Africa Articles

In the shadow of China’s and India’s inroads into the African continent, South America’s emerging power, Brazil, has been increasing its presence in Africa. However, its role in Africa has remained relatively unnoticed by international media and academia thus far. Brazil’s low visibility in Africa cannot be explained exclusively by the fact that its financial engagement is still limited in comparison to that of China or India. An explanation would also need to include the unique way the South American power has interacted with Africa. Brazil has presented itself as a partner for Africa’s development challenges rather than as a business partner.

In December 2012, the African National Congress (ANC) will decide whether to re-appoint its president, Jacob Zuma. Since the Republic of South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994, the ANC President has, ex officio, been the president of the country; such is the party’s electoral dominance, a dominance that withstands the system of proportional representation, which discourages political majorities. It would be extraordinary to see Zuma fail to be re-appointed; but would this be deserved? This article will examine Zuma’s record in his first three years as president. 

Albinism in Africa

Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is much more common in certain parts of Africa than elsewhere in the world. However, there are limited statistics regarding the incidence and prevalence of albinism in Africa in the current literature. Approximately 1 in 1429 in Tanzania, 1 in 4182 in Zimbabwe, and 1 in 4000 in South Africa have OCA, which is strikingly disparate from the prevalence rates in the United States (1 in 37,000) and globally (1 in 20,000). Therefore, the albino population in Africa represents an incredibly vulnerable group of people.

Myths and realities about China’s ambitions in Africa abound: China is monolithic, mired in stale ideology, subverting the Bretton Woods system, and unwilling to provide global public goods. Another is that China has no “soft power,” that is, the ability to engage almost one billion Africans by persuasion, attraction, and market relations rather than brute economic and military force.