Africa's plight misunderstood

Ever since our Nigerian friend, Mr. Buhari Abdu, started writing letters to The Jakarta Post, I have been following what he has to say with interest.

Your points are well taken, Mr. Abdu, and I agree with you that Africa is a misunderstood continent and is often presented in an unfair, distorted way to outsiders.

It is not true, for example, that Africa has nothing to show but misery, strife and famine. It is indeed wrong for TVRI to take imported video footage of starving children to depict Africa because of course there is a bright side too.

Photojournalists often do not present the complete picture, rather only some aspects they particularly want to focus on. The maxim of bad journalism seems to be: "Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story."

Any present problems are only a short interlude in Africa's long history. It is often forgotten that there were prosperous and independent African kingdoms in the past, with just and able rulers. The historical and archeological records prove this. Africa, contrary to the popular belief, is not synonymous with hunger and famine.

As for (Zaire's deposed president) Mobutu Sese Seko, he did not represent the African people any more than British empire builder Cecil Rhodes was a representative of Africa's population.

Rhodesia has given way to majority-ruled Zimbabwe. The CIA dumped Mobutu once he was considered no longer useful as a bulwark against communism.

I will remind readers of what some colonial types in the Netherlands said at the time of Indonesia's PRRI/Permesta separatist rebellions: "See? They will break up because they don't know how to run a country." Some 40 years later, we are still a fairly strong nation.

Africa too will prove the present-day prophets of gloom and doom wrong.

FARID BASKORO

Jakarta