Satire Essay About Africa

Intro Paragraph:

"How to write about Africa" is a satirical essay written by Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina. In the essay, Wainaina critiques Western media and literature for its ignorance and often racist representation of Africa. Through exaggeration and irony, Wainaina argues that these representations lead to common misconceptions about Africa as a whole and take away from all its diversity and complexity. These rhetorical devices illustrate the Western portrayals of Africa, and its tendency to be described as a place of poverty, disease, and war. Wainaina also acknowledges the ongoing theme of Western writers and journalists telling Africa's stories for them, so this piece also serves as a call for more diverse and authentic voices

In Wainaina's essay, one major form of satire he employs is through exaggeration. By doing this, he is able to highlight how Westerners often view Africa and have generalized the continent to be something it's not. This is shown when he writes on how Western journalists and writers view Africa and how they deem it to be a helpless continent in need of rescue, he states, “Africa is to be pitied, worshipped or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed”. This quote implies that these conceptions of Africa are not true or fair, and it is what leads people to disregard Africa as a whole, including the people, culture, and rich history. Furthermore, the quote also alludes to a self-serving element, and how these writers and media outlets often present themselves as

His use of irony is effective at addressing the flawed Western mindset, but in a respectful and civil tone rather than coming from a place of animosity. He illustrates this when he describes African characters and how they are only presumed as “colorful, exotic, larger than life—but empty inside, with no dialogue, no conflict or resolution in their stories, no depth or quirks to confuse the cause”. By describing African characters as "colourful, exotic, larger than life," Wainaina is emphasizing the point that Westerners have consistently portrayed African people as exotic, rather than as complex individuals with their own perspectives and experiences. Yet, by including that Africans should be "empty inside, with no dialogue, no conflicts or resolutions in their stories, no depth or quirks," he is also highlighting how these false generalizations promote ignorance and set limitations around African people. It goes to show how harmful the one-dimensional portrayal of Africans in Western literature and media is because it completely erases all things important, like one's beliefs, culture, and history. It reduces them to fictional characters, who are made up to be something completely false for the sake of Western media. Using irony, Wainaina is able to exaggerate the fictitious ways Africans are depicted but it also serves as a call for Westerners to move beyond the condensed and