American perceptions of Africa have long been swayed by the noisiest US constituencies with a vested interest in the continent.
More often than not, these have been faith-based groups and non-governmental organisations – notably the human rights lobby. They played a central role, for example, in focusing Washington’s attention on the plight of the Southern Sudanese during Sudan’s civil war.
The effect, though, has been to distort the complex mix of realities in Africa’s 55 states – seen, as these have often been, through the lens of activists with a narrow agenda – and also to divert resources.
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