Because otherwise, the political actors and leaders in the states would have a responsibility redirect their domestic policies. The result is a conspiracy of silence. While Mandela is justifiably a figure of epic stature, it's far from clear how that stature has translated into meaningful policy prescriptions in a country being devastated by a virtual holocaust. The leadership of the Organization of African Unity has not done anything forward-looking. And African jails are not places you want to spend lots of time.
People have a way of disappearing.
Number one, there is a considerable amount of good work being done by very courageous activists in Zimbabwe, in South Africa, in Kampala, Uganda. They, and their work, need and deserve our moral, spiritual, and material support. We also need to confront the political and cultural issue squarely, by challenging the cultural norms that rationalize and justify male promiscuity. You've suggested that the African church is in a precarious position because of these contextual political factors. I'm wondering about the role, for example, of black churches in the United States.