This is such an important subject! Thanks for addressing it--the problem is that stereotyping "Africa" is tied to such a long history of exploiting the continent and its peoples. The whole idea of going somewhere "exotic" is a social construction that deems "the Western" world as more advanced and Africa/Africans as backward. When I first visited the United States as a child, the most mundane things (like tuna salad and PBJ sandwiches or Trick-or-Treating) were quite exotic to me and I found them very exotic--so whether something or someone is exotic is just a question of prior experience--not anything inherent.

"Africa" has consistently been imagined in US culture often through movies like the perpetual Tarzan remakes with South American jungle as backdrop. It's no coincidence that Edgar Rice Burroughs who invented Tarzan believed that "civilizing" Africans was the white man's burden--his Africa is populated by more animals than humans. And Tarzan has to be raised by apes presumably because their are no humans fit for the job of caring for a British aristocrat or building shelter!? Tarzan's genes make him Lord Greystoke even when raised by animals--that's Burrough's point!

So, it's not just an issue of "exotic travel" but much more about collective consciousness and upholding cultural hierarchy. As an African I don't underestimate the beauty of the African continent's flora and fauna, nor the disease, economic and political realities--but there are slums in Europe and the USA and tourists don't miss seeing the skyscrapers there. Acknowledging African cities and skyscrapers undermines Western fantasies--and chips at longstanding ideas of who is more superior architecturally. Why NOT visit African cities for what they offer? For me, traveling is not just about reinforcing what I already think or reinforcing my expectations.

I don't believe that US cities share the whole story of US culture--the US has vast rural areas that tourists visit--Grand Canyon or Cheyenne for example. Since you have to fly into an African city to get to less urban areas why not show those cities? Seeing images of London or Rome doesn't stop tourists from visiting the countryside! So, perhaps we need to talk more about the backstory of why we edit urban Africa and Africans!

Thanks again.

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