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Well lookig at those picture most will thnik that we can cancel the massive spoending on aids to africa and the food help. Looks like the proib;em is worse than we thought if its true because the money is being spent on luxuries while the press in the USA is protraying there being a great needs for those funds and the UN is lying out its face.Buit then again I can go to one american city that is in decline and post pictures like that from certain areas.does nothing to erase teh extreme povety in most of the coutnry and the aids empidemic that is fact.
I think Africa does a pretty good job of portraying its self in a negative light. Read the news about Sudan lately? Kenya? Sierra Leone? South Africa is for all intents and purposes is a European country. There is also Five-star hotels in Ethiopia, but that doesn't make it a nice country deserving of a positive light.
Hey...those are some very nice vacation spots from what I hear!
Rowanda was pretty nice too!
Maybe that "slave trade " thingie in Darfur is just over blown....right??
Because your representation is dishonest and does not reflect Africa's most important resources. City buildings don't mean anything. Yeah, they are nice, and clean, and pretty. If you want to improve Africa's image, show people the things they have forgotten about while they obsess over crime statistics. There are a lot of informal settlements, but that is part of Africa. I was talking more about the natural resources, such as the people, who for the most part are not waiting to slit your throat at every opportunity, but are good, solid hard-working people who have interesting tales to tell, and art and music to share. And most important of all, people need to be reminded of the sheer magnificence of Africa's natural beauty. Nothing compares to walking alone on a pristine, unspoilt beach with no other human for a hundred miles, or viewing animals in their natural habitat. What is more majestic than seeing a herd of 100 elephants? That is what people need to be reminded of.
What is more majestic than seeing a herd of 100 elephants? lol, you see, it's all relative and depends on the individuals. For most Westerners, Africa is just a land for exotic entertainment, for wild life etc, but do a survey and try to find out how many Africans care to see elephants, lions, giraffes etc. Most people who care about these things are Westerners and they are the ones who spend thousands of $ on Safari in Kruger Park South Africa, Serengeti in Tanzania and in Kenya etc.
And I don't see why my representation was dishonest when I showed Cape Town, a city that resemble the French Riviera in many ways. So I just showed a city to complete one of your statement, but of course I can show you the people and more about the culture. But the problem is, I am not too sure these things interest people in this thread and I didn't think there would be an audience curious enough. That's why I focued on cities building to let people who are scared and skeptical that alot of parts of the continent are very Westernized and completely safe for them to travel. So what better way to illustrate that than to show infrastructure and state of the art facilities.
If you're a Westerner, the first thing you want is to find out if the basic thing in a different society is up to Western Standards, no? Then after that, you can think about organizing yourself and explore the counry part of Africa.
So you're entitled to your opinion to say that nothing compares to walking alone on a pristine, unspoilt beach with no other human for a hundred miles, or viewing animals in their natural habitat etc, but again, that's the only thing about the African continent Western know already. They already know what you're describing. But it's our duty to explain to them, that there more than that to the continent.
Trust me, the millions of Africans will trade anyday, the landscape, wilde life and lush vegetation for urbanization and an industrialisation that would bring electricity and clean water to people and improve the quality of life.
So saying I was dishonest was rather harsh, don't you think?
For quite a few years now, Africa has been the West's flavour of the month. Whether it's in Making Poverty History, or adopting wide-eyed babies from one of the continent's 53 countries, it is very hip to talk aid. And to talk Africa.
Darfur is finally getting some attention in the mainstream press, but as always, there looms that danger of the entire continent paying a price for one tragedy. The image of Africa has always been one of doom, gloom and despondency.
Celebrities and their causes, which are accessorised by over-the-top concerts have resulted in a definite increase in the number of words in the newspapers and air-time on TV.
But, more often than not, the news is bad. And Africa continues to suffer as a consequence of this repeated portrayal of its negative side.
Treated as a monolith instead of realising the potential within 53 countries, Africa is being "Darfurdised" in the mainstream media. The genocide in one part, leads to a negative perception of other parts that not only have enormous potential, but are also fairly prosperous.
The African continent has more than 900 million people and it is true that there are a few unnecessary deaths. However, it is the same in countries such as India and China.
As an example, malnutrition in children under five in India, is at about 46 per cent, making it worse off than sub-Saharan Africa. And yet, it is being endlessly courted as a yummy economy, with investment pouring in.
Of the 47 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, how many have active conflicts? At last count it was Sudan, Chad, Uganda, the DR Congo and Somalia.
According to economists, last year, Africa recorded its highest GDP in 20 years. Also, 16 African countries have positive sovereign credit ratings. It is reported - not widely of course - that Botswana's is higher than Japan's, but it still fails to realise its potential of foreign investment.
