Charity ads under fire for reinforcing harmful stereotypes

by Johnson Asi

Charity advertisements are facing increasing criticism for perpetuating racial and ethnic stereotypes through their portrayal of poverty in third-world countries.

Critics argue these campaigns condition audiences to associate poverty with Africa and other developing regions, despite the unquestionable fact that poverty is a global problem.

A 2016 study by the Development Education Research Centre revealed that over 80% of Western charity campaigns focus on African countries, despite poverty being widespread in other regions such as Southeast Asia and Latin America.

A separate survey by Red Nose Day Charity found that 75% of respondents in Western nations exclusively associate extreme poverty with Africa.

For Jordan Greene, a student of Barbadian and Congolese heritage, these stereotypes had personal consequences. “It was hard for me growing up,” Greene said.

“People automatically assumed I was poor and would demean me all the time. I was mocked because of my African ethnicity and tried to repress that side of myself to fit in.”

Greene explained that he felt compelled to downplay his heritage and adopt behaviours aligned with his white peers. “I tried to act like everyone else. It felt that I had to erase part of myself to avoid the constant judgment,” he said.

The overrepresentation of Africa in charity campaigns has also been linked to theories such as cultivation theory and framing theory.

Cultivation theory, proposed by George Gerbner, argues that repeated exposure to specific media narratives—such as the portrayal of African poverty— conditions viewers to associate helplessness and misery with certain regions.

Similarly, framing theory highlights how charity ads present third-world nations as dependent on Western aid. These narratives often focus on emaciated children and devastated communities, which create a one-dimensional image of crisis and dependency, reinforcing an “us versus them” mentality.

Donald, a Welsh student, noted that while he now sees through these stereotypes, they were unavoidable during his childhood. “I saw those ads all the time when I was younger, but I don’t watch TV as much now,” he said.

“It probably didn’t affect me too much because in my neighbourhood there were people from third-world countries, so I realised from a young age that those images weren’t accurate—they were just very stereotypical.”

The repetitive imagery used in these ads does more than reinforce stereotypes—it also shapes subconscious biases. Studies on implicit bias, such as the research conducted

by Greenwald et al. (1998), reveal that visual exposure to racialised imagery primes viewers to associate poverty with certain races and regions.

This bias can lead to misinformed beliefs that influence how people view those from different ethnicities or nationalities.

The cultural implications for the countries being portrayed are also significant. Critics argue that by focusing solely on suffering, charity ads obscure the resilience and progress of communities in the Global South.

This perpetuates a narrative of dependency, reinforcing the “white saviour complex,” where Westerners are depicted as rescuers. Research by Bond UK in 2020 supports this, finding that while emotionally charged campaigns elicit donations, they leave lasting negative impressions of the communities portrayed.

The stigma created by these campaigns can erode dignity, with local populations reduced to images of helplessness rather than active agents of change.