Dipo Faloyin | Africa Is Not A Country: Breaking Stereotypes of Modern Africa | Talks at Google

In celebration of Africa Week, Dipo Faloyin discusses his book Africa Is Not A Country: Breaking Stereotypes of Modern Africa, a bright portrait of modern Africa that pushes back against harmful stereotypes to tell a more comprehensive story. You already know these stereotypes. So often Africa is depicted simplistically as an arid red landscape of famines and safaris, uniquely plagued by poverty and strife. In this funny and insightful book, Dipo offers a much-needed corrective. He examines each country’s colonial heritage, and explores a wide range of subjects, from chronicling urban life in Lagos and the lively West African rivalry over who makes the best Jollof rice, to the story of democracy in seven dictatorships and the dangers of stereotypes in popular culture. Africa Is Not A Country brings the story of the continent towards reality, celebrating the energy and fabric of its different cultures and communities in a way that has never been done before. Dipo Faloyin is a senior editor and writer at VICE, where his work has a specific focus on culture, race and identity across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. His writing has also been featured in Dazed, i-D, The Huffington Post, Refinery 29, Prospect and others. He was born in Chicago, raised in Lagos and currently lives in London. Get the book here: Moderated by Muthoni Richards.