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Simon Robinson says "Time to Play Fair"
I am always concerned with the power of the media: they choose what to say about whom and when. The media also evaluates and judges, takes sides when they should be impartial and show nothing but fact when they should take a stand. African news particularly can be very misleading or just plain insufficient. The worst part is many Africans do not have a voice and aren't able to come out and speak for themselves when the truth needs to be re-established. This is why African news leaders are so important and this is why Simon Robinson (on the right), Time's editor for African news, carries such a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
I noticed his name, otherwise unknown to me, after having read "Time to Play Fair" in Time Magazine, that ends:
Forgiving debt without opening up markets would be like sponsoring a sports team and then asking the players to take the field with their hands tied behind their backs. It's time to come up with the money Africa needs now. But to make sure Africa can pay its own way in the future, the rich world has to let the continent go to work as well.
I became his reader right there, hopefully Time on line offers the option of getting particular people's articles by email... Simon Robinson was born in Melbourne and grew up in Sydney. He's a journalist for Time Magazine who has lived in Africa for five years, first in Nairobi, Kenya, and now in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Another quote bringing small but encouraging news:
Over the past decade or so, however, there has been a new and serious attempt by many of Africa's leaders to start fixing some of those problems. Countries such as Ghana and Mozambique, once riven by civil war and coups, have enjoyed tiger-like economic growth thanks to better leadership and foreign investment.
Two out of 55! But it is possible.