"What we’re hearing isn’t Africa, but Hollywood’s imagination of it."



This problem isn't limited to Africa. The "generic" southern accent for any place below the U.S. Mason-Dixon line is just as horrible. Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana...they're all "The South" to Hollywood, and almost none of the actors I've seen ever get their actual accent correct. (I'm looking at YOU in particular, "Steel Magnolias". And that was filmed ON LOCATION in Natchitoches, LA, so they had zero excuse.)

You folks in the UK...I'm betting they don't do any better for regional accents from your areas, correct?

And the generic "foreign" accent that denotes someone is from "Europe" or equally bad, the "Arab" accent...

I don't know if it's laziness, ignorance, lack of talent, intentional "glossing over", or some subtle form of elitism that says, "Any place that isn't California or New York isn't worth the time to bother to study how the people actually speak there."

Streep doesn't have this problem, because she's serious about her craft, and apparently, Winston Duke could give some lessons, also, so it isn't like it can't be done.

But it definitely lessens the acting profession and the industry in general, when they don't get anywhere close to getting accents right for their characters.

My favorite line from the article? When one of the people quoted called Will Smith's awful portrayal of an African accent in "Concussion" "racist". Awesome.

Do better, Hollywood.