Africa Geographic June 2005 [antikvár]

editorial ^ ^ Tourism is unlikely to flourish until peace, political stability and respect for [the] individual become more widespread than they are at present ^ ^ I am writing this editorial from Durban where, for the past few days, I have been attending Indaba, the intemational tourism conference and expo hosted by South Africa. It is a wonderfully positive event, with tourism operators from all over the world coming to see what Africa has on offer. The Indaba has grown steadily over the years and now attracts exhibitors not only from South Africa and its neighbours, but from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda in the north as well as the Indian Ocean islands. The event has been superbly organised and I congratulate South African Tourism and its partners for their efforts. The economic drive behind the event is to develop Africa's share of the world travel market or, put simply, to get 'bums in beds'. And there is a lot of potential for this: Africa with its giant landmass and unmatched diversity of scenery, cultures and nature only has a paltry two per cent of global tourism spend. As I have said on so many occasions, tourism (and particularly nature-based tourism which is recognised as the fastest-growing sector of the worid market) can and should be one of the cornerstones of a new Africa, where endemic poverty, disease and political corruption are largely things of the past. It is something of a chicken-and-egg situation, however, as although the wealth derived from tourism can go a long way towards addressing Africa's social ills, tourism is unlikely to flourish until peace, political stability and respect for individual dignity and freedom become more widespread than they are at present. South Africa, a few of its neighbours and one or two other African states may enjoy Impressive records on numerous political, economic and social fronts, but many of the other countries are places that scar our continent with cruelty and despotism. And, sadly, it is these places and their woes rather than the successes that are presented as the face of Africa by the world's major news networks. Quite frankly, unless there is some disaster to report, Africa simply does not exist on the intemational news front. Africa can do much by itself to overcome the ills that beset it, but it will need huge amounts of support from the developed nations of the world to achieve sustainable progress. The world economy is crying out for new investment opportunities, but a sizeable chunk of this capital wealth is unlikely to come Africa's way until it has cleaned up its act. For this reason alone, the sensible leaders of Africa should not tolerate the excesses of the likes of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, the profligate sovereign of Swaziland and so many others. For it is people such as these who can turn the African Dream into a very long nightmare. Of course, nothing will succeed unless the political will and economic power to drive the environmental health of Africa - and of the planet as a whole - are to be seen marching alongside peace and prosperity. In this regard a good friend of mine, Ian McCallimi - a medical doctor, psychiatrist, naturalist and former intemational rugby hero - has just written a book that I believe will change the way we think of ourselves and our world. Well-known naturalist and writer Lyall Watson refers to McCallum's Ecological Intelligence as a 'profound and necessary book about an important idea'. I agree, and urge you to find out more about this extraordinary book on page 18 - and then to get it and read it. About our magazine Mnca Ceographic is editorially and financially independent It enjoys the support and endorsement of several non-government organisations, but it is not affiliated in any way to these bodies or to any other publishing, environmental or political interest group. Africa Ceographic strives to foster an awareness of wildlife, conservation, eco-travel, indigenous cultures and the general environment. It consistently advocates the wisest use of natural resources in a manner that involves and is of real benefit to the people of Africa. Afhca Ceographic is published 11 times a year by Black Eagle Publishing, an independent organisation owned by its shareholders and directors: Peter Borchert, Simon Espley and Murray jackson. AFRICA GFnr, R