Marc Lubner is Group CEO of Afrika Tikkun.
One of the many Africa-related stereotypes that annoys me most is the one referring to this region as the Dark Continent. It is one of the biggest misconceptions the West has come up with, allegedly because Africa wouldn’t have a history, culture, civilisation and sophistication. It is a lie that continues to shape people’s opinions about this part of the world and it needs to stop.
Just because conventional history books seldom speak about Africa’s glorious, fascinating and eclectic past doesn’t mean its past is a blank page. This continent’s history is much more than slavery and colonisation. It, for instance, features dozens of great leaders and powerful civilisations that can be compared to the Romans, Greeks and Mayans.