Throughout history, Africa has become known for being a continent rich in natural resources and history, while having various economic connections with countries of Western culture. However, Africa faced numerous difficulties; some of which continue to this day. The young generations of Africa are the ones who are most likely to face the difficulties: they are the children. As a result, there have been efforts by Western cultures to present their struggles and difficulties they face in the media. While the media may have their good intentions in revealing the state of life of African children, contemporary media has portrayed African children as helpless and passive youth who need the help of the most powerful Western civilizations. However, the media has also increased awareness of humanitarian efforts by bringing attention to the situations in which young children find themselves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the most common media portrayals of African children is the television commercial, often sponsored by UNICEF, featuring a celebrity as the speaker. In commercials, children of various ages are presented as sad, wide-eyed, hungry and in “desperate need” of the economic powerhouse's help, as well-known advocate Alyssa Milano urges observers to sponsor a child at the cost of “two quarters a day." Typically, these commercials do not include all countries in Africa. Specifically, the commercials are filmed in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya (John Prendergast 132). Despite this, those who watch the commercials advertisements assume that children living in Africa are subject to inhospitable lands. As a result, commercials attract viewers to sponsor a child (Wa'Njogu 78). In addition to being featured in UNICEF commercials, Western media have portrait African children adopted by famous celebrities, including Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock and Jillian Michaels According to Kristen Howerton of the Huffington Post, the adoption of black children "usually takes on a cynical tone, as if i black children were a fashion accessory" because the initial motivations for a celebrity to adopt are unknown and are hypothesized to be similar to why women in general choose adoption. Howerton says there is a racial bias in the propensity to adopt is very common, with black children typically waiting longer than other races of children to find a family. When adopting, if a celebrity says they are open to any race, they are very likely to be matched with a child of color. With that in mind, it would be a sensible reason for a celebrity to want to adopt a black child, especially when most adoption agencies will match a child to the race of the person they want to adopt. While supporting African children is not necessarily a horrible thing However, it is argued that the need to help those in need is a result of the past generation's Anglo-Saxon views of Africa. The most associated with Anglo-Saxon interpretations of Africa would be Rudyard Kipling's poem "White Man's Burden". Kipling's poetry soon became the basis for the imperialization and colonization of Africa. The importation of Western culture and beliefs into Africa led to profits for economic powers who advertised support for helping African children by providing them with funds for food and vaccinations. Likewise, Western cultures do not simply give Africa the means to live; giving them tooeconomic stability. China has had ties with Africa for over fifty years, particularly in the oil sector and the import of textile products. Their relationship with Africa was a commercial one, but China also provided Africans with satellites, public buildings, roads and railways. Furthermore, China held the largest diplomatic event to celebrate more than fifty years of relations; Topics included were promoting Africa as a nuclear weapons-free zone and assisting in managing natural disasters, combating illegal arms trafficking, and countering acts of terrorism (Lyman 19-20). As a result, African children can live safely in their native home. Africa's relations with America are very different. America shares with Africa an interest in democratic states and free elections, but is neglecting countries with rampant concerns about corruption and their populations, particularly children, who live in poverty. For example, while the United States, an ally of Nigeria and Ethiopia in its war on terrorism, continues to use Nigeria for its oil resources as Ethiopia continues to have a majority of its population affected by AIDS and malaria while finds himself in the crossfire of a world war. intense border dispute with Eritrea (Anthony Lake 5, 8, 12). Without the United States taking a more proactive role in the well-being of children in the most vulnerable African countries, children will continue to live in unsafe conditions. With selective media attention regarding the well-being of children in Africa, a “digital divide” exists between Africa and Western culture. There are myths of Africa where children are uncivilized, inferior to economically powerful countries, have made no significant contribution to world history, and are all black (Wa'Njogu 64, 77). There is the problem of gender inequalities. According to Heike Behrend of Media and Identity in Africa, women expect to live a pious and pure life to the point that they consider the idea of ​​other men looking at their face shameful and at the same time face the high possibility of being prevented from attend school. Without media attention, children will continue to live in such conditions. Likewise, there are children in Africa who live comfortable lives without the worry of famine, lack of food and medical needs, and with homes torn apart by corruption and war. Nearly two-thirds of African countries have held free elections while the African Union has stated that it does not recognize governments that come to power through “unconstitutional means” (Lyman 6). Children in Africa live comfortably in a world of mobile phones, social media – Twitter and Facebook among others – satellite and cable television and parents who provide income. Yet, with these positive findings, when searching for more information about children in Africa on any popular search engine, the most common keywords found are “hungry,” “save,” “charity,” “child labor,” and “poor.” . While children in Africa face lack of food and unfair working conditions, there is still a lack of fair representation of those living lives similar to those in Western culture. The children in the images are seen smiling as they hug their peers; not wide-eyed and staring into the camera hoping to see another day, especially when parents in Tanzania are currently facing punishment for not sending their children to school. Children are now open to greater opportunities for advancement in society. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Despite.