A Step Forward

The fourth edition of the Lonely Planet West Africa travel guide was published in 1999. Despite the fact that this fairly contemporary guide uses several phrases and words that refer to what we have come to believe as Africa’s exoticism, adventure, and “primitive conditions,” it is a step forward in recognizing the diversity of environment and culture that the continent has to offer. If we more closely study the travel guide we will see subject headings such as “History”, “The Advent of Agriculture”, and “Early Society.” This really stood out to me because it is recognition of Africa’s own systems of government, cultivation, and history. It is a statement that Africa did not begin with colonialism and is quite capable of successfully functioning on its own without the influence of European culture. The guide effectively expresses Africa’s regions as separate communities of people and language that were independent of state lines that European colonist attempted to impose on Africa for their own benefit. This is very important because many people today still view Africa as one giant country whose people practice one common African culture. By portraying Africa as it truly is in guides such as this one, we will eventually be able to break away from this idea of one big Africa. The Lonely Planet guide also tells us much more about Africa than just the variety of animals that can be found there. Most travel brochures focus on the unfamiliar animals that are native to Africa because that’s what many travelers want to see. This travel guide provides sections on everything from climate and education to religion, language, and people. This is significant because it presents information on subjects that travelers should be interested in. When traveling to new places we should be interested in all aspects of the land and everything it has to offer including its people. Cultures all over the world have lots to offer that is different from what we know and we should be eager to learn from them. By providing the information and subjects that Lonely Planet does, the misconceptions about the continent of Africa will slowly be broken down.