“Is that the first time you’ve taken a
flight out of Africa?” the blonde from Kentucky asked the brown haired
young man beside her.
“Yes, it actually is- I’ve never flown from Africa before.”
Like many tourists before them, they went on to discuss the dangers of
Kenyan matatus (public service minivans), the craziness of Nairobi’s
impossible traffic, and how everything they had experienced-from
diarrhea to our airports, was incredibly bad. This young lady however
still managed to praise the fact that in the national park, their tour
guide had a Bush-A certificate, which made the experience feel safer.
From their story, it sounded like Africa was this bit of hell they were
lucky to have escaped from. As I stood listening, a familiar anger rose
up in me. I was enraged- to hear how the beautiful place I come from was
reduced to a hapless contortion of reality. I wanted to challenge them
and show them how incorrect they were- but I was afraid. In that lobby
of the immigration hall at Boston Logan, I was afraid that if I spoke
up, I would somehow anger the powers that be and get locked out of
America.
But what gave them the right to say they had just flown out
of Africa? Africa is 54 countries, not just one and in their two
months, they’d just seen two or three. Africa is about a billion people
on one big continent, so how much does one poster, one book, one
campaign, one trip teach anyone everything there is to know about us?
This story is not a one-time occurrence, but something I live through
every single day. This mythical land of Africa is both an abyss of
affliction for its people, and still a utopic paradise. It’s a place
where donors and good will ambassadors can go to serve their time in
purgatory, and come out with a tale of how they saved wretched, ignorant
tribesmen from the black horrors of the Dark Continent.
In a
perfect world, where we all make objective decisions based on opinions
that are neither mal-informed nor misinformed, such stories would be
dismissed as trivial or harmless. However, these stories are potent
because of how they shape the very thoughts of those who hear them. In
freshman year, one of my professors assigned a reading that made a
demeaning remark about the intelligence of the backward village African.
I was humiliated, yet no one else noticed. I remained silent because I
was the only African in this class, and I feared that no one would agree
with my point of view.
I must admit the pressure I felt to conform
to this mythical idea of what Africa really was came not just from
without, but also within. Under the cloak of this Africa, I could stand
out as a true oxymoron: pitied for the hardships I must have endured on
the Continent, while at the same time being admired for overcoming them.
For instance, within the first 5 minutes of our introduction to each
other, a friend of mine once said: “You’re from Africa? That’s so cool!”
I reveled in the mix of pity and pride that he presented.
Later
this same friend asked me: “You are from Kenya, do you speak Kenyan?”
This level of ignorance left me speechless- and I had to pinch myself to
make sure I was not in a dream. I wanted to scream: “You’re from
America, do you speak American?” Yet something held me back.
I
realized that just like I do, he had believed the lie that was told in
thousands of images with shabby looking African children. Don’t
misunderstand me- I’m not denying the existence of these very grave
problems- I’m saying that they ARE NOT a full picture. Africa has a vast
abundance in knowledge, history, culture and initiative that is often
eclipsed by this one-sided story of “poor Africa” The wealth of
experiences and views of the African life that we gather are not weapons
to use in defending the lie, but the very tools we should use to see
past it. The prostituted, mythical, exotic Africa is a story often told
to grace the ears of the listeners and glorify the storyteller. But it
is an injustice to all of us- one that we should not perpetuate by
continuing to tell an imbalanced tale once we’ve found the truth.
Salman Rushdie, the British Indian novelist, wrote: “Those who do not
have power over the story that dominates their lives, the power to
retell it, rethink it, deconstruct it, joke about it, and change it as
times change, truly are powerless, because they cannot think new
thoughts.” So I urge you to tell the true story even though it paints
you like less of a god reaching down to save the helpless mortals in
your story. Tell the truth because it paints these people like the human
beings they are, people with wives, husbands, little boys and little
girls- who would shudder to think of the type of stories you tell about
them. Tell the true story, measuring both the good and the bad. Tell the
truth, simply because it is the truth and you know it.
Play the video below to see the audiovisual version of this piece:
Walenda Peggy is a Biochemistry undergraduate student at Harvard University.
