The saga of a continent called Africa

The 2011 "Failed State Index", prepared by the Fund for Peace and published by Foreign Policy, has put seven African countries - Somalia, Chad, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, the Central African Republic and Cote d'lvoire - among the top 10. Even according to the United Nations, 33 of the 48 most "underdeveloped" countries are in Africa. This should give an idea of how backward Africa is.

We don't know the purpose why think tanks publish such lists or why they take the trouble to prepare such data. But an investigation to find why so many African countries are part of the "Failed State Index" may be worth the effort.

After being under Western powers' colonial rule for decades, African countries started gaining independence in the 1960s, one weak economy after another. Led by some good-intentioned politicians and with the help of friendly countries, African people have made every effort to rebuild their countries despite beginning from scratch.