HIS394H1

20th and 21st Century African Icons: Media and Biography

Superseding 19th century European missionary and explorers' accounts of Africa; media in the 20th and 21st centuries have unequivocally played a key role in shaping the globe's views of Africa and Africans. In 2005, BBC Focus on Africa put out an impressive list of more than 100 "African Icons". Since then, a number of websites have come up with various lists of African icons. Who are the African icons and what makes them icons? How have the media contributed in making them icons?