Despite continent-wide problems with disease and hunger, there are bright spots in Africa and hope for the future, according to the testimonials of 13 African heads of state, released yesterday in the Boston University African Presidential Archives and Research Center’s first-ever ‘State of Africa’ report.
The report, which includes accounts from the leaders of Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, focuses on the 13 countries’ progress over the past several years toward democracy and free markets, and hopeful signs for the future, according to center director Charles Stith.
While Stith, a former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania, said the report is not a ‘sugar-coating’ of Africa’s problems, it does attempt to expose the continent’s recent positives. Though AIDS continues to ravage many countries throughout the continent and the anti-democratic efforts of dictators like Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe have attracted significant attention in the American press, he said there are numerous countries that have made progress toward democracy and economic growth.
‘The challenges are fairly well known we read about those on a fairly regular basis,’ Stith said. ‘The good news is that they’re making some rather significant strides across the continent.’
In their statements, the 13 African leaders highlight their countries’ economic and political progress and diplomatic growth, both in the past and projected for the future. Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade draws special attention to the country’s organizational role in the continent’s conference on terrorism in October, while many of the other leaders comment on recent positive economic signals.
The 13 countries were chosen because they are ‘on the cutting edge in terms of reform and performance,’ Stith said.
‘Just as the original 13 colonies drove the development of the United States, these 13 countries reflect the same sort of potential,’ he said.
The report was created for both academic and political purposes, Stith said.
‘From a pedagogical perspective, it adds to the fund of knowledge, both for scholars present and future,’ Stith said. ‘From a practical perspective, we are hopeful that policy makers, both in the public and private sectors, will look at this document and the information contained in it would be a part of their deliberations as they start to thing about Africa in terms of policy formulation.’
Countries in the region have a significant interest in a war against Iraq and in fighting terror worldwide, but do not want to be left behind if the United States does go to war.
‘We’ve got allies on the continent,’ Stith said. ‘This report is a reminder that we need to be conscious as a country that we don’t allow allies to get caught in the crossfire of this war.’
Stith said this point in African history will be important when scholars look back years from now to find out why countries developed the way they did. Because many of the continent’s countries are just now democratizing and reforming economically, the years the report covers will reveal how they develop, he said.
The ‘State of Africa’ report was among the African Presidential Archives and Research Center’s founding goals when it was created in Sept. 2001, and is expected to be an annual publication by the center, Stith said. He said it reveals a lot, both about the willingness of the African heads of state to participate in the project and the center’s ability to bring their testimonials together.
‘On the one hand, it’s a testament to the interest leadership in Africa has in telling their story,’ Stith said. ‘The other thing is that I think it also reflects the credibility this center has after 18 months of operation.’
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