To Teach that Africa Is Not a Country or that
Ghana (or Kenya or . . .) Cannot Represent “Africa”

This is to meant to be a quick comparisons of the countries of Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and the US,
-This is an alternative to a Venn-type Diagram
-The data for this exercise can be found on the respective data pages for each country (incl the US)  in Global Studies: Africa, Wayne Edge (Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2004). 

Activity:
Divide into groups, with each group taking one African Country and with 1 group representing the United States. Inclusion of the US is key, as students will discover commonalities with some African countries and differences with others.
-Give each group a sign on which is printed the name of their country: USA, Kenya, Ghana, or South Africa or another country of your choosing. It’s important to include countries, which have different characteristics.

Each participant should stand up if the following statement is true for their country (The information can be found on each country’s fact sheet under the section indicated in parentheses):

1. It is near or on the equator  (found under geography)
2. There are over 1 million people in the capital  (found under geography)
3. Rural/Urban ratio with over 30% urban (found under population)
4. More than 1 language spoken within the country (found under population)
5. Meets or exceeds FAO minimum for calorie intake  (found under health). FAO is the (UN) Food and Agricultural Organization.
6. It is over 2/3 Christians OR It is over 1/4 Muslim  (found under religion)
7. The literacy rate is over 3/4  (found under education)
8. Military expenditure, as a  % of the government’s budget, is over 3%  (found under military)
9. Minerals and oil are present within the country  (found under economy)
10. Crops are sold on the international market  (found under economy)

Suggestions for Additional Questions Which May Be Asked of Each Country:
(This information is generally not found on the fact sheets in Global Studies:Africa) Add geographical features:
Mountains – e.g., Kenya, the US and South Africa, but not Ghana
Temperatures in the capital city are rarely above 80 F – Kenya, not Ghana or the US
Desert – Kenya and the US, not Ghana
Size of over 200,00 sq miles: US, Kenya, South Africa, not Ghana

Add History:
Was there a history of powerful or large kingdoms present within your country, before the European settlement/colonialism?
Add questions of your own devising or ask students to come up with questions, which are significant in terms of the country they are representing.

Barbara B Brown, Ph.D.
January 2007

For information about additional resources, please contact:

Barbara B. Brown, Outreach Director
Africa in the School and Community
Boston University
270 Bay State Road
Boston, MA 02215 (617) 353-7303 or 353-3673

NOTE: I endorse the 5 points (A-E) in this article. However, I would suggest modifying the first point (A): I believe it is appropriate to teach abouc Africa as an introduction to a unit. Given the enormous diversity of the continent, I recommend that classes focus on one country (or two if time permits). Countries with especially good teaching resources are Egypt, Kenya Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa

Barbara B. Brown, Outreach Director
Africa in the School and Community
Boston University