The Status of Africa :: Politics Economics Geography African Essays

On October 7 1999, Arizona Daily Wildcat published a remarkable article by Lora Mackel, a history young in the University of Arizona. In the article, Mackel expressed her views about the current state of the African continent as followsWe have all seen the images before Children with bloated bellies, rebels with assault weaponry, shanty towns that transmit as far as the camera can pan. These images reflect our own modern conceptions of Africa, for it seems that these wretched conditions and the continent itself are permanently linked. (4)Mackels article reminded this author of a little anecdote told by a fellow countryman of mine named Kagiso, who is from northern Botswana and is currently studying in Alabama. Apparently, one of his American classmates innocently asked him how he had escaped from the civil war going on in Africa. According to Kagiso, this particular classmate of his has this notion that Africa is just one big country. Although it was diffuse for my countryman, K agiso, to put away his classmates question as emanating from an individual on the lower side of the I.Q. scale, the point is that it connects to Mackels views and summarizes the perceptions of some Americans about Africa. Their perception is that the undivided African continent is a basket case. On the other hand, there are some Americans who unlike some of their countryman may not dismiss Africa entirely out of hand. Such Americans may hold the view that Africa is a serious cause for concern. Once in a while, a sympathetic someone who holds the latter view more strongly may arise. Unfortunately, most of the time, such people feel so sorry for Africa that they end up being apologists for the African continent, never mind the fact that the continent is home to 61 countries with varying economic successes (Atlas 122). The generalized descriptions of Africa by writers such as Mackel fail dismally to present a true image of the continent.Africas critics may single out the politica l instability prevalent in some African countries as a cause for their dismissal of Africa. These critics may use Rwanda to plead their case. In 1994, approximately 250,000 Rwandans crossed into neighboring Tanzania as refugees. This was after their village leaders force them out just because they belonged to a different ethnic group (Shawcross 4). It is easy for Africas critics to gloat over these reports. However, one need not be reminded that political strife is not uncommon in this day and age.