Afro-Pessimism: The Limits of a Concept
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12700/jceeas.2026.6.2.494Keywords:
Africa, Afro-pessimism, media, hopeless continent, dark continentAbstract
Afro-pessimism can be defined as a negative or “pessimistic” perspective on the future of Africa, rooted in the continent's history and current situation. The concept, used since the late 1980s, argues that Africa's challenges are unsolvable and that its future will resemble its past. Within this framework, the study will address the concept of Afro-pessimism with a holistic approach and seek to answer the questions, “What are the issues with the concept of Afro-pessimism? What criticisms can be made of this concept?”. This study first examines the emergence and content of the concept, and then demonstrates how it is used, particularly in the media and related studies. In conclusion, the study argues that there are two fundamental issues related to Afro-pessimism. Firstly, negative news about Africa in the media reinforces a pessimistic view of the continent; secondly, there is a tendency to generalize negative events in specific countries to “Africa” as a whole.
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