I recall Alistair Cooke’s ‘Litter from America’ which was required listening when I was growing up. It was only later that I learned he was a Republican and liked to tell you how good the houses were his children had bought. But he was recognised by the US for his decades of explaining the US to English speaking audiences. It is, of course, something every country should do in English and their own languages. They should do it because in the first instance it is just information and all information, even obvious lies, helps one understand more of the world.
It is also a good thing to do because it can be as unbiased as it is possible to be. I see it gives these journalists a chance to be descriptive as they learn how to write their own kind of books but the metaphor is never a substitute for a clear description.
#africa
#westbank