“A balanced world where each continent regains its true weight”: the African Union pleads for a correction of the world card

The projection of Mercator, designed by the Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator in the 16th century for maritime navigation, is still today the model most often privileged to represent the world on the planisphere. Moreover, But according to Fara Ndiaye. Similarly. deputy director of the organization Speak Up AfricAt the origin of the “correct the map” campaign, it is an erroneous vision. However, She explains to our colleagues from RFI: “It artificially grows Europe. Similarly, North America artificially, while reducing the size of Africa by about half. And this distortion, it is not neutral: it shapes our collective imagination, influences school programs and also media representations. When an African child. in particular our African children. sees their continent rapestified, this “a balanced world where each also decreases a certain feeling of pride and the importance that this child attaches to his identity. So ultimately. “a balanced world where each for us. correcting the map, it is much more than a technical question: it is a strong symbolic act which affects dignity, justice and the story that we want to build around the African continent “.