How it works Write or paste your text in the text box belowClick “Scan Article”ASTRSC will highlight words and expressions in your text that generally reinforce several tropes about Africa Hover over the highlighted words to view a brief description of the tropes each word may be reinforcingClick on the provided links to learn about their origins, pervasiveness, and effects and see constructive ideas and suggestionsScroll down to view a pie chart visualizing the number of words highlighted Optional: click the “Show Breakdown of Voices” button to view a breakdown of quotes in your textNeed a reminder of what ASTRSC is or who it is for? Click below!
Do you really mean the whole entire continent? Africa is often treated as a country, and Africans depicted as a monolith! If it’s relevant, try to be more specific. Read more about the Generalization Trope.
African issues are often reduced to matters of ethnicity and tribal rivalries, even when that is an incomplete or inaccurate picture. African communities and groups are often described as tribes regardless of social organization, when similar groups would be described as nations, minority groups, or communities elsewhere in the world. The framing of conflicts as driven by tribal hatred is particularly harmful and can contribute to conflict escalation. Read more about the Tribalism Trope.
People love to describe the savanna, the jungles, the wildlife, and the vast empty lands of Africa. Fascinating and thrilling as they are, descriptions of African nature and wildlife should be used carefully. Africa has long been portrayed as an unadulterated natural reservation; a big virgin jungle to tame and explore. If it is not directly related to your subject matter, spare your readers the romanticized natural descriptions. Read more about the Nature and Wildlife Trope.
To this day, Africa is seen as a place ridden with conflict, violence, and devastation. While crises continue to unfold in certain regions of the continent, the language used to describe them is often particularly bleak and fatalistic. As the ‘Dark Continent’ stereotype continues to be one of the most harmful ones to Africa’s image, it is worth interrogating whether we are seeing the continent through too negative and alarmist a lens. Read more about the Conflict and Violence Trope.
Show Breakdown of Voices
The purpose of this feature is to invite the author to consider how they distribute voices in their article and watch out for possible biases. Learn more about the importance and relevance of this here .
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