One evening at the dinner table, a friend casually asked, “Is Africa a country?” I barely had time to process the question before another friend confidently responded, “Of course, what else could it be?”
The moment stuck with me. My instinct was to blurt out my response that Africa is a continent, but before I had time to do so, the conversation had already moved on. I realized it wasn’t just any simple misunderstanding – the response reflected a larger issue of how Africa is perceived. A quick Google search confirmed my concern: more than 5,000 people search for the answer to this question every month. Far too often, Africa is treated as a monolith, a single entity rather than a continent of 54 independent nations, each with its own cultures, languages, and histories. 

Senior Warsameh Jama knows this misconception all too well. He testifies, “When I first came here, people would ask me, ‘You know how to eat fufu?’ Fufu is a really famous dish from West Africa. But I am not from that area of Africa, I’m from East Africa. People think we have the same culture, but that’s not true.” 

 (Creative Commons/Wikipedi)The African continent is divided into 5 areas – Central, Southern, Northern, Western, and Eastern – each with its own distinct characteristics. Northern Africa is home to the world’s second largest desert, the Sahara, and predominantly Arabic-speaking nations. East Africa, where Jama is from, features towering volcanoes, lakes, and mountains. Meanwhile, West Africa is known for its rich culinary traditions and music, and Southern Africa is famous for its wildlife and landscapes. Yet, despite this immense diversity, Africa is often reduced to a single narrative, one that ignores the uniqueness of its people. 

Jama, who is from Somaliland, has experienced this firsthand. He laments, “the thing is, no one knows about it, they say it’s part of Somalia. We have the same language but we have very different cultures.” 

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since built its own government, economy, and elections. However, because it is not officially recognized by most of the world, many people are unaware of its existence. This small country, as stated by Jama, is not even on the map. The lack of recognition again reflects the broader issue of African nations being grouped together without understanding their individual histories.

The oversimplification further risks overlooking the continent’s innovations, achievements, and cultural richness. Countries like Kenya are leading in mobile banking technology, Nigeria’s Nollywood is one of the world’s largest film industries, and Rwanda has made immense progress in economic and sustainable development. Yet, these stories rarely make it to the headlines, resulting in a one-dimensional view of Africa for many. 

Thinking back on that day at the dinner table, I wished I had spoken up. I wish I had been able to confidently say, “No, Africa is not a country” and share the beauties of the individual nations. 

Africa is not just one place. Africa is a vast, diverse continent, a mosaic of nations, histories, and cultures that deserve to be recognized and understood.