T hirty years ago, shortly after South Africa emerged from apartheid, I left London for Johannesburg in search of a better life. Not long afterwards, a friend who was preparing to visit from the UK called with an intriguing question: do they have ATMs in South Africa?

After I picked myself off the floor, I explained that not only did South Africa have ATMs, but in many respects its banking system was far more advanced than the one I had left behind in Britain. She was surprised and – dare I say – delighted that she wouldn’t have to lug a wad of cash around South Africa after all.

That moment has stayed with me far longer than it should, because I’ve witnessed too many moments where the continent has persistently surprised and delighted the uninitiated. That’s because, for much of the world, the image of Africa still owes more to Live Aid’s legacy than to the reality.

A study we commissioned by social psychologist Dr Adam Hahn at the University of Bath helps explain why.…