Africa: Take another look

Africa - Revisited

A few years ago, I came across what is now known as a strange map of Africa. Not so much about Africa itself but putting it in a kind of perspective in comparison with other countries in order to disabuse the view of Africa being out there, out of sight and homogenous.

The blog Africa Is A Country attempts to send up the impressions that tourists and workers to Africa, especially from NGOs give about Africa, but there comes a time where some basic enlightenment is useful.

In terms of size, Africa is the second largest continent in the world with 54* countries. [Source: WorldAtlas (Size)]

Continents

Continent	Size (km2)	Size (mi2)	Population	Countries
Asia	43,820,000	16,920,000	4,164,252,000	44
Africa	30,370,000	11,730,000	1,022,234,000	54
North America	24,490,000	9,460,000	542,056,000	23
South America	17,840,000	6,890,000	392,555,000	12
Antarctica	13,720,000	5,300,000	0	0
Europe	10,180,000	3,930,000	738,199,000	47
Australia/Oceania	9,008,500	3,478,200	29,127,000	14

*There are 54 fully recognised African states that are members of the United Nations with Algeria being the largest by size. [Source: Wikipedia]

However, this detail is hardly effective if one does not catch a visual side of the real comparisons which is where the map below comes in.

[Original Source: ThinkBig – 35 The Size of Africa now inaccessible.]
[Updated with a picture grab from WhiteAfrican on 23-11-2015]

Why it matters

The map is quite apt for many reasons because most of the people I have heard from that say they have visited Africa even though it might have one of three major destinations being Egypt, South Africa or Kenya have hardly seen Africa.

It was the Europeans that colonised most of Africa, Americans that do get to travel besides their economic or military influence are likely to be missionaries if they go off the beaten path or belong to some NGO helping fight one of Africa’s many ills.

The Chinese have been coming to Africa and it is estimated over 1,000,000 have set up home in Africa, the reception of the Chinese varies between great excitement and serious foreboding.

India, Incredible India just allows for those who have been there to know that it is just about a tenth of the size of Africa though with a similar population size.

In the end, I hope that this map just helps put Africa in perspective, it is not a country and even within the 54 countries there are nations, tribes, languages, traditions, cultures and much else that might be the topic for another write-up.

Just take in the wonder of the size of Africa for starters. Thank you.

Holiday Snaps: Wild Turkey Wattles

Beyond the norm

This is adventure for me, going off the beaten track and east of the boundary of the Central European time zone that has been the limit of my sojourns for a long time.

I am in what is in antiquity called Asia Minor, the part of Turkey that is geographically part of Asia but geopolitically aspires to be central to Europe.

The flight to Bodrum was fine apart from the severe turbulence as we left Amsterdam and the babies that cried for the problems with cabin pressure and inner ear issues; the disturbance was moderate as I whiled away my time with a number of Times Sudoku puzzles.

This country is mountainous to the extreme, much I did see from the plane especially for someone living in the Netherlands.

Another trip

I had arrived at the Ryanair equivalent of a local airport just 135 kilometres from my destination. We disembarked, got visas and baggage reclaim was within 15 minutes and then the second leg of the journey by bus to Marmaris on the Mediterranean coast and it appears it would be a journey of almost 3 hours with a 15-minute stop-o ver.

As darkness falls, I am in a country where my name is common but means something else, at least even in the Netherlands I have received letters seeking support for a mosque in Rotterdam, assumptions like that has made other expect to see a Japanese man and be utterly surprised – I like the chameleon nature of my name, a camouflage of identity that is useful and is bereft of the baggage that sometimes dogs its origins.

There is a good deal of time left of this journey and as bus jumbles and shudders on this macadamised trail and passes for a major road, I might well rock myself off to sleep, hoping I don’t suddenly grow wattles like a wild turkey due to the vibrations.

I forgot, I’m in Turkey.

Is Nigeria a model for Africa?

The prevailing international opinion

The Economist is an international affairs magazine published weekly with a circulation of over a million of which 53% are American.

We have seen justifiable outrage in the blog world about ways in which Nigeria is portrayed negatively and sometimes unfairly.

However, we can agree on the point that the elections conducted last month left much to be desired for the democratic progress of Nigeria and set a poor example of the exercise of universal suffrage in Africa.

Nigeria is losing respect

The Economist published a good few articles about Nigeria and the elections making some incontrovertible assertions that could only heap shame on the process.

In a leader, last week, Will Africa Ever Get It Right? (Subscription might be required to read articles in The Economist) I excerpt a number of statements verbatim.

"And yet their rotten leaders presume they have some kind of right, by virtue of their country's size and natural wealth, to strut the global stage as leaders of the continent. How wrong they are."

This simply indicates that Nigeria is losing respect globally by virtue of its inability to safeguard the sanctity of a democratic process with free and fair elections.

"Any notion that Nigeria should be taken seriously as a continental spokesman, let alone a model, should be laughed out of court."

I think this speaks for itself, this is difficult to read but we can only improve international commentary by improving things at home.

Nigeria is not Africa

It goes on to say that the events that happened in Nigeria should not be viewed as an African malaise, Nigeria is NOT Africa, it states categorically.

A lesson in contemporary history shows that the excuse we have given about not being able to conduct elections to the standard of the West still leaves the obvious progress of a once poorer and less organised Asia overtaking Africa like a horse to a tortoise, in a flat race.

"The killer comparison is with Asia, where many countries suffered from the same colonial humiliations and rapacity that independent Africa customarily blamed for its early failings.

According to the World Bank, real income per head in the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa between 1960 and 2005 rose on average by 25%, while it leapt 34 times faster in East Asia; countries like South Korea and Malaysia were once as poor as Ghana and Kenya.

The excuse of colonialism wore out at least a generation ago-and Africans know it."

The throwback to colonialism can not more hold water, the Asians also had the same problems, how did they get out of those problems?

The integrity of the poor

That concludes with "In the end, Africa must help itself, just as Asia has."

Then in this week's edition under the title - Swathes of desert but oases of progress - they highlight how dirt-poor Mali and Mauritania, have for the 5^th and 1^st time respectively conducted democratic elections which observers have called fair.

The world order is changing, as might without honour is losing value and poor with integrity is turning into the right currency for aid and investment.