This blog post from Mawuna Remarque Koutonin provides a personal perspective on a much wider social issue - the representation of diversity in mainstream media.
Koutonin begins, "In 2007, I clashed with the employees of a money transfer company in the 18th area of Paris, near the Red Windmill place, also known as Moulin Rouge - a touristic place full of flesh temptations, danger, lust and sex. I used to go that agency to send money to my family back home. Like myself, most of the clients of the agency were Africans.
Still, every time I go there I don't see a single African in the staff of the agency. That disturbed me much, and over time got me restless. I decided to stage a demonstration inside the agency and later send a letter to the headquarter of the company..."
Emerging World's insight:
Koutonin tells a powerful story about his own activism and connects this to a major social issue - diversity.
The author complains specifically about the lack of African voices and faces on TV and film screens. This shapes perceptions of young people and perpetuates stereotypes.
However, it's not just the fictional narratives that creates this bias. The lack of a mainstream African media that can communicate on a world stage (in the way that Al Jazeera can for the Arab world) means that the stories the global audience hears about Africa is rarely told by Africans. Addressing this issue would create a sea change in perception. Until then, keep reading blog posts and social media - they are the most direct voices you can get.