AFRICA: Africa World Press Guide

compiled and edited by WorldViews

Preface

The World Eagle map reproduced on page 1 of the print edition of the Africa World Press Guide is an eye-opener for most people outside the continent of Africa. The map makes the point that there is much indeed that we do not k now about Africa. We have little awareness of how large Africa is, how many nations make up the continent, or how rich and varied the societies are that inhabit the continent. Africa receives relatively little coverage in the media and in educational prog rams, and what coverage there is tends to focus on problem areas such as refugees, famines, and conflicts.

The aim of this directory is to provide educators and others with resource tools that contribute to more informed and enlightened understandings of Africa and its peoples. In this effort we have sought to magnify the voices of those whose perspectives on Africa are not now adequately represented in the mainstream media and in materials used in libraries and schools outside of Africa—especially writers, publishers, filmmakers, educators, and others from Africa.

Not content with simply providing access to more information about Africa we have selected resource materials that provide critical analyses of the root causes of the "problems" that dominate news coverage about Africa. What are the fundamental reasons for famines and the displacement of people? How are the vestiges of colonialism, the structural adjustment policies of the World Bank, and the presence of anti-personnel landmines related to these "problems"?

An additional aim has been to illustrate—even in problem areas—how much can be learned from the way Africa's peoples are dealing with problems such as AIDS, conflicts, and refugees: community-based initiatives to combat the spread of AIDS/HIV, innovati ve conflict-resolution measures, and the repatriation of displaced peoples.

Finally, we have deliberately included resource materials that highlight the richness of the African continent in the areas of literature, music, and cinema. We urge educators to tap these resources in order to present a complete and textured picture of Africa's peoples and nations.

The materials in this directory demonstrate the fact that educational resources are available to those who wish to learn about Africa. The organizations listed in the Directory of Organizations at the back of the directory are a rich source of r esources that will update and complement the materials we have listed and described below. We recommend, in particular, the African Books Collective in Oxford as a key international source for books and pamphlets published in Africa.

On-line Updates

The contents of the chapters in this directory below are available electronically on the Internet at the Africa World Press Guide Website. We intend to post updates and corrections of information in this directory at that Website and we invite readers to visit the Updates section at the Website from time to time to keep the material in this directory up-to-date. We also encourage readers to visit the Website of Africa World Press, the publisher of the directory.

Acknowledgments

The production of this directory has in every sense of the word been a collective effort. We are grateful to publisher Kassahun Checole and the staff and editors at Africa World Press; to Ed Ferguson and Prexy Nesbitt, who were instrumental in getting thi s project off the ground; to the staffs of the IDOC documentation center in Rome, the Review of African Political Economy in Sheffield, the African Studies Center in Boston, the African Books Collective in Oxford, the Africa Book Centre in London, and the DataCenter in Oakland; to friend and graphic artist Andrea DuFlon, who designed this directory; and to the many WorldViews interns and volunteers who helped along the way, especially Peggy Mead, Ted von der Ahe, Kyra Ostendorf, Patrika Mani, Ron Nicosia, Anibel Comelo, Robin Cushman, Kristen Rutter, Nancy Gruber, and Michael Heffron Fenton.

Our work on this project was assisted in part by contributions from the Program on Peace and International Cooperation of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the African Initiatives program of the Rockefeller Foundation, the South Coast Foundation, the Von der Ahe Family Trust, the Winston Foundation for World Peace, the Mission Context and Relationship division of the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Missionhurst, Com boni Missionaries, OMI Oblates, Missionaries of Africa, and by generous donations from friends and relatives who have supported the work of WorldViews (formerly Third World Resources) throughout the years.

Thomas P. Fenton and Mary J. Heffron
Directors, WorldViews
464 19th Street, Oakland, CA 94612-2297 USA
Email: worldviews@igc.org
Tel: 1-510-451-1742
Fax: 1-510-835-3017