/10/jonathanpower2.jpg”> In June,1994, Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, spoke at a summit meeting of the Organisation of African States: “We must face squarely that there is something wrong in how we govern ourselves. It must be said that the fault is not in our stars but in ourselves.” At last Africa seems to have taken his words of wisdom to heart. This week President Barack Obama will be in Africa to see for himself how most of Africa over the nine years since that speech has taken the high road. One by one throughout the 1990s governing elites began to come to their senses. Twenty-five States established multi-party democracies. Approximately two-thirds of the people of Africa own a mobile phone. In many African countries phone technology is ahead of Europe and North America.
