Birth Pangs‪.‬

Abstract: There are presently 2 contending views of the African continent - one pessimistic, the other optimistic. The pessimists, regularly flashing images of Africa's miseries across the world's television screens, dismiss Africa as a hopeless case whose situation is getting gloomier every day. The optimists, on the other hand, see Africa as finally emerging from its long years of decline and stagnation. What Africa must do to rejoin the world community as an equal partner is discussed. Internal contradictions will disappear once the transformation of Africa from a backward into an educated modern society becomes firmly rooted. Although still in its infancy, this transformation has already started.