Change direction
For far too long, the voices of celebrities such as Bono and Bob Geldof have spat out figures of deaths by malaria, HIV and malnutrition.
It is, of course, thanks to them that the continent received some of TV's lights. However, it is high time that their rants changed direction and started talking of Africa's potential instead of its poverty.
Africa is not a continent of war-torn refugees, infected with HIV and living under a dollar a day.
Africa in the 21st century, is a continent that has doubled its mobile phone and internet use every year - for the last seven years. The amount of foreign capital entering it is higher than the amount of foreign aid.
While the intentions of aid are noble, the results have shown the creation of lazy governance and bad bureaucracies that are neither responsible nor accountable.
Like India and China, whose people immigrated westward but returned, the same trend is observed in Africa. Africans are now returning to what they see and believe as a land and time of opportunity. Brimming with ideas and enthusiasm, they're singing the same song as Bono and Geldof. But, the lyrics are different.
They don't want to Make Poverty History. They want to Make Africans Rich.
The people of Africa are slowly gaining a voice on the international stage. For quite a while, there has been a growing distaste at the manner in which their people have been represented. It has generated charitable donations.
However, at a recent African conference, Ugandan journalist Andrew Mwenda, best summed it up when he asked: "What man or nation has ever become rich by holding out a begging bowl?"
Africa today, needs trade. Fair trade. Why not for instance, campaign for letting African cotton farmers compete fairly in Western markets instead of asking for aid?
As another example, the African film industry is at an interesting crossroads. Young filmmakers and talent are desperate and bursting to tell stories that aren't about starvation and genital mutilation.
Their stories are set in real Africa and are told in an honest way without stereotyping and showing the promise of a people that want to move on. And away from the poverty tag.
However, when it comes to financing from Western powerhouses, it is the films that conform to a pre-determined notion of what Africa is about that are smiled at and blessed with capital.
The Other Africa is quite different from the one we're used to reading about and seeing on TV. Its children are sprightly and not sick with flies sticking to their faces. Its men and women are resourceful and not refugees. And its landscapes are quite simply, stunning.
It is this Africa that needs to be celebrated. Not the way we want to. But the way it really is.
By Vinita Bharadwaj, Special to Gulf News
Published: August 02, 2007, 23:15. Vinita Bharadwaj is an independent writer based in Dubai.
Ma****, capital of Mozambique in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east. That's where they shot part of the movie "Ali" with Will Smith and also part of "Blood Diamond"
Abidjan, capital of the Ivory-Coast in West Africa. Before the civil war of late 1999 and continued till 2003, this city used to be known as the "Paris of Africa"
It is that time of the year, the American business magazine Forbes has published its annual list of the richest people on planet Earth and we at ClickAfrique have had a look through to see how Africa fared.....
The richest men in Africa 2009
2008 has been a tough year all round, the Credit Crunch unleashed havoc across the globe, commodity prices crashed, export markets shrunk, stock markets have headed downwards and foreign investors have fled riskier markets as they rushed for safety.
The culmination of these factors has seen some big changes in the league table of African wealth with many fortunes decimated and a new man at the top.
Johann Rupert & Family (South Africa)
African Rank No.9 - World Rank No.601 - Wealth $1.2 billion
It has been another bad year for the Rupert family. Once ranked No.3 on the list of richest in Africa, the family is in danger of slipping out of the list all together. The bulk of their wealth is tied into the Richemont Group, a major player in luxury goods and this is a sector that has been particularly hard hit by the global down turn. The summation of this is a fall in wealth of over $2.4 billion and a drop to No.9 in the African rich list.
Femi Otedola (Nigeria)
African Rank No. 9 - World Rank No.601 - Wealth $1.2 billon
Last year saw the debut of Aliko Dangote as the first entry from Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria in the Forbes Billionaire list. This year sees another entry, oil magnate Femi Odetola. Odetola is one of a cortège of moguls who prospered under the Nigeria last administration, others include Aliko Dangote, Jim Ovia (Zenith Bank), Michael Adenuga (Glo Telecoms) and Tony Elumelu (UBA Bank) . It would be no surprise if one of the latter three makes the list next year.
Patrice Motsepe (South Africa)
African Rank No.8 - World Rank No.559 - Wealth $1.3 billion
Patrice Motsepe was a new entrant this time last year his mining empire benefitting from record commodity prices to make him the first black South African to make the African rich list. A year on the fall in commodity prices particularly platinum has hit him hard with his personal wealth falling $1.1 billion. Despite the fall he was still able to claw his way up one spot to No.8 on the list.
