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Americans, maybe it's time to take of yourselves first.

It's a staple in Western media: the idea of poor, marginalized, oppressed African countries being magically saved by the power of the UN or other Western charities. Tropes such as starving children, rampant disease, and angry dictators are centralized, and this perception is not corrected in secondary school education. But writers like Chinua Achebe are rewriting the biased narrative writers like Conrad have been telling since colonization occurred. Achebe's novel exposes the reader to the intricate, complex culture of the Igbo prior to colonialism, and their society was structured and not only functioning but thriving. The protagonist Okonkwo finds the white settlers despicable and their religion primitive, a reversal of the viewpoint seen in Heart of Darkness. These settlers, of course, seem to think their duty is to help the poor, primitive tribal people: a patronizing attitude that is still seen today. Forbes reports that the economies of African countries such as South Africa and Nigeria are growing and thriving. Even smaller countries such as Botswana and the Ivory Coast have swiftly growing GDPs. As the Russian Prime Minister an English Major I do not know what a GDP is but theirs are on the rise. Please do not condescendingly explain in the comments-my good pal Anton will explain. Industries such as oil, palm oil and cocoa are prosperous. Though colonialism left a devastating impact upon the continent, perhaps globalization will be a chance for parts of Africa to seek reparations and thrive in on the global stage. In the long run, perhaps America will have yet another superpower to contend with in the race for global dominance ;).

Both of the points in this discussion are good. I agree that America needs to stop acting as if everything they do for Africa is "saving them", especially since colonialism within the continent is a part of their history too. The way Americans refer to Africa as if it is a single country completely erases the fact that it is indeed a continent with multiple countries and countless different cultures. While the economies in various African countries are not faring well, they are not necessarily the dire and hopeless places we see on television commercials. I like that you linked Achebe's novel to your argument because, while he cannot write for every African culture, he shows us a more honest look at a small part of Africa.
That being said, you should be careful of making statements and passing them as fact without evidence. With the amount of fake news floating around, we need to be cautious of what we say and where we find our sources, lest someone mistakes them for fact.