Africa Leaps Forward - Newsweek: International Editions - MSNBC.com

It is important to have articles like these which prove that Africa is a thriving place with greater potential, as opposed to a cesspool of misery and corruption as it is often portrayed in the media.
The Africans I have met are incredibly kind, noble, hardworking, and great friends...

Africa Leaps Forward - Newsweek: International Editions - MSNBC.com: "Behind the headline chaos, however, there is a more promising reality. Democratic elections have swept Africa. Thirty years ago the continent had only three elected heads of state; now there are 30. The International Monetary Fund says a core group of 25 nations representing three quarters of the continent's population has been steadily moving ahead economically, and asks, 'Is Africa turning the corner?' The IMF predicts overall growth this year of 5.4 percent (chart), driven by often painful economic reforms that began more than a decade ago in South Africa and have since spread widely among its neighbors. 'We've got a critical mass of countries, and we need to concentrate on that,' says Trevor Manuel, South Africa's Finance minister.

In short, Africa is not sitting still, waiting for the West to help"