From The Owners Desk: A health crisis in Central Africa does not define Southern Africa

Posted on Tue June 2, 2026.

Every time there is a crisis somewhere in Africa, whether it’s Ebola, political unrest, or conflict, we often see the same reaction across Europe: travellers cancel trips to entirely different parts of the continent, sometimes thousands of kilometres away from where the crisis is actually taking place.

It highlights how limited the general understanding still is around Africa’s geography and scale.
Africa is not a country. It is 54 countries, thousands of cultures and languages, and the second-largest continent on Earth.
To put its size into perspective: the Democratic Republic of Congo alone is roughly seven times larger than Germany.

Yet Africa is still frequently spoken about as though it exists as one place, one experience, and one story.

Working in tourism, we encounter this often. Travellers are surprised to learn just how vast the continent really is, and how geographically removed many destinations are from one another.
A health crisis in Central Africa does not define Southern Africa. Political unrest in one country does not reflect the reality of another.

There is still enormous opportunity for better education, nuance, and storytelling about this remarkable continent.
Because understanding Africa starts with recognising its scale, its diversity, and its individuality, country by country, culture by culture.


Jonas Sandström
Founder | Gonana South African Travel 

 

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