I stopped my previous diaries on Africa because I was really quite unhappy about how to explain such a large continent based on a country by country approach. As can be seen from the map in this link modern day countries carved out by colonialism from the 1850's onward bear little relation to the diversity and the related problems found within each country.
The current Ebola outbreak also highlighted the total incomprehension in the US and in Europe of what is and is not meant by "Africa" itself as well as a general ignorance as to scale. I also was disappointed with a colonialist viewpoint by some of the media that "Africa" is the home of ignorant and poor people and only the "west" could save it. Some have even decided to write another bloody Christmas song about it, whilst the intention is good, you also have to look at the legacy left by such publicity. One area of Ethiopia now defines the whole country in the minds of many with the word "famine". The root causes for the famine itself are rarely discussed, also the resultant changes in how aid is delivered little known. I wonder what the legacy of the Ebola Christmas song will be.
Having thought about how i tackle such a wide and diverse subject that both colonial and post colonial are pretty inadequate I have decided to concentrate on the people. The interesting way of looking through confusion is to take the history of different groups and their relationships to the different countries they inhabit and the associated political and economic differences surrounding them. This obviously includes external influences such as religion, geopolitics and corporate power, and internal circumstances such as, corruption, discrimination, and war.
In such a complex subject i hope some will bear with me in the upcoming diaries as they will be written from a very personal point of view, but I hope that they generate some transfer of information and discussion in return. Obviously if any Kossacks have worked in the regions [I worked with the Tuareg people my partner is of Malian decent] via charities,volunteer agencies, governmental agencies or the private sector I would love to hear about your experiences.
I hope the diaries will be informative and generate interest in a vast continent, due to the complex nature I will be only able to do 1 or 2 diaries a month. If anyone would like to contribute corrections, diaries or replies to my diaries feel free, you can contact me via the Kos-messaging system. Hopefully this will keep me out of the kerfuffle over the next two years as I don't think I can retain my humor otherwise.
The first diary rather than being about the Tuareg will be a geographical choice, so starting in the North East will be on the Berber People.