What is Africa? First, it is not just a continent that needs constant help from privileged western people. We are not all poor and uneducated. We are filled from Egypt to South Africa with culture. Diverse with art, people, food, and music. We have influenced nations around the world, and use every color we have to express ourselves. We are extremely strong, confident, hard-working and dedicated, especially in our arts.
 

African art will open your eyes and never wanting to close them again. It tells you multiple stories from people that have witnessed, observed, and shared. It is educational, lets you know more than what you hear. We are very creative, using what we have to say how we feel. Eventually making something that represents our opinions, advice, events, and facts. Whether it be a painting or a large or small object, we are not boring. We should be in your history and current events books and notes. We should be in your news in the morning and evening because there is a lot of events happening that is relevant.

A quote by Okwui Enwezor says, “To think about a future is, to think about one’s possibilities in the work, and I have oftentimes said that the future belongs to Africa, because it seems to have happened everywhere else already.”

We are always looked over because we are not relevant enough. They think we are not as important as to Europe, U.S or Australia. The truth is that most of us are bilingual, have excellent careers, and help people around. We work from the bottom to up with nothing, no help needed. Yes, there is a lot of violence but isn’t there violence where you are? Why does ignorance have to affect your ability to travel a place you’ve never been? There is so much to see and so many wonderful people to meet. You’ll find that we listen to the same music you do, and want to go to concerts to see our favorite artists. We watch as much YouTube as you because we use a lot of technology as well. We also have malls, McDonalds, converse, and television.

We have history statues and buildings that are hundreds of years old. More languages in one country than the entire continent of Europe. We greet one another and talk more than be on our phones and computers. There are more places to go other than Paris, Rome, or London for your vacation. There is a whole continent waiting for you to care because we are more than what meets the eye.