The danger of a single story

The column will be unpacking social, economic, political, governance and other issues as they unfold. The issues will be presented and analysed in a subtle way but through public relations (PR), communication and reputation lens. The reason is that public relations is about reputation. It is a professional practice preoccupied with what we say, what we do and what others say about us which can create positive or negative reputations for individuals, entities and societies. Ultimately, the column aims to reinforce that understanding and support. The entries also aim to influence public opinion and positive attitudes and behaviours on various issues. The author will be running the column in his personal capacity as a seasoned public relations and communications expert.

So, here we go:

The Single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Speaking at one of the professional fora, Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi narrated how she was, from her formative age, influenced by Western perspectives through novels by Western authors. She explained that most of the books she read were about things she, as an African, could never identify with. Adichie was only exposed to the African worldview when she later learned of African books written by renowned African authors like Camara Laye and Chinua Achebe. That’s when she started writing stories she could be identified with. She realised that Africa was not a land of death, darkness and uncivilised cultures as portrayed by the one-sided narrative in Western literature. Novels such as The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad stand out as a classic example of euro-centric literature that paints Africa as extremely uncivilised.

A single story, as advanced by Adichie, is a one-dimensional perspective and sometimes false perception formed about individuals, groups or countries. It is a misrepresentation of the reality and a lens through which one looks at everything by narrowing it down to one’s own perspective. Once one is obsessed with the single story, it becomes a challenge to wander away from it. Such inconsistent and contradictory messages, however they are delivered, can have a negative effect on reputation.

For instance, from the Western world perspective, Africa is invariably viewed as a continent inherently backward and dysfunctional. The reportage and the soundbites propagated by the Western media tell it all. The coverage a year ago, for example, by Western media on the Covid pandemic in Africa invariably undermined efforts undertaken by African governments in combating the pandemic. Stories about related medical research and some breakthroughs were invariably swept under the carpet. Instead, Africans were depicted as thinking in the same way and that they would suffer the same fate in what they thought was going to be ‘Africa Apocalypse!’

Back in Malawi, memories are still fresh about how, recently, a Malawian court convicted a foreign national of multiple charges, including trafficking and procuring unsuspecting children to take part in entertainment. This was after he was unmasked peddling racist videos on the Malawian children who unknowingly were depicted as being black monsters and having low IQ since the year 2020. This is just but a tip of an iceberg, which is part of a single foreign story used to deepen the psychology of Africa as a failed continent with backward people.

Ironically, Malawi has also not been spared from this unfortunate situation. Most of the stories that have, of late, dominated conventional and social media outlets are those about corruption, challenges on the economic front and so many social ills. Such stories and many others have systematically contributed towards shaping negative narratives about Malawi.

However, Malawi has many untold success stories as well, which, if properly packaged, could help in reversing the negative narrative. The country’s competitive advantage is evidenced in its rich natural resources, potential in tourism and hospitality as well as its rich culture and heritage. Take, for instance, Mulanje Mountain, Unesco World Heritage site Lake Malawi National Park and the popular and tasty Malawian Chambo found in the fresh waters of Lake Malawi. Also in the spotlight could be the recently discovered rutile, with its vast quality deposits at Kasiya in Lilongwe, and many more. On the other hand, the country has a youthful population with abundant energy and innovative ideas. In addition, the country has sports exports like Gabadinho Mhango, Tabitha Chawinga and many others. We also boast of exploits by the national netball team on the global arena and sports legends like Kinnah Phiri. These features and names can be assigned to some streets just to illustrate that much as there are some shortfalls in the country, there are some positives that could be celebrated. Why not have Gabadinho Mhango Street or adorning our round-abouts with statues of sports personalities like football and netball legends— notably Mary Waya? Oh yes!

This could help in amplifying Malawi’s positive narrative as a way of leveraging its image and reputation on the global arena. However, nobody can tell such stories better than ourselves. This is where public relations could, if put to good use, help change these negative narratives.

Governments, non-governmental organisations and the like realise that their funding, ability to attract talents and their survival depend on their reputation. Even for a country to attract foreign direct investment, it needs to have a good reputation. No investor would be interested in investing in a country which is soiled and spoiled with negative stories.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Malawians shouldn’t talk about the challenges being faced. It is, rather, a matter of having a balanced narrative and not a single story.