Excerpts from a Prolific Thinker

  Young, fragile, plagued by complex challenges and yet full of passion and energy. The African continent is often defined in similar terms than its large youth. If history attests that the oldest known human skeleton was found in Eastern Africa, there seems to be a gap in data and historical research between the estimated living period of Lucy, 4.2 million years ago, and history of the continent as it unfolded thereafter. When it comes to Africa, there seems to be less interest about its past and long history than its future, expected growth and upcoming challenges. There seems to be so much more to be done than already achieved, so many needs and so little resources. Needless to say that Africa holds huge proportion of natural resources. 30 per cent of the world’s mineral reserves, 8 per cent of the world’s natural gas, 12 per cent of the world’s oil reserves, 40 per cent of the world’s gold, up to 90 per cent of its chromium and platinum as well as the largest reserves of cobalt...

  When moving between cities and regions in Africa, you leave tarmac (and sometimes dust) to meet the prominent nature, a green decor that imposes itself to the few who dare confronting it. A luxurious nature that can only partially be grasped, even by the most famous painters, from Van Gogh to South African John Pemba. The natural rhythms of Africa’s rural areas seem to be altered over time by the penetration of the urban way of life. Traditional houses are progressively transforming, with cement and steel rooftops being marks of an unstoppable evolution towards modernity, if one subscribes to the dichotomic comparison between tradition and modernity. In actual fact, tradition and modernity remain intertwined in the wooden boutiques selling essential staples from local produce to telecommunication recharge cards, even deep in the dense forests. City dwellers bring their gadgets and services in response to emerging business opportunities. Mechanics are now established across the ...