The whole story of contemporary Africa is a sad tale of tribalism, class warfare, and massive corruption- and one the media here "won't even talk about" because it does not fit within their template of acceptable ideas.
I would also add, that both the press and entertainment arms of the media encouraged and supported the toppling of the old governments, i. e., they were in collusion, and complict in the fall. Now that things have worked out at variance with their idealistic fantasies, they simply "don't talk about it..."
I truly hate to say, or even mention it, but I fear what is happening in Rhodesia will be the model for South Africa. What you have there is a state slipping from the rule of ( English-style ) Law into a state of tribalism- ruled by one corrupt & murderous strongman, who will naturally pander & cater to large groups that will help him cling to power. In such a system, minorities have "rights" only on a whim, which may be revoked instantly for no reason.
I look upon the coming train wreck in Rhodesia- and next, South Africa- with great despair. Some of us saw this burgeoning with Jimmy Carter's muddle-headed "policies" over 20 years ago, and tried without success to get our government to nudge those nations... rather than shoving them with sanctions and pariah status.
Things could have worked out better.
Well put. Bump!
Two things come to mind immediately with respect to the Western media and 'acceptable ideas':
1) Redistributionist (re. Marxist) Economies: Since the withdrawal of the colonialist Europeans from the African continent we have had one pseudo-crypto-Marxist ruler after another. What is left unsaid is that Geldorf's rock-aid was organized to provide food for a starving nation that was in Chaos because of its adoption of a Marxist economy and ruler..........and I might add I found this ironic since rock musicians as a whole are a bunch of crypto-Marxists to-boot. The result is an entire continent of Cambodias.
2) Enviro-Walden Wackos: "Let's all lead a simpler life closer to nature", the Western-Luddite-Greens, Ralph Nader, Al Gore and Pol Pot are/have said. Africa is an example of the results. Nuff said.