I am a son of Mother Africa, the cradle of civilization. Africa as its name indeed suggests is the birthplace, the land free from cold and horror. Africans just love the sunny skies and braaivleis (barbecue). Africa is the second largest continent. My dad told me about the pre-eminence of the African Dream long before I started reading about the American Dream. Africa is still a dream destination for aspiring international travelers. Africa is still my dream, my escape and my refuge in a pristine environment surrounded by the sounds, sights and aroma of mother nature.

When I became excited about Africa's greatness because the world's first heart transplant was performed at the Groote Schuur Hospital on December 3rd 1967, he told me about Africa's former glory years. He told me about Africa's ancient kingdoms. He told me about Egypt and its Kings and dynasties. He told me about Ethiopia whose lines ran back to King Solomon and queen Sheba. He told me about Cathage (present day Tunisia) being the capital of the Africa Province during Roman times. The Africa that I know is not comprised of mutually exclusive "tribal" nations. Trade missions and pacts existed in North Africa in spite of the absence of it in many written records. The existence of Mapungubwe as a trading post where Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa meet is one such proof. Archaeological excavations have made discoveries about this metropolis that thrived from 1050 AD to 1270 AD. Mapungubwe is regarded as South Africa's first kingdom

Hollywood movies and the media still portray a much skewed and negative view of Africa. The people of Africa are often ridiculed. This continent is currently known for its human crises, problems, conflict and the subsequent suffering of its peoples. This continent is known for famine caused by drought and other natural disasters. Most of the harm done to Africa has been done by people, people who were not born in Africa but who wanted what Africa had.

The West, notably the Europeans brought the racial plant to Africa where it soon became naturalized and exploited in well orchestrated social conditions. They sliced, diced and divided Africa at will without ever consulting any African country. Europeans literally changed both landscape and map of Africa to suit their exploits. There was an international struggle for dominion over Africa. Europeans were besotted with the inferiority, superiority paradigm and Africa has suffered much because of this implanted notion of the inferiority of black peoples. The inferiority mantra gave Europeans a cover for exploiting Africa and its peoples, most notably of which were the enslavement of Africans and the colonization of Africa. The second class citizenship that they gave to the Blacks gave them political power to dominate the majority. Their negative depiction of Africans duped the world into believing that Africans were primitive, barbaric savages. Africa was the continent that had to be saved and Africans had to become civilized and regenerated. What a grand scheme to hide their greed and need for Africa's mineral wealth. They were not only interested in the mineral wealth of Africa but also in its human capital. Hence a lucrative slave trade that ripped more than 20 million men from their families ensued. They would work on plantations and mines in the Americas and the Caribbean. Later the bulk of the slaves were needed for American plantation expansion and economic growth.