Onsi Sawiris (Egypt)
African No.7 - World Rank No.430 - Wealth $1.7 billon
In 2008 the Sawiris family were easily the richest family in Africa with father Onil and sons Naguib, Nassef and Samih boasting a combined wealth of $35.7 billion. The global crisis has seen this wealth decimated. The patriarch of the Sawiris family, Onil saw his personal wealth plunge from $9.1 billion to $1.7 billion on the back of collapse in the value of the Sawiris’s construction group, telecommunication group and leisure interests.
Mo Ibrahim (Sudan)
African No.6 - World Rank 334 - Wealth $2 billion
We omitted Mo Ibrahim from our list last year, with $2 billion to his name we are not going to make the same mistake twice. Mo Ibrahim made his fortune building up the CelTel mobile phone empire and selling it on to Kuwaiti investors. In recent years he is most famous for his $5 million African leadership prize.
Aliko Dangote (Nigeria)
African No.5 - World Rank No.261 - Wealth $2.5 billion
The Nigerian Stock Exchange was a few years ago one of the world fastest growing exchanges but it has plummeted over the last few months and with it has gone a substantial proportion of Dangote’s wealth. Despite losing over $800 million he still moves up two places as others have suffered even more painful losses.
Naguib Sawiris (Egypt)
African No.4 - World Rank No.205 - Wealth $3.0 billion
Last year there were three Sawiris brothers in the list Naguib, Nassef and Samih. Move forward one year, mix in a global financial crisis and only two brother are left in the billionaires club with Samih ejected. Naguib who last year was richest man in Africa has lost an eye-watering $9.7 billion over the year as the value of his telecommunications empire, Orascom Telecom Holdings crashed by close to 90% and he now finds himself nestled in fourth place on the list.
Nassef Sawiris (Egypt)
African No.3 - World Rank 196 - Wealth $3.1 billion
Nassef may have only dropped one position in the list but losing that one place was accompanied by a loss of $7.9 billion. His wealth has been hit by twin blows of falling valuation of his construction interest, Orascom Constructions which has dropped over 80% from its peak, and falling oil prices which have affected many of the firm’s Middle Eastern clients.
Nicky Oppenheimer & Family (South Africa)
African Rank No.2 - World Rank No 98 - Wealth $5 billion
They say diamonds are forever and the Oppenheimer family proved this as they remain as a mainstay of Africa’s rich list and they have weathered the financial crisis relatively unscathed. They were aided by having sold a significant part of their Anglo American empire at the peak of the market.
Mohammed Al Amoudi (Ethiopia)
African Rank No.1 - World Rank No. 43 - Wealth $9 billion
We come to the top of the list and the honour of the ‘Richest Man in Africa’ goes to Ethiopian born Mohammed Al Amoudi. Saudi based Al Amoudi has successfully preserved his $9 billion fortune through these troubled times and that act of financial stewardship alone has seen him rise from No.4 to the top of the rich list and No.43 in the world. His interests are spread across Sweden, the Middle East and his home country of Ethiopia.
Related Articles
The richest men in Africa – 2008 (http://www.clickafrique.com/Magazine/ST014/CP0000002738.aspx - broken link)
Africa is in the state that it is in because of years of abuse and neglect. It started with the slave trade. You had warriors and other people being kidnapped, sold, etc. At that point, Africa went into a slow neglect. Add colonization to that. You had nations scrambling for Africa's resources. They were going in and taking over. They weren't doing it to benefit the persons living there. They were doing it to take all of the resources, to benefit their own nations. Isn't it kind of interesting that as Africa went into decline, some European nations were getting more wealth. People resources were being taken out of Africa and so were other resources. Much of the wealth was being taken out, but very little benefiting Africa for the most part, and wherever there were places that benefited(such as South Africa), most Blacks were not benefiting. In South Africa, Blacks were being denied the right to vote, being told they could only live in certain parts of their own nation, while other ethnicities were living in relative privilege. Some say crime wasn't as bad in South Africa until after apartheid ended. Oh that is a big fat lie. There was alot of violence in South Africa, but most of it was in the townships where Blacks lived. Few people even cared. Crime was always bad in South Africa, it was only later on when the crime was getting into the cities. Keeping people corralled in certain places didn't keep the crime down, it only concentrated it in places where Blacks lived. Now crime is everyone's problem.
Corruption and other issues are big problems in Africa. However, I don't see alot of people asking why, thinking critically, and wondering why. I am the one doing that research. Stuff doesn't just happen, stuff gets done, by people to people. The nations that got colonized for a very long time are often the nations that are doing bad now. Africa is being portrayed bad in the media because that is all many people want you to see. That isn't to say that all of that stuff isn't true, but it does show the onesided mentality of the media.
It's beautiful; the only problem is that only 5% of the blacks in south Africa live like that.
Shhhhhh, don't spoil the illusion.
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