Changing the Moral of the Story: a Critique of the Global North’s Social Narrative about Africa’s Sustainable Development

Document Abstract / Summary Overview

In the era of sustainable development, it is important that the regions of the world work in unison to realize greater welfare for humanity and the planet. To do this, persistent inequalities based on destructive power and dominance relations need to be critically illumined and brought to an end for the sake of inclusive sustainable development. This article discusses the outcomes of a narrative inquiry into the story of Africa’s sustainable development as told by the global North. By means of a critical social narrative analysis of the official inaugural Sustainable Development Goals reports, the contribution sheds light on the ‘implied author’ and ‘master narrative’ behind the texts by critiquing the values, norms and ideologies evoked by the social narrative’s storyworld. The article concludes by highlighting that a key opportunity is available for Africa to tell a different story about herself and craft a new narrative in an empowering manner that advances inclusive yet authentic global sustainable development. Keywords: Africa; African