My classmate Ravi defines democracy as a system in which ultimate power is vested in the people and their elected representatives carry out the will of the people. At the recent annual summit of the Organization of African Unity in Lome, the capital of Togo, the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan chastised African leaders for their mismanagement of Africa's abundant resources. He stated emphatically that the plundering of these resources has become the very source of Africa's misery. His words echoed what Legacy Magazine has been saying since its inception. However, the staff of this magazine holds the view that Africa's conditions are so dire that concerned Africans and other people of good will must do their best to circumvent this leadership and bring relief to our unfortunate populations.
Poverty engenders a series of scourges on the continent.
These scourges turn up creating more poverty. Figuring conspicuously in this vicious circle is the scourge of malnutrition. Psychiatric Illness and War Due to the proliferation of small arms and the preponderance of bad governance, Africa witnessed many rebellions during the last century. Many ragtag armies popped up as offshoots of these rebellions. Oftentimes they were made, for the most part, of child soldiers and their viciousness has become legendary.