No more a Dark Continent

I have never felt like I am in the right place at the right time more than I do now - living in the once famous Dark Continent of Africa - that is now illuminating so much light which it had been absorbing from other continents in the past. Previously living in Africa was nothing but a quandary that required great mental, physical and psychological efforts to make things happen. Just a few decades ago, there were few success stories coming from this ‘dark’ continent. With a dearth of positive media, excessive brain drain, poor infrastructure and technology inter alia African success story was on the periphery. However, Africa is now on the center stage-a force that can not be avoided. It has been breathing so heavily for many years and it’s only now that the world is recognizing the centrality of Africa in the global arena. But now relative shifts in the global structure has witnessed the emergence of popular concepts such as Fareed Zakaria’s ‘rise of the rest’ or the ‘decline of the West’ . Such concepts are showing the increasing importance of not only Asia and China but particularly Africa. To feel the rhythms and sounds of this new Africa many are flocking to the Kenyan Capital Nairobi, which for a long time has been termed as the ‘NewYork of Africa’ As Jonathan Kalan observes there is a massive migration pattern from West to East especially among fresh Gen-Y whom he describes as

Flocking from America's top universities, grad programs and consulting firms to the pulsing heart of a new Africa

Most of them are here for the 'African rush' either for investment, development, travel, adventure or to study. With the financial crisis still biting hard in many parts of the world many prefer to come live or study at African top institutions which are relatively much cheaper than they would have paid back at home. The prospect of making it in Africa seems higher than in most parts of the world especially now that Africa is viewed as a new frontier that still has room for development and innovations. With the right infrastructure, policies, a vibrant middle class as well as flourishing democracies Africa could be a global leader. Behind this movement are the African elites and firm believers of this continent who want to show the good side of Africa alongside it's challenges and who are actually doing something to push this agenda. Such initiatives are the likes of this project and this blog that want to tell the great ideas of Africa in a book!!!