/pt/ – Petrarchan

Seems like a cool place. Would like to go but travel is so physically taxing for me. If I could choose I would definitely go to East Africa first, most likely Kenya. I've always vibed most with East Africans from that region, West Africans have too much chaotic energy, Central Africans can be too militant, South Africans have too many post-colonial hangups, as do North Africans with the whole Islam thing as well as their hangups about not being black (aside from picrel). In general I think it gets too much flack from the world as the proverbial whipping boy, though that seems to be fading at least for the younger generations who seem much more fixated on South Asia as the mental model for all that they hate about the "other".

>>11063

Seems like a cool place. Would like to go but travel is so physically taxing for me. If I could choose I would definitely go to East Africa first, most likely Kenya. I've always vibed most with East Africans from that region, West Africans have too much chaotic energy, Central Africans can be too militant, South Africans have too many post-colonial hangups, as do North Africans with the whole Islam thing as well as their hangups about not being black (aside from picrel). In general I think it gets too much flack from the world as the proverbial whipping boy, though that seems to be fading at least for the younger generations who seem much more fixated on South Asia as the mental model for all that they hate about the "other".

>Kenya To be honest, I know nothing about Kenya, except it's a place where people do safari, and I have to say that I would love to do safari, despite its reputation now.

I've never been to Africa, I'm very interested in it though. I wrote a bit here before about the M23 conflict in the Eastern Congo which is very interesting. The roots of it go right back to colonial and ultimately pre-colonial ethnic divisions / social structures. I like African literature a lot. It's hard to generalise across a whole continent but in general I find that there is an ironical streak to African writing which is very cutting. In some ways it bears similarity to Russian pessimism, but I think as a rule Africans are funnier than Russians. I think we are going to be surprised at how quickly certain parts of Africa develop in this century. The thing about exponentials is that their speed catches you out, even if you know about exponentials. At the same time some conflicts will remain intractable. Sudan may have the bleakest outlook of any country on the face of the Earth, excepting only brutal island nations like Haiti and Papua New Guinea. In the sweepstakes of African countries the ones most likely to succeed are those with some degree of national pride, promising coastal geography, and at least some tradition of functioning governance. I would back Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Tanzania to do well in coming decades. Rwanda is a much heralded success story, but continuity of governance after Kagame is an open question, and they are not geographically blessed. Probably their best bet is to go all-in on aviation, but they have a lot of catching up to do if they want to best Ethiopia in this regard.

>>11076

I've never been to Africa, I'm very interested in it though. I wrote a bit here before about the M23 conflict in the Eastern Congo which is very interesting. The roots of it go right back to colonial and ultimately pre-colonial ethnic divisions / social structures. I like African literature a lot. It's hard to generalise across a whole continent but in general I find that there is an ironical streak to African writing which is very cutting. In some ways it bears similarity to Russian pessimism, but I think as a rule Africans are funnier than Russians. I think we are going to be surprised at how quickly certain parts of Africa develop in this century. The thing about exponentials is that their speed catches you out, even if you know about exponentials. At the same time some conflicts will remain intractable. Sudan may have the bleakest outlook of any country on the face of the Earth, excepting only brutal island nations like Haiti and Papua New Guinea. In the sweepstakes of African countries the ones most likely to succeed are those with some degree of national pride, promising coastal geography, and at least some tradition of functioning governance. I would back Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Tanzania to do well in coming decades. Rwanda is a much heralded success story, but continuity of governance after Kagame is an open question, and they are not geographically blessed. Probably their best bet is to go all-in on aviation, but they have a lot of catching up to do if they want to best Ethiopia in this regard.

On African humor, I agree with what you say. My Ethiopian friend is perhaps one of the funniest people I've met. She loves pulling pranks and lying, but in a very mischievous, innocent way. It's an interesting way of being, because I think it's common in American culture to kind of "section off" humor. Like, you can be funny in certain times or places, or with certain things, but some things are off limits or must be revered and treated very seriously. I don't mean that she is irreverent either, but has a way of weaving "normalcy" and humor together in a pleasing way. On African development, I remember Chinese investment was a big topic 5 to 10 years ago, but haven't heard much lately. Wouldn't surprise me if that was to come to fruition soon.