ABSTRACT
Viewed nearly a decade into the new millennium, these words from one of Africa’s liberation leaders in the post-World War II generation seem quaint or naive. Independence from colonial rule did not bring “all other things.” As emphasized in this chapter, Africa’s problems have multiplied in the past few decades. In addition, foreign interests often either focused elsewhere in the world or did more harm than good. The political instability, economic decline, social unrest, environmental degradation, and debilitating disease that became commonplace in most of the states of the region will not quickly improve, despite some hopeful developments.
