Celebrities accidentally patronize the sh*t out of Africa
‘Hey, it’s not about you!’ is not trying to pick on celebrities, but…
the I am African Campaign makes us super uncomfortable:
Iman, representing the campaign, explains of its mission:
“Each one of us contains DNA that can be traced back to our African ancestors. These people traveled far and wide. Now they need our help.”
We worry that representing African’s as half-naked tribesmen and women with painted faces, compensating for lack of clothing with a profusion of beaded ‘ethnic’ jewelry, may not be an accurate portrayal of what it is to live in one of Africa’s 54 diverse countries.
Also, basing the connection on some primordial sense of solidarity? Awkward! It seems to us that stereotyping ethnicity based on genetics usually does not go so well.
