Africa is not a country

Most people don't realize that the word romance is rooted in the word Roman. Spanish and French are Romance languages. The word in its origin means fictive narrative prose. So ironically when people want 'romance' in their life they are actually saying they want fantasy, fiction, etc.

During High School I got to travel to Kenya, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and England for an entire summer due to a student exchange program. I was there for about 2 months. I got to experience all levels. I was in the hardcore ghetto of "Buro Buro", went on safari, rocked the day light metropolises of Nairobi and Hararee and got to hit the night life of clubs. It was an incredible experience. One of the main things that I brought back was a non-monolithic view of the continent. I hadn't even fully entered into my 'conscious' phase yet when I did I knew that many conscious folk over here in the United States had a skewed vision of what "Africa" was just like white folk.

I knowledge that even in today's environment many have romantic notions of what Africa is or is not. Part of it is 'humourous". Many of us who are "Black and Proud" or "Africenteric" still only claim the images of tribal warefare, starving children, or witch doctors...oh...and of course the pyramids. I mean...really. In our 'glorifying the mother land' we don't even put up ONE picture of a modern city in any country in nAfrica? I mean..really? We know of no indigneous language on the continent except Swahili? Really..? I don't want to get deep into it yet...just know...there is more. Take a look at the video and picture collage and just...think about it.