Cultural DNA: The Psychology of Globalization

Chapter 2Sub-Saharan Africa: Under Nature's Shadow

The external perceptions of Sub-Saharan Africa are in a state of flux. In the past, affection for the evocative beauty of the continent and the vibrancy people show in their daily lives has coexisted with the view that this part of the world is hampered by horrendously corrupt governance, vicious diseases, intractable tribal conflict, and, as a consequence of all these and many other problems, stagnant economic performance. These negative feelings in people's minds are corroborated by graphic images of poverty, the unpredictable behavior of some African leaders, and many other disturbing vignettes. Internally, the soaring hopes that people had following the independence of various African countries almost without exception hit the brick wall of reality a long time ago. Much of the writing of notable post-independence African authors, such as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Ayi Kwei Armah focuses on surfacing and exploring this collective sense of disappointment.

Yet as investment bankers would say, the stock of Sub-Saharan Africa is on something of a rebound. Many countries on the continent have astonished the outside world by delivering robust economic growth and improvements on a range of indicators. In recent years, countries such as Rwanda and Ghana have been some of the fastest growing economies globally—all of which is helping to lift millions out of poverty. On many indices of human development Africa has shown robust ...