The Correct the Map resolution to promote map projections that more realistically reflect the true size of continents endorsed by the United Nations in New York at the beginning of September was a huge success for the African countries that led the campaign.
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that → correct → campaign
In the General Assembly, 164 member states voted to encourage the use of Equal Earth projection and other equal-area maps instead of the 16th-century Mercator projection.
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states → vote → projection
Robert Dussey, the foreign minister of Togo, which sponsored the Correct the Map campaign at the UN, spoke of a "feeling of pride."
Correct the Map is also supported by the African Union.
"Finally, Africa is fighting to regain its place in the community of nations," he told DW.
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he → sponsor → DW
"The place it has been reserved to this day is unfair.
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it → reserve → day
It does not correspond to Africa's reality, not in historical, geographical or economic terms."
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It → correspond → terms
Dussey made clear that the debate about global maps was also clearly about symbolically redrawing the maps of facts and knowledge, culture and identity and redressing misperceptions about political and economic realities and power.
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was → make → realities
The only UN member state that rejected the resolution was the United States, whose president Donald Trump has engaged in various acts of political symbolism, having issued orders for places to be renamed on maps which he would presumaby also like to redraw Trump has signed executive orders to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and Lake Ontario as Lake America.
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Trump → reject → America
The UN resolution, meanwhile, is part of a broader, global trend, as French historian Romain Tiquet from the African Worlds Institute (IMAF) told DW.
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Tiquet → tell → DW
He said many questions were being explored: "Who established the categories through which we conceptualize the world?
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we → say → world
From which locations? And what power dynamics result from this?
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dynamics → result → this
And cartography fits right into this context."
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cartography → fit → context
Mali breaks with former colonial power France
Many African states have also been trying to free the school systems from colonial influence, often for political reasons.
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states → break → reasons
In October 2025, the Malian government decided to remove French history from the school curriculum.
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government → decide → curriculum
The decision was made to stop teaching about the French Revolution but to focus on Malian history and the other ancient West African kingdoms.
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decision → make → history
In just a few years, the country's military government has made a clean break with the former colonial power.
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government → make → power
Mali ended its military cooperation with France in 2022, and French soldiers began to withdraw from the country.
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soldiers → end → country
Burkina Faso and Niger did the same and the three formed the Alliance of Sahel States in 2023.
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three → do → 2023
Philemon Mtoi from Tumaini University Makumira in Tanzania said Mali had made an important step:
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Mali → say → step
"As a historian, I believe that a country without a strong understanding of its own history is like a country without clear leadership and direction.
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country → believe → leadership
This decision is important because it seeks to strengthen patriotism and foster a stronger sense of national identity."
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it → seek → identity
By investing in the research and preservation of African history, Mali — like Africa as a whole — was making a strong contribution to global scholarship, Mtoi explained.
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Mtoi → invest → scholarship
He spoke of "reclaiming and documenting African histories from an African perspective" and said that this was not only "an act of decolonization" but also an "important step toward intellectual independence."
Mtoi said that many other African countries, such as Ghana, Namibia, South Africa and Kenya, had adopted a similar approach.
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countries → speak → approach
He added that his own country, Tanzania, had also made major changes to the school curriculum recently.
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country → add → curriculum
He said that "Tanzanian history and ethics" was now a compulsory subject that had replaced global history and that it would be taught in Swahili, the country's national language.
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it → say → Swahili
The historian warned, however, that knowledge of other countries and histories should not be erased.
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knowledge → warn → countries
He said it was important to acquire a profound knowledge of significant events in global history, such as the French Revolution, but that this could be done at a later stage.
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this → say → stage
#NotWaiting campaign to abolish stereotypes
School education in a formal setting is only one part of the puzzle.
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education → abolish → puzzle
The non-profit Africa No Filter was one of the organizations behind the Correct the Map campaign.
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Filter → correct → campaign
It works to challenge and change harmful narratives about Africa.
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It → work → Africa
In a report titled "The cost of media stereotypes to Africa," it says that "Africa could be losing up to $4.2 billion (€3.6 billion) annually in inflated interest payments due to biased media coverage."
Francois Bouda, an officer for arts and culture at Africa No Filter, said that media outlets continued to portray Africa as being poor, corrupt and crisis-ridden.
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outlets → title → Africa
The new campaign #NotWaiting is meant to change this perception.
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campaign → mean → perception
"We are addressing Africans because we, too, need to change the way we view the African continent.
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we → address → continent
We've accepted the image of a continent incapable of taking care of itself, one that is poor and has no opportunities.
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that → accept → opportunities
We've internalized this and come to believe it, even though many positive things are happening.
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things → internalize → it
First of all there has to be an internal change," said Bouda.
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Bouda → have → all
'Millions of ordinary people doing extraordinary things every day'
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Millions → do → things
The #NotWaiting campaign is part of a larger movement, which aims to highlight positive developments and initiatives in Africa, to focus on political programs and actors, to counter crisis-reporting.
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which → notwaite → reporting
It comprises figures on the continent and in the diaspora, people who are "not waiting for an external hand to dictate what path to follow," said Bouda.
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Bouda → comprise → path
"This is good for Africans," he said, adding that there were many actors but that the only problem was that they "aren't visible."
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they → say → Africans
The campaign is about Africans themselves painting a positive picture of Africa as a continent on the move, about people sharing stories, which are not curated by international institutions or media outlets.
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which → paint → institutions
…and 3 more, not listed.
The Aporia
