How to Help Africa?

Africa is the one continent in our world which is generally thought of as constantly in need of help from outsiders.

Going back in history (from around the 15th century), and continuing into the present day, individuals and institutions (statutory, voluntary or non-governmental), have made the spiritual, social, technical and economic responsibility of Africans their lifetime occupation.

In this instalment of writings, the objective is to start an ongoing discussion, asking searching questions about what it means when one talks about 'helping Africa'.

We might start with the size of the continent: thanks to The Times Atlas for the (entirely self-explanatory) Africa in Perspective map above.

From the most northerly point, Ras ben Sakka (37°21′ N) in Tunisia, to the most southerly point, Cape Agulhas (34°51′15″ S) in South Africa, is a distance of approximately 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles).

From the Cap Vert Peninsula (17°33′22″ W) in Senegal, the westernmost point, to Ras Hafun (Raas Xaafuun, Cape Guardafui headland, 51°27′52″ E) in Somalia, the most easterly projection, is a distance (also approximately) of 7,400 kilometres (4,600 miles).

Image Source / Credit: https://africathistime.wordpress.com/

There are 54 recognised independent countries on the continent; forty-eight of these are located on the main landmass while the island nations are located off the coasts of West and Central Africa in the Atlantic Ocean, and off the East and Southern African coasts in the Indian Ocean.

Africa has an area of 30,368,609 square kilometres (11,725,385 square miles), including the island nations.

The largest country is Algeria, while Gambia is the smallest country on the continent's mainland.

A little exercise to test our knowledge of the continent might help to find out how many of the countries one can identify and name from the map below.

Map of Africa Exercise

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Info Box

Cradle of Humankind

Lucy (Dinkenesh)

In 1974, archaeologists working at Hadar in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia's Afar Depression came across a human skeleton which they named Lucy because the Beatles song, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was playing in the background. Her real name, however, is Dinkenesh, meaning 'you are blessed'.

This discovery has led to Ethiopia being referred to as the 'Cradle of Humankind'.

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