Dark Continent

The world cup is here and as we sit back and get entertained by the best teams and players from around the world, I was really shocked when renown STV sports commentator Ľuboš Hlavena during Nigeria vs Croatia brazenly referred the Nigerian to be from the dark Africa. This made me stop and wonder, where the hell is the context for this unwarranted ‘attack’? This prompted me to look up “dark continent” usage in the Slovak media, only to find out the Slovak media has openly ‘normalized’ its usage and other stereotypic views about Africa and people of African origin. ﷯ Africa is home to some of the most amazing scenery and natural beauty on the planet. It is the continent where modern humans originated and has been home to some of history’s great empires. However, despite all Africa has to offer, for centuries it has carried a reputation as a poor, backward, dangerous place, and perhaps nothing exemplifies this more than its outdated nickname, the “Dark Continent.” This term and other terms that I later ran into are antiquated, racist and offensive, especially without any sort of historical context. Why WAS Africa called the Dark Continent, and why is the phrase so offensive today? Let’s take a look at the history of the term. Exploration of Africa While there is no direct origin of the name, many attribute its widespread usage to British Explorer Henry Morton Stanley, who wrote two books that both include references to Africa as “dark”: Through the Dark Continent (1878) and In Darkest Africa (1890). Common explanations for the term cite that in the 19th century, Africa was unexplored and unknown to Europeans. In this context, “dark” is simply used to mean mysterious. However, this is a bit of a misinterpretation. At that time, Africa actually wasn’t all that unexplored. Kingdoms in Africa had been trading with countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia for thousands of years. Africa was really only unknown to those who didn’t live there. However, the idea of Africa as “dark” would nonetheless help justify the wave of exploration that would come to the continent in the 19th century. When the Atlantic slave trade was abolished, Europe began taking greater interest in Africa, especially the continent’s interior. Financial and political support for African exploration grew out of the desire for wealth and national power. The exploration of Africa became a bit of an international race. In written accounts of their travels, explorers like Stanley would commonly present themselves as daring adventurers taming unknown lands. In reality, however, these European explorers often followed existing routes, led by African guides and leaders. But this notion of Africa as a “Dark Continent” would persist, aided by the embellished tales of European explorers. Bringing Out the Darkness As Europe began to carve up Africa into various territories and colonies, missionaries began to travel to the continent to convert people they saw as “inferior” and “savage.” When these missionaries encountered resistance, they blamed their failures on the inherent “darkness” of Africans. These missionaries believed that Africans were closed off from the saving light of Christianity. When explorers, traders, adventurers, and missionaries began to abuse their power in Africa, Europeans blamed the “Dark Continent,” rather than themselves. To them, Africa brought out the “darkness” or savagery in men. So in this sense, the “darkness” does not refer to the mystery of Africa, nor is it a geographic term, but rather, it is rooted in some rather bigoted views of Africa and the various people living on the continent. It was these views that colonists would use to help justify the Scramble for Africa, and the atrocities that came with it. Why is Africa Called the Dark Continent? Henry Morton Stanley used the term “Dark Continent” to build a mysterious allure around his travels in an effort to sell more books. However, the phrase entered European vernacular as a way to paint Africa as a wild, savage, untamed land. By dehumanizing the continent this way, colonizers and missionaries alike could justify their sometimes-brutal actions. With this in mind, the idea of “darkness” is less a reference to uncharted lands, and more a descriptor for people that were considered wicked and unenlightened. Given this historical background, it is understandable why some would object to the use of this term, especially when spoken in colloquial language. While the phrase isn’t meant to refer to skin color, it does have its origins in racist ideologies, and refers to the savagery Europeans thought was endemic to Africa. You can, however, find modern uses of the term used in proper context. Africa is lacking electricity on much of the continent. When looking at satellite images from space, Africa literally looks like a dark continent, as mentioned in this article from The Economist. Sometimes, it’s not necessarily the words we use, but how we use them that matter. Source AKIIC TEAM The Sporcle blog

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Slovak Government Ministries
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African Embassies and Consulates
• Burundi www.burundi-embassy-berlin.com
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• Kenya   www.kenyaembassyvienna.at
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• South Sudan www.embassy-southsudan.de
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• Uganda www.uganda.at/

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