Free Republic

The eyes of the world are temporarily on Africa because George W. Bush is making his first trip (five days) there. The issues of HIV/AIDS, despotism, inhumanity and corruption on the continent are in the spotlight. For me, an African-American, one of the most important recent trends related to Africa is the courage of a growing number of prominent blacks in the United States to publicly criticize African heads of state. I am especially pleased that black organizations, such as the TransAfrica Forum and Howard University's Africa Action, have sent formal complaints to several African leaders, including Presidents Robert Mugabe...

At the start of his 5-day trip to Africa, President Bush denounced slavery as "one of the greatest crimes of history." Equally repulsed by slavery, Washington Post reporter Keith Richburg nonetheless wonders, after spending three years in war-torn and disease-ravaged Africa, what his fate would have been had his ancestors not been sold as slaves roughly 400 years ago.In the week to come, Bush will encourage emergent democracies in Africa, and condemn militant rulers in the region. He appears close to sending 2,000 U.S. troops to Liberia to join an international peacekeeping force. In addition, Bush aims to alleviate the...