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UBCO student challenges stereotypes about life in Africa

Trophy Ewila, from Uganda, will give AlterKnowledge series presentation at Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art on Oct. 21
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UBC Okanagan student Trophy Ewila from Uganda will give a presentation about what life in Africa is really like.

A UBC Okanagan student from Uganda will give a presentation this week which will challenge some of the stereotypes many of us have about Africa.

Trophy Ewila will be the keynote speaker for this AlterKnowledge series event on  Friday, Oct. 21,c 7 p.m., at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, located in the Rotary Centre for the Arts, 421 Cawston Ave.,

Ewila, a fourth-year economics student at the Kelowna campus, will discuss why it is important to challenge the often-repeated stories of Africa as “poor,” “war-torn,” or “undeveloped.”

Along with Uganda, Ewila has lived in a few African countries and says it is important for Canadians to understand that Africa is more complex than people assume.

Africa is often defined negatively, says Ewila, because people outside Africa represent it. To get a better understanding, people need to listen to the stories that Africans have to tell.

The AlterKnowledge Discussion series is organized by UBC Okanagan professors Allison Hargreaves and David Jefferess.

The series aims to foster community-based knowledge-making, bringing people together to discuss, share, and (un)learn, as a practice of decolonization. This event is free and open to the public.