A survey published today by the British Red Cross showed that most British people are "unaware of African conflicts".
99% of respondents to the survey did not know that the Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered the highest civilian death toll of any country in conflict in the last ten years. 47% of people guessed that the country in question would be Iraq, while 14% went for Afghanistan.
People were also asked to name countries currently experiencing conflict. 69% of respondents identified Iraq and 65% Afghanistan, which could be expected given the British military's involvement, although the figures still seem relatively low given the media coverage of both conflicts.
12% identified Russia and 10% identified Zimbabwe but less than one percent of people interviewed identified areas such as Sudan or Somalia.
The results of the survey come just a day after the Red Cross appealed for access to victims of the fighting in North and South Kivu, in the eastern DRC.
1 comment:
I totally understand the lack of awareness about the DRC. I'm fairly nerdish and watch the news most days but can't remember a singe occassion when this country, and to a lesser extent any other African nation except Zimbabwe or South Africa, has been mentioned. As Ali G might say, "Is it because they is black?"
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