Africa Seeks More Positive Spin on Its 'Brand'

It's not easy to market a vast continent of more than 50 nations as a desirable, upbeat sort of place when at any time there might be war breaking out, hunger, people dying of AIDS and malaria, others struggling in poverty, and entrenched government corruption.
But African leaders and businessmen meeting here for an economic summit this week took on the challenge of how to promote a positive "brand Africa." Many argued that the continent's real problems were not death, disease and criminality but the international journalists who wrote about them without noting African successes.