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SALT LAKE CITY — When people think of Africa these days, the first thing that comes to mind is often Ebola.
The potentially deadly virus dominates world headlines and poses a major public relations nightmare, especially for BYU graduate and CEO of the Africa America Institute, Amini Kajunju. Her organization promotes the good things in Africa, which right now is a very tough sell.
A self-described news junkie, Kajunju said it has been hard for her to watch the U.S. coverage of the Ebola epidemic.
“To be honest with you, sometimes I avoid U.S. coverage on Africa because I do feel like it sometimes focuses on the wrong things, and it is very sensational,” she said.
Kajunju thinks the coverage needs to focus more on how to avoid the next epidemic.
“What we are concerned about at AAI is how are we going to improve the capacity of the nurses and administrators and the doctors, so that when the next epidemic comes about, we know how to handle it,” she said.
AAI is dedicated to strengthening the people of Africa and promoting the continent's development. Kajunju is the first African to sit at the helm of the U.S.-based organization.
Many Americans think that whatever there is in America, we need to transport it to Africa and then life will just be better.
–Amini Kajunju
“So the way I approach my job is that I try to take the best of both places and try to blend them together for a better result,” she explained.
Her biggest challenge is overcoming the old-and-tired images of Africa most of the world has come to know.
“That it is a desperate and sad place to be. That is a terrible misconception,” she said. “Also the fact that many Americans think that whatever there is in America, we need to transport it to Africa and then life will just be better.”
Most Americans know very little about Africa, the continent. There's actually a website called Africa is a country (africasacountry.com/).
“It’s making fun of that notion, but it is actually a website that has wonderful information about the African continent,” she said.
When Kajunju arrived in the U.S., she remembers her introductions usually had to include a geography lesson.
“If I just said I was from Zaire, people would say, ‘Where is that? Kansas? Is that somewhere in Oklahoma or something?’” she said.
Kajunju came to Utah to receive the Distinguished Service Award from BYU's Kennedy Center for International Studies. She shared with students her personal journey and the story of a rising continent.
“There are a lot of wonderful things about America that we need, could adopt. But there are also innovative things on the continent that can be spread through the world,” she said.
Kajunju said Africa's greatest challenge and opportunity is its young population. By 2030, youth in Africa will represent 41 percent of the world's young people, she said.
