An Online Petition to Ban White People From Africa Gains Momentum

An online petition on Change.com has been getting popular as more people join in the rather unusual call for a ban on white people from entering the African continent.

Protesting what they called the "white savior complex" manifested in attitudes of some European and North American individuals, who arrive in African countries with little knowledge of the local culture, but with plans to "rescue the continent's population from poverty and other issues they suffer from."

The petition that was started by an account with the name "Fed up African" has so far been signed by more than 20k people.  According to the petition's invitation addressed to the United Nations, white people are accused of "portraying themselves as though they are changing African lives only for the videos and the photographs they take to post on social media.".

Some comments have also pointed at cultural appropriation practiced by white people who don't have enough knowledge of African cultures and who would "refer to Africa as a whole as if it's a country."

Additionally, the petition highlights the history of European colonization of African nations, during which world powers exploited the natural resources of the developing world, which is the root cause of the challenges the continent is still facing nowadays.

The petition is the latest example of an on-going online conversation over the attitudes of people who hail from developed countries, when relocating to underprivileged communities especially in Africa. Several years ago, a parody Instagram account used a white Barbie to explain how damaging the white savior complex can be, especially as it thrives in the presence of social media platforms.