"Crude oil weeps profusely in Sao Tome and Principe" - that's from article below
ND9
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An Embarrassment of Riches
Despite being marred by conflicts Mother Africa is blessed
Salisu Ahmed Koki (funspider)
Published 2006-06-23 07:41 (KST)
Africa is blessed in its people and its land.
From the rivers of the Rift Valley to the wild animals of the Kalahari Game Reserve there is more for tourists to see in Africa than anywhere else on Earth.
If you doubt this poor writer, kindly spare some hours out of your life to Google "tourism in Africa" and not "terrorism in Africa" and see the wonders for yourself.
Africa is blessed in its ability to nurse, nurture and preserve many of the world's most treasured and admired cultures and traditions. The Masai people and their robust culture prove my point.
Africans and people of African origin have done much to benefit the world. Think of Boutros Boutros Ghali and Kofi Annan of the United Nations.
They have also shown military prowess and skill in foreign policy. Think of the number of black military officers that fought in the two Iraq wars, or the likes of Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell.
People of African origin have changed the fate of nations. Remember the boldness and charismatic energy of American civil rights activists Martin Luther King Jnr. and Malcolm X.
Other famous Africans include Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dr. Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Emperor Gabriel Hail Salasee and Sir Ahmadu Bello K.B.E. of Nigeria to name but a few.
In the field of the display of exceptional wit and intelligence, the exceptionally creative writer Professor Chinua Achebe, Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Emeritus Ali Mazrui and Nobel Laureate Wawuru of Kenya are just some of the many great African intellectuals and thinkers.
To cut a long story short, Africa is stunningly and stupendously blessed with both human and natural resources.
Africa is also rich in minerals. Diamonds and gold are buried beneath the fertile soils of South Africa and Ghana. Crude oil weeps profusely in Sao Tome and Principe, the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria and the Sudan. Zambia and its neighbors are famous for their zinc deposits. Aquamarine, amethyst and other precious stones are scattered across the soil of Africa. The list goes on and on.
The so-called civilized people in the West used to brand Africa as the "Darkest Part of the World." Though painfully insulting, I find it very logical to agree with their assertion and their colossal condemnation of this blessed continent.
I agree simply because the larger part of Africa has been enclosed and enveloped by needless man-made wars and conflicts that tend to violently dwarf the socio-economic development of the continent.
War has affected Darfur, the Congo, the Ivory Coast, Sierra Leon, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Angola, Chad, Gambia and the oil rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
Greed, lust for absolute power and bad leadership bedevil Africa, and unless the situation is reversed the continent will forever remain the so-called "Darkest Part of the World."
However there is good news coming out of this ancient continent.
Nigeria's role as mediator relieved war-torn Liberia of its trouble and facilitated the installation through democratic means of the first African woman president in the person of Allen Johnson Sirlef.
African organizations like the Economic Community of West African States and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States have done a great deal of good by intervening in warzones as peace keepers.
Africa is important for everyone regardless of their color, race or religious inclination. Africa has the potential to be a business haven equal to Dubai. Let us hope that the great continent will rise out of its present chaos and assume its rightful place as one of the most marvelous places on Earth.
©2006 OhmyNews
AI
