You might assume the rest of the world sees you as an equal. But here’s a reality check: the next foreigner you meet who hasn’t experienced the real Africa or its digital culture might be genuinely shocked to find out you’re a modern person living a contemporary life.
We have compiled a list of myths on the Internet that some people of the Western world have refused to let go of.
1. Africans Have No Access To Modern Technology
With how advanced the world is in terms of technological development, you might have some doubts about it, but it’s the truth. Africa doesn’t live in the Stone Age. South Africa is known as one of the most technologically advanced countries in Africa, with a list of other countries continuously growing and aiming for that spot.
2. Africa Is Poor
Some African leaders may not utilise the natural resources existing in their country, but it doesn’t mean Africa is poor. Ghana is known as the biggest gold-producing nation, and Nigeria is the biggest oil-producing country in Africa, with ivory, diamonds, cocoa, and loads of mineral/natural resources.
A continent possessing all these is poor?
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3. Africa is a country that speaks the Afrikaans language
If you use TikTok a lot, then you are probably shaking your head in agreement now. You’ve likely seen American content creators doing interviews on their streets asking people what countries and languages are spoken in Africa, and they go, “Africa is not a country? They don’t all speak Afrikaans?”
Really?
4. Everyone in Africa lives in a mud house

If you know and follow iShowSpeed’s African tour of Africa, then you will agree with us on this. During one of Speed’s visits to a country in Africa, TikTok was booming with a lot of comments from Americans being in shock about how advanced Africa is compared to what they already know.
“So, I am kind of confused, like, IShowSpeed is in Africa, and like, how? They have Wi-Fi; I never knew that. And they, like, have cars and houses, and they are not living in mud. That’s crazy; I never knew that,” someone confessed on TikTok.
Just like us, you are wondering what in the world is going on with their geography lessons.
5. Africa is always dry and sunny
The continent has a different climate from every other continent, and that’s okay. However, Africa is not always hot and sunny. The sun might shine a little brighter than in any other continent, but it still snows in a few African countries like Tanzania, Morocco, Lesotho, and Algeria, and it is half the time always cold in Jos, Nigeria.
As a continent, Africa has developed tremendously and is slowly matching up to other continents in the world in terms of technological advancement, infrastructural development, and even education.