By Sydney Reese
What do you picture when you think of Africa? Maybe you picture wild zebras and giraffes, gently grazing the grasslands. Or the silhouette of native african trees, distinct in shape with the falling sun behind it. Hues of orange and yellow bleed together, vibrantly painting the safari landscape. Elephants and lions casually roaming the fields, sustaining the circle of life.
While this elegant imagery of Africa holds true, what do you picture when you think of African culture and African towns? Maybe the colorful clothing and beautiful jewelry: the large beads and wooden carvings. Maybe wooden shacks that come to a point at the top or dirt roads that weave through the prairies. Maybe tribal dances with large drums around fireplaces and meaningful face painting. While all of these lively images reflect reality, there are also the stereotypical pictures of starving children in Africa. In fact, when you look up “africa pictures” on Google, the first picture of a kid is an image of his ribs sticking out, with wide eyes, and a hungry face. Scrolling through the internet, more images showcase the poverty and lack of material wealth in some places in Africa. So maybe, when you think of African towns, you think of the single-room, unstable shacks that house multiple families. Or the cheap and unsanitary food at the crowded marketplaces. Or the chaotic roads without stop signs or guidelines, crammed with run-down cars and bikes.
On my trip to Liberia, Africa, I got to see and experience all the images described. However, the place that I visited in Africa had something that cannot necessarily be captured by pictures: humanity. The sense of authentic community directly contrasted with the shallowness of communities in the United States. While Liberia, Africa might not have excess material wealth, it has an abundance of genuine humanity. And sometimes I wonder which is better.