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World Bank busted for stereotypical images of Ghana

By William Easterly | Published October 20, 2010

The World Bank has apologized for photographs on the web site for participants at its recent annual meetings, which showed offensive stereotypes about Ghana. A Ghanaian journalist broke the story after he saw the images portraying “a country full of hungry and miserable people.” This has prompted an outcry and debate in Ghana.

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5 Comments

  1. Matt Muspratt wrote:

    I’ve been following the back-and-forth on this here in Accra (albeit online). One of the original stories is at:
    http://news.peacefmonline.com/social/201010/94202.php?storyid=100&#commentsread

    Fun to read the comments to that piece too. A few, in fact, ponder whether a lawsuit is in order considering the displays of naked kids.

    Reminded me of Aidwatch’s satirical post about a child suing an NGO for using his image on a brochure without permission/compensation.

    Posted October 20, 2010 at 8:49 am | Permalink
  2. Franklin Cudjoe wrote:

    This was bad, but then I was amazed that te images were the only spectacular thing he could report on. If you live in Ghana, you’d understand that there is a rush by lesser known Journalists to look for sensational stories. I think a private letter to the bank, protesting would have been effective too. But thats my opinion..

    Posted October 20, 2010 at 12:34 pm | Permalink
  3. Ehui wrote:

    @ Franklin, I think the reporter managed to get attention of the media by reporting the story, which led to the public outcry and an apology from the country director in Ghana, no? I don’t know if a private letter would have been that effective.

    Posted October 20, 2010 at 1:49 pm | Permalink
  4. Raphael wrote:

    Kudos to the reporter. I certainly agree there is a double standard. There should always be written consent for all photos displayed publicly.

    I struggle sometimes with other types of portrayals that are more borderline. Is a picture of a women breastfeeding her child offensive to display? This is a pretty normal occurrence in many places and there would be little objection to a picture of it. Yet, if a similar picture of an American woman breastfeeding was publically displayed, it would be considered offensive (or tasteless, at a minimum). No? So, does the display of the photograph in the U.S. and/or the national background of the person in the photo matter? Is it offensive if displayed in the US, but not some parts of West Africa? Is it relative to the audience or the subject? I’d be interested to hear other people’s thoughts on this.

    Posted October 20, 2010 at 4:50 pm | Permalink
  5. Love Yellow Press wrote:

    Where’s the Beef? Ghana is poor! WB figures 2009 real per capita GDP at $655. They joined the HIPC. People do take baths from buckets. At least the kid had soap and a source for water. Did everyone celebrate International Wash Your Hands With Soap Day Oct 15th? Id like to see what other pictures were so objectionable. Ghana is making good income from the new higher prices for gold and may well make a bundle from oil one day. In the mean time it is good to see that sensational journalism is alive and well and that the WB has not lost its sense of urgency to CYA when called NOT PC.

    Posted October 21, 2010 at 4:30 am | Permalink

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  1. By Tweets that mention World Bank busted for stereotypical images of Ghana -- Topsy.com on October 20, 2010 at 8:35 am

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by William Easterly, Eric Yamoah, Conduit Journal, Stanléy M., One World Centre and others. One World Centre said: RT @bill_easterly: World Bank busted for stereotypical images of Ghana http://bit.ly/a9mm4o [...]

  2. By Scarlett Lion | Just how stereotypical are images of Africa? on October 20, 2010 at 10:06 am

    [...] a link for Aid Watch, I read this article with interest: The World Bank has apologized for displaying damning images of [...]