Invisible Africa: information traffic patterns as illustrated by technical training, the Internet, African mail systems, Baywatch, and books

While serious efforts are underway to improve the information infrastructure of the developing world, major shortcomings in information flow continue to make much of Africa invisible to the rest of the world, and invisible to itself. Whether it is where managers go for technical training, the fight for reliable phone lines, old patterns of mail delivery, new patterns of television broadcasting (e.g. cheap shows such as Baywatch), or the daily struggles to publish basic books, information flows are reduced or totally eliminated by a combination of economic and technical forces. The Internet creates significant opportunities for improvements in information flow, but it should be seen as just one of many information flows. It will not be enough to suddenly make Africa visible to the rest of the world.