The Fate of Africa

If I have ever made the mistake of not highlighting or underlining text in a good book, I have seriously done it this time. I have been enthralled with my latest read on Africa, entitled, "The Fate of Africa: A History of Fifty Years of Independence." It is actually a tough read as one travels in and out of post independence African countries. Its one horrific regime after another exploiting their own people and their neighbors in the name of freedom.

Out of all this carnage come some startling revelations about the state as well as the future of South Africa. Here are just some of the statistics about South Africa:

• If the aides epidemic goes unchecked, it will claim between 5 and 7 million lives by 2010.
• 2 million children will be left as orphans by 2010.
• The annual death toll due to HIV/Aids could reach 800,000 a year.
• Our of a population of 45 million, 3 million live in squatter camps or informal settlements, many enduring abject poverty, with little or no sanitation, clean water or power and no visible means of support.
• In 2004, 18 million people lived without sanitation and 5 million lacked safe water.

About Africa in general:

• Half of Africa's 880 million people live on less that US$1 a day.
• Sub-Saharan Africa is home to just 10 percent of the world's population but bears more than 70 percent of the world's HIV/Aids cases.

Notable quote by a US President regarding Africa:

During an 10 day comprehensive tour of Africa in 1998, President Bill Clinton visited South Africa. During his speech he stated that, "It used to be that US policy makers thought of Africa- if they thought of Africa- they said: 'What can we do for Africa, or about Africa?' They were the wrong questions. The right question is: what can we do with Africa? Yes, Africa needs the world, but more than ever the world needs Africa."