The Woman Who Schools Stupid Would-Be Travelers

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If there’s one thing Americans are good at, it’s patriotism. In fact, it’s one of the 9 things Americans do that confuses everybody else in the world.

Unfortunately, our love for our country may have come at a price – there are some parts of the world we know very little about. I’ll give you a prime example – when I was in middle school, forever ago, I had to learn every single country in Europe. Yep, more than “Italy is boot shaped” and “Northern Ireland is north of Ireland.” And what’s more, spelling counted! To this day, I can still spell “Czechoslovakia,” although a whole lot of good that does me nowadays ;-).

You know what I never had to do, though? Learn all the countries in Africa. I think the same holds true for a lot of people, because I know for a fact that a bunch of folks thinks Africa is a whole country unto itself, instead of the 54 countries that make up the African continent.

I honestly suspect that a whole lot of people’s knowledge about Africa is what they’ve seen on TV and in movies. Out of Africa. Gorillas In The Mist. And, of course, The Lion King and Black Panther. And if you’ve ever seen The Book of Mormon on Broadway, that may be the only way some folks think they know about life in Uganda.

No offense y’all, but that’s not a whole lot of education about the African continent, and some of it is pretty incorrect and even stereotypical. But one woman is trying to change that, one humorous TikTok video at a time.

Charity Ekezie is a journalist from Nigeria. She’s doing her best to change peoples’ perceptions about Africa, by using a secret weapon: you can change a lot of people’s minds by making them laugh.

According to a report by France 24 in early 2022, Ekezie and her friends realized that a lot of commenters on TikTok, especially those from Europe and (hello!) the United States, have many incorrect perceptions of Africa. Even worse, many of them are racist.

Ekezie told France24 that a lot of people see the continent as a prehistoric place with citizens that live in huts and don’t have cell phones, internet access, running water or refrigeration.

“…I got upset because I thought these were things that people should actually know and I decided to do something about it,” she told TRT World.

@charityekezie

We don’t have Water, pls send us some 😪😭 with my sisters @oge_smallie and @nameisbeee #charityekezie #kissmyacegoodbye #african

♬ Title – Meghan Trainor

Since then, she’s made dozens of videos to explain that countries in Africa actually do indeed have tall buildings:

@charityekezie

Reply to @gshsjdbxn This isn’t the UK or the US .. it’s a country in Africa🤭 just wanted y’all to know we have buildings and good roads too 😄 Ok bye

♬ Put Some Respek on My Name – Deezy on Da Beat

refrigerators:

@charityekezie

Reply to @abbyjoy007 please send us your donations so we can buy refrigerators 😩 btw my friend @jaypeewanks has a wicked laugh 😄 #charityekezie

♬ original sound – Charityekezie

internet access (um hello, she posts the videos on TikTok!):

@charityekezie

Reply to @wrestlinmaniac And that’s how we get internet in Africa.I hope the gods forgive me for this secret reveal 😩 #charityekezie #african

♬ original sound – Charityekezie

She’s also responded to people who ask if they have iPhones, cars, McDonald’s, airplanes, Oreos, etc. in Africa. Kezie has also clarified that people in Africa also don’t walk around naked, are not cannibals and don’t live in thatched huts (I can’t believe people asked about those!).

Oh, and guess what? Morocco and Egypt are both in Africa!

@charityekezie

Replying to @kotsilver And since Africa is a planet, we easily visit Morocco. yeah🌝 #sacarsm #charityekezie #Africa

♬ original sound – Charityekezie

@charityekezie

Reply to @dornroeschenn Egypt is a village in China my darling 🙂. #charityekezie #sacarsm #egypt

♬ original sound – Charityekezie

Ekeizie makes these videos with a lot of tongue-in-cheek and sarcastic humor. She’s also known to use a bit of adult humor, so heads up that her videos are NSFW.

Click here to learn more about Africa, as per Charity Ekezie.

Feature Photo: Pixabay

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary