In My Africa

In my Africa is the second half of the 9th episode of Season 14. Together with "D.W., Queen of the Comeback," it first aired on April 27, 2011. The episode was written by Ken Pontac while the storyboard was done by Gerry Capelle.

Summary
Brain's cousin, Chiekh, comes to Elwood City from Dakar, Senegal. D.W. gives him a drawing she made in preschool, but Chiekh tells her how inaccurate the drawing is, so D.W. tries to learn more about Africa. Since she is having trouble learning so much information, they (with Brain's help) make up a song about Africa and sing it at the end, explaining about all of the different places (while teaching us a thing or two).

Plot
D.W. welcomes the viewer as she is walking through Dakar, Senegal, the hometown of Chiekh, and explains that it is like most cities, but in one special way it is not: it is located in Africa, and then she introduces Chiekh to the viewer, and then she says that the episode is about him, but Chiekh tells her that it is more about her and his cousin, Brain. [Title Card] The scene then goes to Chiekh and his mother leaving Senegal to move to America, in Elwood City. After that, the scene goes to D.W.'s preschool where Chiekh is introduced to the rest of the class but D.W. interrupts, saying that she already knows who he is, as Arthur had already told her who he is, and then she shows him a picture that she drew of what she perceives of his life back in Senegal. Chiekh tells her that his life isn't like that, because he lived in a city, and then the teacher tells D.W. that she should learn about a place before she describes it. Then the Tibbles make fun of D.W., saying she knows nothing about Africa, but then D.W. vows to start learning more about Africa, but then Chiekh explains that Africa is not a country, but an entire continent. Starting at school, she looks at the map in class and when she gets home, she starts reading books about Africa but it is difficult for her, as she doesn't know how to read yet. Arthur explains to D.W. that it was hard for him to learn about Turkey, where his pen pal Adil comes from, and maybe she needs someone who knows more about Africa than she does, and then Arthur picks up the phone and calls his friend The Brain, and then the Brain starts telling D.W. of ways she can learn about Africa, but his ways were too difficult, so D.W. suggested that maybe they come up with a song about Africa, and then they start singing, then Chiekh comes in and helps with verses about foods from Africa, and then the next day in preschool, the Tibbles think she'll embarrass herself, but Chiekh tells them that she won't because he will be singing with her, then they sing another verse. After they sing the song, the teacher introduces a new student named Keith from Kalamazoo, and then when the teacher asks if anyone knows anything about Kalamazoo, D.W. raises her hand and says she doesn't but she'd like to learn.

Lyrics:
Part One 54 things 54, things to see and to explore. In My Africa, whoa, whoa, whoa. In My Africa, whoa, whoa, whoa. The continent of Africa is deep and long and wide. With 54 countries to keep my song diversified. There`s rhythmic beats, new things to eat, and places you can go. And every day a different way that you can say hello. For instance meeng-gah-bou is howdy-do when visiting in Ghana. Dumela-ma is how you say "Hello" inside Botswana. The Muslims greet the folks they meet with Salaam-Alaikum. In Gambia, Morocco and Sudan`s hometown cartoon. In My Africa, whoa, whoa, whoa In My Africa, see this when you go. Burundi`s got the deepest lake and then the highest peak. Jet set from Tanzania just next door to Mozambique. And carving through the continent there flows the mighty Nile. Pass Uganda, Eritrea and look out! A crocodile! Namibia`s wild skeleton coast is littered with wrecked ships. And Cote d`lvoire has chocolate fields -- I love my chocolate chips~ Victoria Falls in Zambia -- it makes a mighty sound Zimbabwe shares the falls as well, there`s lots to go around In My Africa, whoa, whoa, whoa In My Africa, life is all a glow.

Part 2:
In My Africa, whoa, whoa, whoa. In My Africa, there`s lots of food they grow. The Comoros has the Coelacanth, the prehistoric fish. In Congo, they eat Wamba stew -- that stew`s my favorite dish. In Sao Tome and Principe, they like their food with spice. The fish in Mauritius is hot and delicious, it`s really very nice. Sahara in Algeria`s a hot and arid land. Vacation in the Seychelles and relax upon the sand. The Madagascar aye-aye taps on trees to find its lunch. If you like rice then you`ll love Mauritania -- they munch rice a bunch. Farmers out in Kenya, they raise cattle, goats, and hens. And Burkina Faso`s called, "The Land of Upright Men". The cotton from Benin is in the clothes we wear to school. There`s 40 words for camel in Somalia -- pretty cool! Hey! Bembeya Jazz comes from Guinea. Baobab trees are stout, not skinny. Ethiopians eat teff not pota-ter. Equatorial Guinea`s quite near the Equator. In South Africa, two peace prize winners. In Togo, they eat fufu for dinner. Senegal`s got a pink lake, Mali`s got the blue man. The folks in Nigeria spice food with cumin. They do. It makes a tasty stew!

Part Three:
54 things 54, things to see and to explore. In My Africa, whoa, whoa, whoa. In My Africa, whoa, whoa, whoa. The world`s biggest frog is found inside of Cameroon. In Chad the long fish yawn and wake up when it rains in June. Gorillas in Rwanda have a hooting sort of speech. Go to Gabon to see an elephant walk on the beach. Angola`s full of dino bones. Museum in the ground. Libya`s got those Roman ruins -- the coolest ruins around. And Egypt has the pyramids, the Sphinx, and King Tut`s tomb. Malawi`s got a town called Livingstonia, I presume. In My Africa, whoa, whoa, whoa. In My Africa, joy and beauty flow. Tunisia`s known for a gorgeous gate and Swaziland makes glass. From old recycled bottles that the boys and girls amass. Lesotho folks don`t go outside without their fancy hats. The artists in Sierra Leone weave really pretty mats. The tunes they play in Niger, hey! They`re vital and alive. The hip co of Liberia that style`s gonna thrive. Cape Verde`s got morna -- Man, I dig that swinging beat. Guinea-Bissau goombay just makes me want to stomp my feet. In My Africa, whoa, whoa, whoa. In My Africa, it`s almost time to go. My Africa`s an ageless land, I`m glad that you could see. Its continent`s so full of life, you`re all my family. And now we leave this loving place, its heartfelt family ties. A warm embrace, a smiling face to bid a sweet goodbye. To my Africa, Djibouti, hooray! To my Africa, Somalia! Magic Africa, in the C.A.R. Lovely Africa, D.R.C. Magic Africa, Western Sahara. In my Africa!

Trivia

 * Midway through the episode, D.W., Cheik and the Brain walk across a zebra crossing-a reference to The Beatles, while saying, coincidentally, that they'll never become pop stars.
 * The episode was taped before South Sudan gained its' independence, as the song does not mention a verse about that country.
 * D.W. called this song a "food section"