Liesje
Blue Crack Addict
Jamila said:
Just being from a part of the world does not make you an instant expert of that part of the world - especially when it is the most culturally complex and varied part of our world. (Africa)
People may be an expert on their experiences of Africa but that doesn't qualify them to be an expert on all of Africa. That would impossible.
But experiences are reality, textbook models and simulations are not. I don't really care who is an expert at what. There have been so-called "experts" on "Africa" around for decades and no one is better off because of it. The only true experts, IMO, are the people living in the situation. Spend even 48 hours in their houses and huts and your worldview collapses before you can say Bono. And I don't see anywhere in this thread where people are claiming to be experts on "Africa" collectively, or anyone even claiming to be an expert on anything. As Babydoll has pointed out here and in several other threads, it's borderline offensive to continue to refer to Africa in such collective terms.