Africans, real people though we may be, are used as props in the West's fantasy of itself.

An African speaks out at the dishonesty of self congradulatory liberal campaigns. (Its probably worth pointing out that the speaker, while presenting himself as a voice of Africa, was born in Washington DC and attended Harvard. Its not that I think he is wrong. Its that I think he is also assuming someone else's identity.)

Uzodinma Iweala - Stop Trying To 'Save' Africa - washingtonpost.com