#AfroMarketing
There is a current African trend that seems to be very catchy. These past couple of years there is a resurgence of interest for my continent, which I would perceive as amazingly great news, only I’m not exactly sure what the intent behind is. We’re seeing more and more of African fashion, decor, art, music, dance, and all so stylishly marketed in order to deliver the perfect amount of exoticism. That is practically the same exoticism we witnessed between the early 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century in a colonial context where the African continent was ripe for the taking.
Back then, while slavery was still in effect,the European explorers dared to push further beyond the well known coasts into the heart of the continent. Scottish David Livingstone ventured deep into southern Africa while the french Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza (founder of Congolese Brazzaville) paved the way for the colonization of central Africa. The wonders and tales they brought back from all regions of the continent alimented the Western fantasies and even influenced the artistic movements of the the mid and late 19th century such as Orientalism based on north African influences ( Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia).
Africa has for centuries remained a mythical land whose cultures are highly under spread, to the extent that many foreigners and westerners think of it as a single entity, or even worse, a single country. Outside of the continent very little people know about its fifty-four countries, thousands of languages, and tremendous cultural, anthropological and ecological differences between the regions. Just like Europe or Asia, it is a very diverse and deeply complex continent which requires a high level of mindfulness to be able to grasp.
Coming back to my subject, the African continent is presented and sold in the west in this blurry homogeneous deformation. You hear appellations such as “African art”, “African dance”, “African fashion”, “African decor” or “African food” when there is in fact no such thing. Have you ever heard someone ask you about “European or Asian food”? Or “European/Asian architecture”? Your natural response would be asking for specifics: “Which one? French? Thai? Italian? Swedish?”.
As a dance practitioner and a music aficionado, I am very often confronted to such situations. I see people proudly practice what they refer to as “African dance” and come to me with a sense of pride for connecting with me by indulging into “my” “culture and heritage”. Most of the time I have no idea what type of dance it is they are doing, heck I’m not even sure it’s really rooted in any specific African tradition. Oftentimes, the “African” label allows for individuals to, not so innocently, make big bucks selling virtually anything that remotely resembles Africa. The customers/dancers could be doing Cameroonian “Makossa”, Senegalese “M’balax” or Beninese “Zinli”, they wouldn’t even know nor care.
The same applies for music where modern arrangements allows for fusion between styles. Believe me I’m all for Electro-funk, Afro Trip-hop, Pop-world music or Samba-Makossa. I dig that kind of stuff. The issue is that the core of African music is diluted into a blend that erases its roots. An example would be the “Afrobeat” genre that was invented and popularized by Nigerian political activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Fela created and weaponized his music to fight social and political injustice in his country. His lyrics, rhythms, instrument choices and beats were carefully crafted to recreate the particularly heavy and dense atmosphere of the locked Nigerian system. He devised a political war music that landed him in prison, cost him his physical integrity and also claimed his mother’s life at the hands of the government soldiers. When you scratch the surface you realize Afrobeat IS NOT a fun and playful groove for you to bounce on with your friends in an American club.
“Black Panther” had us fantasize about “African” inspired architecture, themes and culture. However that’s all it is: an action-packed fantasy that again mashes everything African into a hollywood “ratatouille”. South African Xhosa traditional garments, Malian Dogon architecture and soundtrack and other ingredients from across the continent.
The world (and Africa) went crazy for this romantic image of a secretly super advanced African country perfectly balanced between modernity and traditions. The “African dream” if you will.
We’re however still far from building that dream since our first and biggest challenge is overcoming the ignorance and stereotypical perceptions on the continent. I don’t know much about the history and geography curriculum being taught outside of Africa but it appears that it could be enhanced with a tad more depth about a continent that hosts 1.2 billion people.
For now, my argument is simple: Africa is not a trend for sale. It is far richer, and deeper than textured clothing and cool sounding beats.
Tip: If you really want to know, or at least act act like you know, a little about Africa, I recommend Ryszard Kapuscinski’s “The Shadow of the Sun” (“Ébène” in french). The Polish journalist gives by far the best introduction to the African continent.
