African Studies

     Africa remains one of the most 

 interesting and complex places in the 

 world. As Americans, most of us 

 seldom go out of our way to learn 

 more about this diverse continent and 

 so our perspective of daily life in 

 Africa is mostly shaped by what we 

 learn from major news sources 

 (natural disasters, wars) and what we 

 learn from non-profit organizations 

 working there (disease, famine, 

 domestic violence). These epidemics 

 and tragedies exist and people do 

 need help. 

     However, daily life in many places 

 in Africa is much like daily life in many 

 developed countries. Wherever you 

 go, people are socially  conservative 

 and socially liberal - they have 

 biases, are concerned about their 

 family, like attending social events, 

 argue about sports, and participate in 

 politics. 

    There are several ways to gain a 

 greater appreciation of life and politics 

 in African countries. A good start is by 

 learning more from Africans. There is a

 growing number of outstanding African

 novelists (Achebe, Oculi, Soyinka,  

 Armah, and Amadi to name a few). 

 Daily newspapers are the most 

 available news source from Africa, but

 you can find African t.v. and radio 

 stations online too.