Africa, one word that says so much yet is so misunderstood, misrepresented, maligned, oversimplified and as old as time itself.

From journalists, to politicians, to academics, to travelers, to aid workers, to everyday people from all over the globe including the continent itself Africa is a place of mystery. The origin of the word Africa is still debatable and a potential future blog entry on its own. I guess it isn’t so surprising that Africa which has been and continues to be referred to as the dark continent continues to mystify people and when our “leadership” such as US President Bush refers to Africa as a country no wonder people remain confused. I am not claiming to be an expert but I think I have made an effort above and beyond that of many to better understand Africa in my travels, work and studies here.

Lets be clear Africa is a large continent home to between 50 and 61 countries (territories in some cases) depending on who you ask. Most seem to put the number at 53 or 54. The US State Department and UN have basically the same lists of 192 (193) countries of the world the only difference being Vatican City which is not part of the UN list. Two other sites to visit are Africaninformation.net (which has an interactive map) and Mbendi.co.za for more information on the countries in Africa, population of each, languages, history, etc.

Many of the current problems across Africa date back to the Berlin Conference that took place over a year’s time between November 15, 1884 and February 26, 1885. This meeting of 14 countries mainly from Europe as well as the US and Turkey came up with arbitrary borders of the 2^nd largest continent in the world based more on resources, natural boundaries such as mountains and rivers and strategic access to rivers, beaches and roads than the plethora of independent African nations, cultures, languages, religions, etc. that existed. It is no wonder that even today Africans are conflicted between loyalty to their country and their tribe/people. For more on the conference you can visit homestead.com or geography.about.com.

From my experiences mainly in Mozambique and South Africa and brief trips to Swaziland and Lesotho I find Africa to be complex, controversial, creative and colorful. It is a place I love, yearn to better understand and which can frustrate and confound me all at the same time. Not only is Africa abused, misunderstood, etc. by those who have never been here, or come as visitors but also by Africans themselves black, white, colored, Indian, etc. Often the biggest excuse for corruption, poverty, lack of education, corruption, pace of life and more that I have heard during my time in southern Africa has been “it is Africa get used to it”. This sentiment and other similar ones don’t just come from people of all races and ethnic backgrounds.

I am not one who likes to generalize or stereotype although it is often hard to avoid doing this at times. So it bothers me when people in South Africa talk about Nigerians, a group that seems to have made a bad reputation for itself here in South Africa. I find it hard to believe that all Nigerians are bad, in fact I know some Nigerians and consider them friends. Yet, the actions of a few or many Nigerians here in South Africa has made people say that all Nigerians are criminals/tsotsis, drug dealers, etc. Another problem I have when generalizing is when people say “I am going to Africa” or “I have a friend from Africa” or something similar even though this person is visiting Kenya or has a friend from Ghana. Ignorance, laziness and lack of respect seems to make people over generalize Africa and this can be very detrimental. I admit at times I say Africa when I want/can be more specific but it is usually determined by who I am talking to and the purpose of the conversation. Yet, with my up coming travels to Brasil I won’t say I am going to South America but rather Brasil. I guess this is in part because more people know Brasil then they know the Gambia, Central African Republic or Djibouti.

I want to leave you with an example of the complexity of life here in South Africa that is representative of much of the continent. If you take a group like the Zulus and spend time with them, learn about their culture, history, etc. you realize that even within this group there are subgroups. So even the mighty Zulu who defeated the Afrikaners and others and dominated this part of the world for many years have divisions. This is one reason that people say that problems are on the horizon for South Africa when within ethnic groups you still find people who can’t get along. I hope this will not be the case and that South Africa doesn’t go the way of Zimbabwe.