The Evolution of Narratives About Africa in the Global Development Sector

May 7

Africa is not waiting to be saved. Africa is already rising, through generosity, innovation, and shared humanity. That conviction runs through every article in this series, and it is worth stating plainly at the outset, because so much of what these writers examine is the opposite: a long history of narratives that positioned Africa as a problem to be solved, a crisis to be managed, a continent defined by what it lacks rather than what it holds.

This edition brings together six writers to examine the evolution of narratives about Africa in the global development sector. The series spans from the colonial roots of those narratives to the movements that are actively dismantling them. It is a body of work that is, at once, an act of excavation and an act of reclamation.

Acknowledgements

Strategy, Design & Editorial Lead - Maud Kadye

Project / Editorial Manager - Harkiran Bharj

Contributing writers: Harkiran Bharij, Judith Opara, Kimberly Anindo, Luba Soyei, Melat Solomon, Moses Wanjala, Reuben Aubee

Version 1 (April 2026)

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