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In the American press, most articles about Africa tackle the latest turmoil: oil, civil war, child soldiers, blood diamonds. The American mind has been conditioned to think of Africa as a continent that is either constantly at war with itself or dying from disease. In Vanity Fair’s “Africa” issue, guest editor Bono succeeds in gathering a variety of enlightening articles about several African countries; the “Dark Continent” becomes a continent of humans instead of a litany of crimes against humanity.
Celebrities and philanthropy go hand-in-hand in Vanity Fair’s “Africa” issue.
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Bono chooses articles that reveal the heart of Africa, which is not darkness, but is full of spirit, hope and success in its economy, arts, people and politics. The turn of each page reveals a unique African experience: the microfinancing capabilities of Ghanaian women; Asian entrepreneurs surviving 50 years of political uprisings in the Congo; the success of Nelson Mandela, Jeffrey Sachs, Oprah and Bill Clinton; the latest renaissance in African literature; the diversity of a music festival in the middle of the Mali desert; and the genetic markers that trace every human back to Africa.
Perhaps most successful are the two photo essays: One reveals the stark contrast between an AIDS victim’s health before access to Anti-Retroviral (ARV) Drugs and after using ARVs for a time. The other pays homage to the success of Africa in her political leaders, artists, writers and athletes—images rarely attributed to Africa. Also intriguing is the in-depth look at China’s forays into harvesting Africa’s resources, and the ways in which China thwarts Western influence and removes jobs from the local African economy.
The two interviews are less successful. The first—a discussion between Brad Pitt and Archbishop Tutu reads much like an interviewer feeding his subject easy topics. Instead of asking insightful questions, Pitt makes a series of suggestive statements regarding religion, the debate on homosexuality in the American church and the inspiration for The Truth and Reconciliation Commission. These lead directly into Archibishop Tutu’s eloquently phrased philosophies on those subjects.
The second interview by George Wayne of Liya Kebede is a study in contrasts, as Wayne’s gossiping tone does not match Kebede’s serious answers. In questioning the supermodel, Wayne is unable to elicit much information because he asks about superfluous topics and utilizes the word “negress.” Kebede maintains her distance and only engages when Wayne asks about her organization’s work for Africa.
With the varying covers, Bono emphasizes that no single person or organization embodies the fight for Africa. Instead, with the variety of articles and topics, he invites us all into the conversation that plays across 20 separate covers. Each article reveals that struggles do exist, but there are many reasons to hope and continue the fight against poverty and AIDS alongside such organizations as (RED), Millennium Villages, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and many others.