“Africa, my Africa
Africa of proud warriors in ancestral savannahs
Africa of whom my grandmother sings
On the banks of the distant river
I have never known you
But your blood flows in my veins
Your beautiful black blood that irrigates the fields
The blood of your sweat
The sweat of your work
The work of your slavery”

Africa is a continent of fifty-five independent countries populated by one billion people – more than half of them your age, but most of them without the opportunities you have to make a difference in the world. Africa is not a simple reality. Africa is full of paradoxes, contradictions, and enigmas – out of Africa comes good news and bad news.