The continent of Africa,
home to more than 50 nations, is too often dismissed as a continent of vast natural
resources and primitive societies, governed by military dictators who change regularly. In
fact, getting past the sensationalist headlines, one finds democratic governments
struggling to get a foothold on this continent as well. The peaceful transition of South
Africa from a white-ruled country practicing apartheid to a nation governed by its black
majority provides a hopeful pattern. Many nations in the area have severe social problems,
the increasing threat of AIDS and all its attendant problems being only one. The world
cannot afford to continue to overlook the area, either economically, politically, or
socially.
