I know that it has been ages since I wrote on this blog. I apologize and I promise I have a good reason, but that can wait. As I said before, I have biweekly assignments that I am writing as part of my mark so here is my first one of this semester to keep you occupied while I get back in the rhythm of writing.
From Canada, people
often group the many different countries in the continent of Africa under the
single banner of ‘Africa’. Imagine grouping
together all the European countries with their various ethnic groups and naming
them ‘France’.
Then think about how many ethnic groups comprise Europe
and multiply this number by fifty or even one hundred. Africa
is comprised of thousands of different ethnic groups. For example, there are
approximately sixty languages spoken in Burkina Faso and at least as many
different tribes. If you move to any of the neighbouring countries, you will
find a completely different composition of ethnicities. There may be some
overlap of ethnic groups like the Mossi people of northern Burkina due to the
arbitrary placement of country borders in colonial times. Nevertheless, there
are still major differences in cultures, languages, histories, and traditions moving
from one country to the next. And people in Canada are rarely able to even
distinguish between countries.
Over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays I traveled to Senegal with my
family. While there were many similarities to Burkina, I was continually struck
by the differences. The same sentiment was expressed by Kevin and Jeannette on
their return from Botswana
and Ghana
respectively. In Burkina motorbikes outnumber cars by a ratio of at least
ten-to-one while in Senegal,
Botswana, and Ghana there
were very few motorbikes to be seen. ‘Fast food’ was another anomaly for each of
us during our travels. Language was another difference that I observed in Senegal. While
the majority of people living in Burkina’s cities are relatively fluent in France, communication with market vendors and
taxi drivers in Dakar
is a challenge without a working knowledge of Wolof, the local language.
In my opinion, one of the biggest contributors to these differences is
the varying levels of Western influence that has been present in each of these
countries. Burkina is a landlocked country with few natural resources and
tourist attractions. Senegal
and Ghana
on the other hand contain fairly major ports which have been used for hundreds
of years by different European countries. They are also major tourist
destinations for European travelers as they are relatively easy to access and
inexpensive. Botswana also
draws foreign tourists and money with its game parks and the Okavango
delta. As Western tourists infiltrated the society of these countries they
began to offer more of the comforts and ideals that the tourists desired such
as fast food restaurants, luxury hotels, and larger vehicles. The Western
influence can still be observed in Burkina Faso, but it has permeated
the society to a lesser extent.
When I tell Burkinabé people that I am Canadian, their following
question is not to determine where Canada
is or if it is a part of the United States,
but rather in what region of Canada
I live. When I tell Canadian people that I am in Burkina Faso, often their first
question is instead “where is that?” Whether or not we have visited a specific
African country, we have still been influential in the changes it has
experienced over time. With the amount of influence that we have had in these
countries, the least we can do is respect their differences. In a world that is
becoming more globalized and better connected every day, distinguishing between
our global neighbours is important and arguably essential.
L and I watched a Ted Talk emphasizing the point that you can't group it as Africa- it was good, I'll pass it along...
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