ok, here is where I come clean and let you know what a geek I am (-: I enjoy watching the occasional TED talkes online (they are online lectures on a variety of subjects from some pretty smart people). In fact the movie "An Inconvenient Truth" started as a lecture by Al Gore on the TED talks website. I came across this one today by a Nigerian woman. It is a little long (18min) but I think worth watching for those of us with an interest in Africa and how people from Africa are perceived here in North America. She talks about stereotypes and how they form when you have limited exposure to the stories (good and bad) about a people.
I know that 3 years ago if you asked me what I knew about Ethiopian people I would have been caught in the same trap and my answer would have been "poverty". What a shame because there is so much more that they have to be proud of that is largely unknown unless you go searching out the information for yourself. So based on my own personal mistake, I can definitely appreciate how ignorance changes your perception of the world and the people in it. And when you recognize your own ignorance it is a powerful thing because it opens up a world of possibilities and wonder to you that you didn't even know existed.
TED talk Summary:
"Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding."
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