Day 7 - Why Does Africa Have so Much Diversity?

Day 7 -  At the airport in Washington DC, we noticed that there were a lot of people from diverse places who were lining up to catch the flight to South Africa.  Since our arrival in Joburg, we have seen many Africans from various countries across the continent, Indians, Arabs, Europeans, Asians, and of course, we are there too, Americans. So there are many people across the world in South Africa, but why is Africa so popular? This is not what one would expect to see based on the traditional stereotypical way that Africa is portrayed, but in recent news reports, Africa is dubbed as having many of the fastest growing economies. 

Meanwhile, we've noticed an influx of many American or multi-national corporations here in Joburg, the center of economic activity in South Africa. Some of these businesses are McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, ShopRite, IBM, Coca Cola, Citi Bank, Apple, Nike, Walmart is here under a different name, Mass Mart, ect. Then when we went into the Mall of Africa, the largest mall in Africa which just opened in April of 2016, many of the stores were also American like Forever 21, Converse, Hush Puppies, Timberland, Claire's, Nine West, Starbucks, Polo, New Balance, and Adidas, etc; there were also businesses from Italy, Germany, France, ect. Apparently, Africa is the place for multinational corporations. 

So It's important that we reframe the way we look at the continent, first by undoing many of the stereotypes (propaganda) that we may still believe about Africa, in order to understand the REAL Africa that exists. Plus, is it important for everyone to understand globalization and how Africa fits into our new world economy. As world citizens, it is important to do this, so we can always stand on the right side of history and come to the table as informed people who can make logical, noteworthy, and powerful contributions to the world in which we live in. 

Tiffany & Kennard 

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IBM in Joburg and you'll find McDonalds everywhere.

Starbucks Coffee located in the Mall of Africa