National Geographic magazine's editor-in-chief reveals why he remains optimistic about a continent plagued with social and environmental ills.

 

In September 2005, National Geographic published an issue devoted entirely to Africa. When you do a single-topic issue, you don't know what the readers' response will be. But what happened exceeded our expectations. It became the most popular issue we'd ever put on the newsstands, selling more than 200,000 copies -- about 25 percent more than our average newsstand sales. So we asked ourselves why the Africa issue had connected so well with readers, and it came down to one overriding fact: Of all the publications in the world, there's not one that is more authoritative and has a longer history of covering Africa than National Geographic. Our readers expect that kind of authority from us, especially when the subject is as beautiful, diverse, and fascinating as Africa.

I worked in Africa as a photographer for 18 years, and despite my many fond professional and personal experiences, I can testify that the continent's been dealt a tough hand. When former colonies became independent, they weren't prepared by the colonial powers to the degree that many would wish they had been. Borders were drawn arbitrarily to satisfy the interests of the West rather than those of Africans, especially the indigenous people. Today war and poverty, such as in Sudan's Darfur province, threaten the welfare of Africans in various countries. The continent has relatively little domesticated livestock. Wildlife conservation remains a serious concern. And, despite less denial about AIDS and how it manifests itself, this deadly disease continues to be a major crisis in South Africa. So why, with Africa struggling to deal with so much, do I remain optimistic?

 

There's a spirit among Africans that I find incredibly compelling and powerful, especially among the women, who are the foundation of the continent. So when you see some of these problems, you also see many good, dedicated people doing everything they can to resolve them in innovative ways. Who would have guessed 20 years ago that South Africa would make a peaceful transition from an oppressive, apartheid government to the post-apartheid government we see today? That, in itself, speaks to the power of a human spirit exemplified in the extraordinary leadership of people like Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu, who believed in doing the right thing for all the right reasons. That's a model for the world.

 

When Wangari Maathai, the daughter of a Kenyan farmer, returned to Africa after completing her studies in the United States, she was appalled to see the condition that Kenyan women and families found themselves in. They were caught in a downward spiral that -- in Kenya -- was linked directly to the environment, a degraded landscape that was only getting worse. She wanted to do something about it, so she started planting trees. Her Green Belt Movement, for which she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, has resulted in the planting of some 30 million trees that help stabilize the soil, stop soil erosion, and provide jobs.

 

Wangari Maathai will tell you that there is a direct correlation between poverty and stewardship of the environment. I believe strongly that to honestly and openly address and begin to eliminate poverty and some of Africa's other problems, we have to look at such stewardship. Many of the conflict flashpoints such as Darfur are linked to people being stressed in a place where there is very little grazing land and where pastoralists and agriculturalists are forced to compete. If Africans can strike a balance between meeting the needs of people and the needs of wildlife, I'm convinced that economic opportunities for future generations will do nothing but grow.

Africa's efforts to resolve its problems have drawn outside support from celebrities, and that's a good thing if they can help generate headlines and interest among people of all ages. But we have to be careful that we don't come up with superficial, naïve solutions. It's great to have George Clooney, Bono, and other caring people working on Africa's behalf. They should be applauded for their interest in Africa, but it has to be more than that. Africa needs the commitment of a world willing to ask what it can do to make this continent work for all of us, but most important, for the people who live there.

 

National Geographic's mission is "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge." And to fulfill that goal, we have to find common ground that will get our readers to care. In Africa, that common ground starts with the breathtakingly beautiful and diverse landscape of such places as South Africa's Drakensberg highlands, the deserts of Namibia and of the Sahel, and Ethiopia's Danakil Depression, the lowest place on Earth. Those landscapes have shaped cultures that have deep roots for our species. After all, this is the continent where we evolved. That long history of human evolution carries tremendous cultural richness and wisdom that allows us to celebrate another of Africa's gifts -- its wildlife -- in such primordial places as the Okavango Delta and the Serengeti. Once we recognize and embrace our deep connection to Africa's unmatched landscape, cultures, and wildlife, we can address its problems with perspective.

 

Africa has had great appeal to National Geographic since our founding in 1888. It's a place that has never been more germane, more interesting, more nuanced, and, in many ways, more powerful than it is today. As the magazine continues to look at the continent, we'll be telling the story of the Niger Delta, where a good deal of the oil consumed in the West is produced. We believe that when you fill your gas tank at your corner service station, it's important to understand where that oil came from and what it costs the environment and the indigenous population. We are also working on a story on Chad's Zakouma National Park, where more than 800 elephants find sanctuary. But when they leave the park in the rainy season, they come into an age-old collision with men on horseback. That article will give our readers the knowledge and opportunity to perhaps help shape the future for the elephants. And if you save the elephants, you save the landscape and the infrastructure. We'll also produce an article on the Nubians, one of the planet's oldest civilizations, which gave rise to black pharaohs. So not only will we report on contemporary issues in Africa, but we'll also examine the insights we can gain from ancient African cultures.

 

These are just a few of our more notable upcoming stories, but rest assured that National Geographic will continue to report on Africa, giving voice not just to politicians and other prominent figures, but also to ordinary Africans. Their continent has been a part of who we are for more than a century and will undoubtedly remain so, now and in the future.

 

Recommended Reading
Johns cautions against generalizations about Africa, emphasizing that it is a vast continent with many cultures, landscapes, and ecosystems. With that in mind, he recommends: