Due to lack of enough media exposure, and prolonged false propaganda, Africa has suffered a number of lies about its space. People from other continents are often led to believe that Africa lacks in some positive aspects. To avoid being caught in this net of lies that might discourage you from visiting Kenya and Africa as a whole, we have combines the following list of common myths about Africa so that you can be rightly informed.
Africa is one country so seeing one part makes up for the rest
Africa is a continent that consists of 54 independent countries. Every country is different and unique in its own rights and although a few countries may have similarities, no country is like the other. Not only do we differ in culture, but also terrain, resources and sometimes time.
Africa has no civilization
Some people cancel out their trips to Africa because they do not imagine spending a week with no electricity or internet. The good news is that over 95% of the continent is well connected with water, electricity, internet and communication waves. The only difference between Africa and the 1st World may be the quality of infrastructure. Not all countries have subways, 40-floor buildings etc. But you will not miss basic and other luxury amenities just because you are in Africa.
Africa is dangerous
Indeed there are some countries in Africa that may have civil unrest that you should not visit currently, but those make up not more than 1% of the total. Africa is not filled with vigilante military, wild animals roaming the streets and underground gangs as depicted in movies and media generally. In fact, Africa is one of the continents leading in Tourism thanks to its beautiful scenery both natural and man-made.
Swahili is the African language
You will be shocked to know that not more than 10 countries in Africa have Swahili as one of their languages. In fact, apart from Kenya and Tanzania, which use Swahili as a national language, the rest have it as a bonus. Africa has hundreds of languages thanks to the many tribes and sub-tribes that exist. You can however easily get through with English, which is spoken in the majority of the countries.
Africa is forever hot
Being an Equatorial continent and having several deserts in its boundaries, many people believe Africa is melting hot through the year. Africa has different climates that depend on regions. For example, Kenya has the equator passing through the country, but it still has very cold seasons. July is the coldest month with the temperatures going as low as 7 degrees in some towns such as Limuru, Kinangop and Nyandarua. At the same time, a city like Mombasa, which lies at the coast, might be as hot as 37 degrees and Marsabit, which is an arid area, may be 35 degrees hot. There is no single time when Africa will have a uniform weather pattern throughout the continent. It is your duty as the traveller to find out about the weather pattern of the specific country and towns you hope to visit.