| Africa-
Against the Odds
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Africans Want Democracy
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Africa- The
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Hopeful News
Out of despair, Africa still manages to find hope. Hope may not be a very tangible quality, but it is what many Africans cling to in order to live these days. It motivates the women peace activists in Somalia, the free press campaigners in Liberia, the human rights advocates in Congo, and thousands of other like-minded African patriots across the continent. They face long odds and they are not getting much support from the outside world. Yet Africans are making progress. From the prospering coffee farmers of Uganda to Cape Town’s bid to host the Olympics. From the proliferation of free radio stations in West Africa to the peace accords that have taken hold in Mozambique, Angola, Liberia and Mali. Indeed, most wars in Africa have ended. Apartheid is finished. Most of the economies are doing better than they have in nearly two decades. Africans are feeding themselves. They are demanding change from their leaders and often they are getting it. There are more democracies, there is more freedom, and there is more respect for human rights than ever. Serious Problems In Chad and Togo, military regimes manipulated the electoral process to stay in power. Particularly worrisome, however, is the threat that countries such as Côte d'Ivoire or Nigeria could descend into the chaos and bloodshed that have wracked Liberia, Rwanda and Burundi, sending hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing in every direction. Compounding this political disarray, Africa must contend with tough economics. Before granting badly needed financial help, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund often impose harsh terms. They typically lay off thousands of public employees, slash government social services and devalue local currencies. This occurs on top of already high rates of poverty, illiteracy, a host of diseases, environmental degradation, crumbling transportation, poor communication infrastructures, unfavorable terms of trade -- and other problems.
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