Do you think African children are pitiable? | Yujin Jung | TEDxKonkukUniversity

In numerous media, African children have been described as pitiable and pathetic. However, the children that Yujin Jung met in person in Africa were different. With the shock and realization, she is talking about our perspective and view on African children.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

First, let me share some photos with you.

These are photos of African children.

You can easily come across
these images on TV or in books.

What do you feel
when you see these images?

In February 2018,
I graduated from university,

and four days later, I headed
to the unknown country Madagascar.

I wanted to meet those children
in the pictures I showed you before.

I wanted to meet and help them.

Seeing the children makes us cry,

and seeing the children
living a very heartbreaking life,

I'd felt compassion inside me
that I wanted to go and help a little.

That's how I ended up
in a country called Madagascar.

You know, when we hear
the word "Madagascar,"

a certain image comes to our mind.

How did we get familiar with Madagascar?

Movies! Yes. Movies and animations.

I really liked the animation
"Madagascar" when I was young.

I bet you know that in the animation
a lot of animals appear.

When I went to Madagascar myself,

I found that the animals
in the animation -

lions,

giraffes,

hippopotami,

and zebras -

weren't there.

(Laughter)

There was nothing.

Unbelievable, isn't it?

For me, it was a real shock.

But it turns out that predators like those
don't live in Madagascar.

If you're curious about this fact,
try researching the movie plot.

When I went to Madagascar,

there was a huge quarry.

In these quarries,
people dig stones all day long:

from young teenagers to the elderly.

And even if they dig stones all day long,

the money they earn a day
is no more than two dollars.

And these workers had kids.

They couldn't afford to educate their kids
by making a dollar a day.

As a result, the kids
couldn't go to school

and were left in a dangerous
quarry like this.

But there's a school built for these kids.

This school, called Dream School,
was where I started working as a volunteer

to teach these kids for a semester.

Before I met them,

they were saying about these kids,

"They were wandering around in the quarry.

That's why this school has been built."

When I heard these stories, I thought,

"Oh, I really want to tell
these sad stories in Korea."

I studied English and media
in college, and I just graduated,

and I started thinking about

how I could help them
using what I'd studied,

and I started thinking,

"I want to deliver their voices
through the media."

That's why I started meeting children
and taking so many photos of them.

Aren't they beautiful?

The reason why I took
so many of those pictures is

to tell their stories to the world
and help them out.

It was kind of mission
that I should be the voice of the kids.

A month, two months, time went by

as I was teaching them English
and playing with them,

taking a lot of photos.

I was with the children as usual,

and then suddenly,

I got a very strong message in my head:

"Huh? Isn't it really weird?

I'm sure I've come to meet
these poor kids in Africa,

but why aren't there any poor kids?"

I'd come to Africa to see
the kids in the picture.

I was facing them, but strangely,
I didn't take pity on them.

They were just ... so pretty.

But I was in chaos
because of this thought.

Because as I said earlier,

I came to see those poor kids
in this remote continent, Africa.

And my goal was to tell their stories.

That's why I was confused.

So, I thought about it.

"Why did I feel sorry
for African children?"

But no matter how much I thought about it,

I came to the conclusion

that I had no choice
but to take pity on them.

Unless going to Africa for real,

for ordinary people like us
who go to school,

the only way we can get access
to African children is through media.

But what kind of children do we see on TV?

These are the kids.

I wondered.

[(Korean) Kids learning to bear hunger]

Why did African children always come out
with sad music in such a lethargic manner?

Why were the children always crying?

Why did that coolheaded
narration touch my heart?

I was wondering about these things

and found out they're called
"poverty pornography."

Have you heard the term "poverty porn"?

That was the first time
I've ever heard of it.

Poverty porn, as you can see,

is an extreme depiction of poverty.

It evokes compassion
and encourages fundraising.

How did you guys feel?

When you're thinking about
an image of African children,

isn't it exactly the same as this one?

Or isn't it this child talking to you,

with his appealing eyes filled with tears?

Those are all about poverty porn.

But the problem is,

poverty porn depicts African children
only from a perspective of poverty.

These images inspire compassion
and imprint certain thoughts on our mind:

"African children and we
are different from each other.

African children are always suffering

from this miserable life, this poor life."

But that wasn't all about them
when I met them in person.

So, I began to think that,

"Oh, at least I, at least I will tell
their stories to the world

just the way they are,

protecting their rights and self-esteem."

Then one day, I told
all the students in class,

"Today you are going to paint
your own dreams."

I was just curious.

A dream is a bit worn-out topic,
but at the same time,

it is bound up with growing kids.

