Dear Readers,

Believe it or not, the very mention of Africa floods my mental screen with images of animals, athletes, giant-sized monarchs and, of course, the Phantom. I still remember the sultry May afternoon in 1964 when as an 8-year child I ambled into a Chennai cinema hall to watch Hatari, a film about the activities of a group of individuals based in Tanganyika to capture wild animals for zoos and circuses. The child in me rejoiced over the brave fight of African animals than John Wayne's heroics.

In adolescence, I adored the glistening bodies of African athletes on the Olympic tracks and on the victory podiums with gold or silver medals dangling over their sweat-running neck and torso. No matter, which country they represented, they were Africans for me.

Another picture of Africa vivid in my memory is the portrait of King of Tonga alongside the late Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi around late 1970s in The Hindu. She was totally lost, standing next to the giant-sized ruler of the Western African nation. It was during the same period, the word Wambesi entered my vocabulary thanks to the Phantom series.

David Davidar of Penguin India introduced me to the writings of E M Coetzee, Doris Lessing and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka in the 1980s. The high voltage rescue drama at the Entebbe airport leading to the eventural release of hostages by the Israeli sharpshooters is yet another African image I carry even today. How can one ignore Idi Amin of Uganda? And, of course, it would be criminal injustice if I were to leave out the happenings around Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in South Africa and the anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.

Despite all these kaleidoscopic images of the African continent circling in my psyche, I accepted the assignment to edit this Special Issue on Africa with a lot of trepidation. Honestly, I was baffled. Will I ever be able to comprehend the gigantic continent and its social, political and economic issues? It was mind-boggling. But as articles began to pour in from experts from the world of diplomacy and academia, I began to rediscover the lost Continent. Almost after a quarter of a century, I began to scan the Atlas for Africa. Reading up African history was akin to reading our own Indian history: colonial masters, freedom struggle, self-rule, problems of underdevelopment, corruption, wars etc. Listening to African diplomats restored my Indian pride.

Somehow, I have a fascination for underdogs. Africa is one, at this juncture. It has enormous potential. Luckily, there are sweeping changes taking place - politically, economically and socially, thanks to the new crop of rulers, who talk the global language of good governance, democracy, fair play, privatisation and globalisation and what not.By sheer coincidence, the entire world is waking up to see a new Continent. Africa is no longer the Dark Continent. The industrialised world, led by the economic superpower United States, has begun to knock on the doors because it sees huge opportunities to be tapped. Risky? Maybe. A pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Maybe. Until and unless one ventures out to check the unknown, the true contours may not be visible. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Putting this issue together was a challenge and the end result was most gratifying. Why? Because it helped me rediscover not only Africa, but also travel back in time to check the landmarks in my life - particularly associated with the Continent. Sort of a voyage into self-rediscovery.

My cup of joy is full. Check it out for yourself. Possibly, you may rediscover something you've lost touch with!

Cheers

Ramesh Kumar