The Africa the Media Never Shows You

Despite the countless contributions of African culture to the world, including–fashion, technology, food, and more, the continent; which includes 53 countries, is still plagued by stereotypical images of extreme poverty, corrupt governments, and people living in jungles. So when 17-year-old Ghanaian Rachel Markham

incontent-ad2"> tom-banner ampforwp-incontent-ad1"> and her Somali-American friend, Diana Saleh, became frustrated with these perceptions, they launched the #TheAfricatheMediaNeverShowsYou campaign.

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Since its launch, the campaign has garnered thousands of Tweets and Instagram posts. “I think it can change the way people perceive Africa on a very wide scale,” said Rachel Markham in an interview with Fastcoexist.com. “The responses I have found quite interesting are those who are surprised about the fact that Africa looks this way–developed in aspects like construction and technology,” Markham said.

From street style photos of fashion in Ghana to skyscrapers in Rwanda, check out how the #TheAfricatheMediaNeverShowsYou images are making waves across social media.