So, I handed out these little pieces
of paper to the kids, and I said,

"Hey, why don't you draw a dream
and write down a story about it?"

The children, as you can see,

were so serious and so happy
to paint their dreams.

Older kids even wrote
a short essay about it.

After the day, I came back home
with the pieces of paper,

and looking at the photos I took
and pictures the children drew,

I realized that their dreams
are not different from ours.

Of course, there was a difference
between experience and culture

because their lives
were a little different from ours.

But it felt very familiar

that they are dreaming
about their talents or interests.

But what was even more surprising was
that when I was looking at their dreams,

I was also able to see
the country, Madagascar.

There were many girls
who wanted to be a teacher.

All of them are saying
that they want to help

those who have not been taught
and who can't read in this country.

This is a kid named Mamfieunna
who wants to be a dentist.

She said when she becomes a dentist,

she will treat cavities, pull out teeth,

teach people who can't brush their teeth,

and hand out toothbrushes to people
who don't have a toothbrush

because there are
still many people in Madagascar

who don't know how to brush their teeth
and don't have a toothbrush.

Henin-Sua wants to be a judge.

Fredric wants to be a bus guide.

As I was looking at their dreams,

I saw the country through their eyes.

Just then I came to think about
telling their stories with their dreams.

I thought that we could deliver
the same message to the world,

not with poor and hopeless images

but with their dreams and school lives
just the way they are:

kids who live small but warm lives
and who have dreams.

I wanted to introduce them.

Because if I were them,
I'd want to express myself in that way.

No matter how hard my life is,

rather than portraying myself
so hopeless and pitiful,

I would say that I can do anything,

I would say that I can change this country

just like Michael, who wants
to be a president of this country.

Michael has so many things he wants to do
if he becomes a president.

I came back to Korea after a semester

with happy memories
of children in Madagascar.

And I started a project
informing about their dreams,

gathering all data I collected.

I've got some team members
who are with me.

Though we're starting
with a small school in Madagascar,

we hope for a miracle
in which kids can achieve their dreams

and change their country,

so we've named our team
A:MI, African Miracle.

One of the most important values
we have in this project

is never to show children pitiful.

We've made a variety of products

under the goal of representing
the children as they are.

What you can see on the left here

is a photo essay that contains
the kids' school life and dream,

and the rest of it
are a variety of products

designed only with children's drawings.

But as you can see,
some designs are a bit weird.

If you look here at this yellow
creature, what is this?

(Audience answering)

I still don't know.

Oh, someone says it's a dog.

Some people say it's a dog.

Cows, cockroaches.

(Laughter)

Many assumptions, but we
still don't know what this is.

But the reason why I put
this picture as it is

is because I wanted people to look away
from prejudice and poverty porn,

to look at them just as they are

and just as kids who are dreaming.

"Y'all, I'm here,

and the African kids
that you've seen so far on TV?

They're all fake.

These kids that you are looking at
right now are the only real ones."

I'm not out here to deliver this message.

I don't think the things
you see on TV are false.

That's why kids in Africa can't enjoy
something that we are taking for granted.

For example, education, health care,

sanitation, and clean water.

So did the kids I met.

Some children were thin
and wore dirty clothes.

When I went to school
and touched the children,

fleas from the children came and bit me.

After a year, I still have the scars.

And diseases that can be easily cured
if we go to hospital

can be life-threatening illnesses
for these children.

Yes.

African children
need our attention and help.

But first, I think it's important
what kind of point of view we should have.

Before this project,

one of the things
that I've heard a lot is,

"Hey, I enjoyed your picture,
but they don't look like African children.

They look richer
than typical African kids,"

they said.

As you can see, we still have stereotypes
about African children.

But I hope at least people
who are here today could change their bias

about "like African kids" stereotype.

For us in our 20s,

the world defines and limits us,
our future, our entire lives

through educational background,
home environment, employment.

But you don't like it.

Wouldn't African kids
also want you to look at them

as the kids dreaming like normal kids,

not so different from others,
even as ones who can change the world,

rather than being described
as poor and hopeless children?

Instead of powerless and pathetic kids,

why don't we recognize African children
as those who dream like us,

who have tremendous
potential for development?

Once our perception changes,
the change starts.

Only when our eyes change
do we get rid of poverty porn

and get the right sponsorship culture.

To regard African children
as they are, who are like us,

to look at them as a person

who can have potential
of ability and possibility,

I think that's the beginning
to help African children.

The change and the beginning

that we're going to make
with African children

starts from that point of view.

Thank you.

(Applause)