Fraud is what happens when a person deceptively transacts with other persons
or organisations and the online form of this event is termed internet fraud. It
is a criminal offence that often involves impersonation, misrepresentation or
the use of false evidence by one party to gain undue monetary value from
another. Usually, victims are convinced to believe a false or incomplete
information that should ultimately lead to their own benefit. After involving
their possessions, a serious transaction process is initiated and their trust
is gained. But eventually, they are cheated, emotionally injured and suddenly abandoned
by the persuader.
Some "boys" at work
Persons who do this illegal act for a living have been
given various names such as con men, fraudsters, swindlers, impostors and the
likes. But the online versions of these lawbreakers are called internet
fraudsters. Technological evolution has globally eased business transacting in
the second millennium and fraudulent acts too have benefited from this
advantage. According to information published on wired.com, the
first indictment under the computer fraud act was
performed on a graduate student of Cornell University in 1989. That happened in
the previous millennium. These days, internet fraudsters operate over the
internet and victimise various people across the global village. With the use
of a portable internet device, various computer applications and a reliable
internet connection, internet fraudsters can simply swindle unsuspecting
persons and organisations from any remote location. Considering the rate at
which electronic literacy campaigns constantly rise, one is prone to wonder why
certain internet users still get heavily duped.
But the reasons are
easy to understand. Victims of internet fraudsters usually get swindled due to
greed, fancifulness and unwariness. Of the aforementioned trio, greed is highly
ranked because when other causes are found wanting, it stands out as a singular
reason. From my experience as an active recipient of diverse fraud-related messages,
I know that intending swindlers often capitalise on people’s greed. Despite
tightening my SPAM mail measures, internet fraudsters who often disguise as
businessmen, lottery companies, government agencies, online potential dates and
bank representatives still contact me. Below is an example of one the recent emails
I received from a prospective con man roaming the internet:
(Message begins)
From: "Ho Chen
Tung"
Subject: revert to me immediately.
Date: Tue, 8 May 2012 01:45:22 +0100
I have to disturb you today
for the reward of an opportunity that should properly be used to advantage. In
reverence to your time, I will go straight to the point.
I need a confirmation of
acceptance to transfer US$21,410,000.00 to you for our joint gratification. I
will send you more details and my suggestions as soon as I get your reply.
Ho Chen Tung.
(Message Ends)
After reading that mail
in my inbox, I grinned and wished the so-called Ho Chen an unproductive week
full of missed opportunities and unyielding contacts. I guess he is another
version of the Chinese scammers I read
about recently or a local impostor seeking whom to defraud.
Unverified information released by Wymoo
International, a leading background check and investigation firm offering
discreet and confidential services around the globe, listed Ghana, Nigeria,
Ukraine, Russia, Malaysia and the Philippines as high risk fraud zones.
The organisation further reports the commonest forms of fraud as advance fee
fraud, dating fraud, business fraud, investment scams and bride scams. One
would ordinarily expect countries with better or more promising economies to be
in the low risk categories. Yet, places such as the United Kingdom and Brazil
surprisingly appear under the moderate risk zones.
The quest for information security and data protection
is not a fight meant for agencies, companies or governments alone as all
persons accessing or storing data on the WWW should be concerned. Really, internet
users should strive to educate themselves frequently, heighten their level of
caution and maintain contacts with online fraud-detecting agencies. In addition
to being cautious, the average WWW surfer must control their greed tendencies and
remember that fraudsters are widespread on the internet. For instance, if you
did not enter to win in a lottery program, you should have no business claiming
such prizes. If “your relative” suddenly mails you about their dangerous
situation and asks for money urgently, be sure to contact them through another
means (talk to them on phone or discuss their whereabouts with their closest
acquaintances) before sending such money.
Active customers at a small internet service centre
When you receive mails from banks, government
representatives or strange persons, always check the full mailing details of
the sender and compare it with what is available on their official website. If
in doubt at any point in time, contact their representatives through the
official website you know. And if you do not have their web contacts, search
for more extensive information about them on the internet. In the end, you
would have reduced the likelihood of falling prey to fraudsters and encourage
more people to go and seek other means of livelihood. Though it is unfortunately
true that fraud practices cannot be absolutely eliminated, the fight for
internet fraud is on and all honest internet users have a stake in this
responsibility.
