Good Example Of White Messiah Complex: Western Perception Of African Countries Research Paper

Various factors come into play when it comes to Africa and how it is portrayed in the media across the world. Africa has been the centre of many worlds who visit for various reasons. The media in this case has accumulated a series of information that portray Africa to the general world in various ways. The various ways in which most of the African countries have been portrayed by the media across the world include the general perception of increased level of poverty due to low rankings when it comes to the world economy rankings, a common grounds for increased market opportunities, a platform for tourism due to the various grounds that offer tourist attractions sites including numerous national parks, and a general perception various cases of political instability and insecurity (Drennan, Levett, and Swartz, 1991).
Africa is perceived as a region that has increased level of poverty. The various economies of African countries that have been visible to the entire world have made it appear a poverty affected area. In this case, the perception perceived by the entire world gives by the social media gives them an idea that most African people offer a way for employing cheap labour in most of their companies. For this reasons, most foreign countries opt to import foreign expertriots from African countries due to the fact that they offer cheap labour from poor backgrounds.
Most African countries have also been perceived in the past as by the media as common grounds for marketing of various products. Africa is known in the past and the current times of its nature to consume more than they produce. Increased levels of consumption in these countries have made other countries create a business opportunity for their products (Schmidt, Olomo, and Corcoran, 2012). The African countries in this case offer ready markets for the high levels of manufacturing that take place across other countries.
The current times in Africa are characterized by the media perceiving is a tourist attraction continent. Africa is publicized on various sites and platforms using the various tourist attraction sites making them a rare attraction centre for most tourists. For this case, many people across different countries visit Africa during their vacations to explore the different tourist attraction sites and have fun through various recreation activities.
Another major issue is the health perceptions of Africa. The latest infections of the deadly disease of Ebola that greatly affected Nigeria and other selected areas of Africa have also been on scale for the worldwide media. For this case, various international embassies in African countries have had to increase the shut downs of people travelling from Africa to international countries with the fear of spreading the deadly infection to their people. In this case, many NGOs have made an effort to get involved into the issue before it could propagate to a world disaster. They have been on the running to identify and isolate the selected victims who have shown the signs of the disease. The level of isolation and prevention that was taken by international countries was a clear indication of the perception they have towards most of the African countries. They are fully aware of our lack of enough resources and facilities to attend to emergency services like Ebola. In this case, they have to ensure that connections with Africa are completely cut down until they are solved.
The latest perception of Africa by the media across the world including the news that are rapidly propagated across the world by the BBC news is the rising level of insecurity. Most parts of African countries have had a series of terrorists’ attacks that has polarized the general perceptions of the countries safety. In this case, the levels of insecurity in this case have seen to be dropping where the terrorist have not been able to be tracked down to their main source. In this case, the tourism industry has faced related challenges and finds it difficult to recover due to the number of attacks that have scared of people in the country from other continents.
Most of the international charities that support Africa through various programs in this case have made an effort to ensure that the people who are affected are supported in various ways. For instance, they various charities have come together to ensure that most of the people who are left homeless after violence related elections and other terrorist actions are given to the level best the assistance they can obtain. Most refugee camps are visited by charitable organizations and NGOs that are concerned about the well-being of women and children in the various camps. In this case, international charities acknowledge the fact that the level of securities within the specified regions is really questionable and one cannot deny the fact that Africa is really insecure. The most recent events of insecurity can be noted in countries like Kenya who have been constantly attacked by the Alshabaab group. They have terrorized the region and within a very short period of time many people have lost their lives and property as well. The end result is great implications of the economy of the country creating more damage to its unstable level.
The various perceptions that are portrayed by the media have great implications on the youth from the selected regions. The youth of the selected regions have to access various opportunities in major countries of the world (Taylor, Rabe, McGaw, Jäger, and Staden, 2001). The latest factors of medical situations including Ebola have completely locked them out of many potential countries that could offer them life changing opportunities. In this case, they are locked within their countries to fight hard the harsh economic situations. They have to endure the small amounts of income they receive within their country making it difficult to raise their living standards and do progressive factors in their own life.
The adults in this case are disadvantaged in a way that they cannot offer their children the best life. They have to live within the stretch of their economies. The only times people have access to most international contrasts and where they can be trusted by international countries is in countries like Afghanistan where the United States conduct business. They set up camps that are protected by the US military in which most of the Africans and other Asian countries can get the opportunity of earning their income in dollars which when translated to their local currencies can financially make a change ("Why Africans Worry About How Africa is Portrayed in Western Media | Opinion | Analysis | M&G", 2015). In this case, the populations in most African countries are disadvantaged when it comes to accessing life changing opportunities in developed countries like the United States which have an obligation to protect their own people against the systematic risks.
The white messiah complex looks at the general perceptions of the western countries on Africa. Most African media advertisements or pictures will always display images of slum areas with many graduates who are being pumped into the market labour but very few resources to and economy cannot sustain the numbers. Therefore, the media has already propagated the levels of insecurity that are existing in the African countries. Looking at the white messiah complex, it can be easily seen that most of the international fund groups that come in the aid of African countries come from the international countries ("Why Africans Worry About How Africa is Portrayed in Western Media | Opinion | Analysis | M&G", 2015). In this case, they are a better prove to their people that it is real when it comes to the perceptions they hold about the African countries.
The fact that stands in this case is that anytime there is a problem in Africa, there will always be well-wishers from the United States and other developed economic countries. The major targets of the well-wishers are not the people who are established. They focus on the people who are in real need of their help. Therefore, their regular encounter with the Africans who are below the poverty line confirms the real perceptions that they have. The white messiah complex in this case cannot end. The constant aids and the fact that African countries sometimes cannot obtain enough resources generated from their economies that can sustain the livelihood of their needy population indicate the true picture "Why Africans Worry about How Africa is Portrayed in Western Media | Remi Adekoya | Comment is Free | The Guardian", 2015). A developed country should be able to maintain its people above the poverty line. In this, it can be easily concluded by the western countries that Africa is poor.

Works Cited

Drennan, Gerard, An Levett, and Leslie Swartz. "Hidden Dimensions of Power and Resistance in the Translation Process: A South African Study." Culture Medicine and Psychiatry (1991): n. pag. Print.
Schmidt, E., F. Olomo, and N. Corcoran. "Sex Education Targeting African Communities in the United Kingdom: is It Fit for Purpose?" Sex Education (2012): n. pag. Print.
Taylor, J. L., T. Rabe, L. J. McGaw, A. K. Jäger, and J. V. Staden. "Towards the Scientific Validation of Traditional Medicinal Plants." Plant Growth Regulation (2001): n. pag. Print.
"Why Africans Worry About How Africa is Portrayed in Western Media | Opinion | Analysis | M&G." The M&G Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
"Why Africans Worry About How Africa is Portrayed in Western Media | Remi Adekoya | Comment is Free | The Guardian." The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.