In the West, many of us think that we know the Zimbabwe story and it goes something like this. The prosperous colony of Rhodesia was abandoned to its fate by the British as they succumbed to socialism after World War II. Ian Smith, the leader of Rhodesia, was condemned by the West for seceding from the British Commonwealth, but he stubbornly refused to let Read More

Like most countries in Africa, no one really knows the numbers in Mozambique. The government numbers are politicized, the NGO numbers completely ignore the unofficial sector—which is frequently many times the official sector, and businessmen operate by guesstimate. How many people live in Mozambique? Any number between 20 and 25 million is about as accurate as it gets. How big is the economy? The Read More

  Let’s start with the most shocking fact from my visit to Mozambique; for a country with an AK-47 on its flag, it sure is peaceful. I’ve been in search of a way to adequately describe Mozambique to friends back home. Jamaica without the reefer? New Orleans without the Popeye’s? Antigua with resources? I still cannot really put my finger on it, but it’s Read More

By the time that you read this, I will be on my way to Africa, a continent of unlimited possibilities. Before I talk about what I see there, I think it’s important to walk through a quick historical overview. I apologize in advance for lumping nearly 50 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa into a few quick paragraphs, but the historical similarities become obvious when you Read More