa) are stereotyped as not being real "Africans" or not looking black enough, under the assumption that they descend from Arabians and other multiracial invaders. In reality, most people in Somalia have lived in the Horn of Africa for thousands of years. And despite their location on a major trade route (between the Middle East and North Africa on one hand and Central Africa and South Asia on the other), they show [[http://www.thegeneticatlas.com/DNA_Somalia.jpg surprisingly little genetic admixture]].
164	* Historically, Somalis are known for being the first people to domesticate the [[HorseOfADifferentColor camel]] and spread it all around the Middle East and Africa.
165	* In more recent times the country is mostly known for the twenty-year-old civil war that ravaged everything and created an absence of a functioning central government during that time. Somalia is often said to be a real-life example of [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies anarchism.]] Depending on the writer's [[AuthorTract political views]], this situation will be [heavily romanticized or [[AnarchyIsChaos unbelievably grim.]]
166	* Somalis are mostly depicted as being Muslims with [[MassiveNumberedSiblings many children]]. Four children is a small family to them. So many Somalis have fled the problems in their country and migrated to Europe and the U.S. that they're seen as a problem by some people there.
167	* Since the 2000s Somalia is seen as an increasingly poor, backward, and primitive country in the West. Women are still forced to undergo inhuman circumcisions at a young age and when you travel by sea [[RuthlessModernPirates pirates]] will attack your ship.
168	* Terrorist outfits like Al-Shabaab use the chaos in Somalia to operate unmolested.
169	* On a more positive note, Somalia has also produced many famous and beautiful female models.
170
171	'''UsefulNotes/{{Tanzania}}'''
172	* Best known for being the birthplace of Music/{{Queen}} frontman Music/FreddieMercury. He was born Farrokh Bulsara on the island of Zanzibar... though it was a British possession when he was born, and only became incorporated into Tanzania in 1964.
173
174	'''UsefulNotes/{{Uganda}}'''
175	* During the 1970s it was most famous for dictator UsefulNotes/IdiAmin.
176	* The origin of [[UnusualEuphemism "Discussing Uganda"]], as well as Ugandan Knuckles.
177	* Crazy rebel generals who use child soldiers, like Joseph Kony.
178
179	'''UsefulNotes/{{Zimbabwe}}'''
180	* In the years when it was still called ''"Rhodesia"'', it was best known for being Cecil Rhodes' former colony and an apartheid state not too different from South Africa. However, roving journalist Max Hastings visited Rhodesia during UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra and remarked that its application of apartheid pulled off the major feat of making the South African version seem liberal and enlightened.
181	* Up until 2009, Zimbabwe was notorious for its [[RidiculousExchangeRates extreme hyperinflation]].
182
183	'''Central Africa'''
184
185	'''UsefulNotes/{{Angola}}'''
186	* Known for their Civil War during the Cold War between the Communist People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and the anti-Communist National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), with Cuba being involved in supporting the MPLA.
187	* It's now known as the fastest-growing economy in Africa and the third largest financial market in sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria and South Africa, primarily thanks to Chinese investment, with Angola being China's biggest supplier of oil.
188	* Their capital, Luanda, is known as one of the most expensive cities in the world, with things like a sandwich costing $26 and a half-liter tub of vanilla ice cream costing $31.
189
190	'''UsefulNotes/{{Cameroon}}'''
191	* Often referred to as "Africa in miniature" due to having all the major environments of Africa in one country, with mountains, coast on the west, savanna in the center, rainforest in the south, and desert in the north.
192
193	'''UsefulNotes/CentralAfricanRepublic'''
194	* Notable for declaring itself a post-colonial empire, but in reality, it was just a military dictatorship disguised as a constitutional monarchy with its leader Jean-Bedel Bokassa expending one-third of the country's budget on a lavish coronation ceremony inspired by Napoleon Bonaparte's coronation. Needless to say, it was a short-lived experiment as Bokassa was ousted and the republic restored.
195	* Nowadays, it's more well-known for the current religious war between Christians and Muslims.
196
197	'''UsefulNotes/{{Chad}}'''
198	* Known mostly for getting into a war with Libya fought mostly with Toyota pickups. And winning. To the dismay of the company, which would rather prefer to be associated with less warlike applications, the "Toyota War" endowed the humble Toyota Hilux with an otherwise positive reputation of a truck that will take any punishment and work in any environment.
199
200	'''UsefulNotes/DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo'''
201	* A war-torn country where [[RapePillageAndBurn all sorts of atrocities]] happen every day.
202	* Literature lovers know it for being the setting to Joseph Conrad's novel ''Literature/HeartOfDarkness'' as well as the controversial Franchise/{{Tintin}} album [[Recap/TintinTintinInTheCongo Tintin in the Congo]].
203	* Historically it’s best known as Belgium’s only colony between 1884 and 1960, though until 1909 it was mainly private property of Belgian king Leopold II. He exploited the country’s riches without concern for the local population. Compared with the atrocities committed under his rule the colony had a less bloody colonial history after his death, when he donated his private colony to the Belgian government. In 1960 Congo became independent but succumbed into a civil war, with Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba being assassinated with knowledge and support of the Belgian government. Between 1965 and 1997 it was run by dictator Seko Seko Mobutu, one of the more recognizable African presidents due to his leopard skin hat. Since then Congo is still a war-torn dictatorship where all sorts of atrocities happen every day.
204	* Between 1971 and 1997 Congo was known under the name ‘Zaire’. It became the center of international attention in 1974 when the legendary boxing event “The Rumble of the Jungle” took place in Zaire between boxing legends George Foreman and UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli.
205	* Congo is known for its mineral wealth, particularly rubber, coltan, cobalt, copper, diamonds and uranium.
206	* The most famous animal is the Congolese gorilla, who lives in mountainous areas.
207
208	'''UsefulNotes/EquatorialGuinea'''
209	* Known as the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa.
210	* Infamous for its AxeCrazy first president, Francisco Macías Nguema, with the current president, Teodoro Obiang, not being seen as much better.
211

Context NationalStereoTypes / Africa