The World Was Never Mapped Innocently
Originally published by The Elephant — Read the original article →
“A map is never neutral. It shapes perceptions and influences how people and continents understand their place in the world.” ~ Robert Dussey, Foreign Minister of Togo
There is a particular kind of silence that lives inside a classroom map.
It hangs above the blackboard, usually framed in plastic or pinned beneath glass. Countries sit in their familiar colours. Rivers thread across borders. Oceans stretch into blue emptiness. Africa occupies its assigned place, recognizable enough that few children think to ask who decided that this was what the world should look like.
