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In case you are wondering about the world's ongoing 'interest' in Africa, see excerpts below from article by Lee Wengraf, originally published in the <http://www.isreview.org/> International Socialist Review (67, September-October 2009); copied from PAMBAZUKA NEWS 'Behind the rhetoric of 'democracy,' deeper economic penetration drives US interest in Africa. The past decade has witnessed a boom in the oil and minerals industries, many of them US-based. In 2008, the United States imported 24 per cent of its oil from Africa, and that figure is expected to rise.. Next year's congressional budget doubles the budgets for the new military command centre for Africa, AFRICOM, and for counterterrorism initiatives on the continent, with US$500 million for AFRICOM operations alone. 80 per cent of the world's supply of coltan, a key component in cell phones and electronic goods, and 80 per cent of the world's supply of cobalt, used for batteries in hybrid cars, comes from Africa. A surge in the price of oil and other commodities earlier this decade led to record growth rates on the continent. Today, however, prices have fallen drastically. Food production geared for an export market has created shortages, exacerbated by IMF bans on subsidies for African farmers imposed as a condition for loans. From 1970-2002, Africa received some US$540 billion in loans, yet paid back US$550 billion in principal and interest. (this is a point I used to make in lectures about 15+ years ago)