The implication was “Africans are all black, so they must all be in gangs.” Ignorance at its worst, as neither assumption is correct.
This came about because I had a friend who wrote for a major independent-travel guidebook, one I’ve used often, and what she told me was pretty depressing.
Basically she was dropped off someplace she had little experience in with last year’s edition, fog to stop at hundreds of sites, hotels and restaurants, spending on average no more than 10 minutes at each stop basically confirming they were still open. She had no time (or money) to do anything but the most cursory check, and definitely wasn’t in a position to do any actual research, even of the “chat up backpackers and find out what’s happening” variety. Furthermore, for liability reasons, she was not allowed to be directly critical of anything.
So while the group I’m working with definitely does not know it all, I am confident we have something to contribute that isn’t easy to find right now. It was Rick Steve’s Europe Through the Back Door that made me confinement enough to travel, and it’s a great resource for which there aren’t really great alternatives for other locations. There are some general “how to adventure travel” books, but all that I’ve seen have been pretty fluffy and useless.
Nn
I’d like to be able to visit C.A.R. and return to D.R. Congo… I have only been to Goma. What are the best things to see in these countries?
Want to help me with a project? 
I want to know where I’m going. Until I have a stronger sense itinerary, I’m not sure I have that many questions. When I travel, most of my questions are logistics (How long will I be in a place? Where am I staying? How will I get from point A to point B?). Once that’s mostly settled, the rest all kind of falls into place and I figure I’ll see it when I get there (isn’t that the point)?
The two questions I do tend to have (again, once I know where I’m going) are
[ul]
[li]is there anything that you, personally, would especially recommend (guidebooks give great general recommendations. But some of the best times I’ve had were ones that the guidebook had as a minor footnote, but a person told me that I needed to go). [/li][li]I’m an African-American woman. Is there anything I need to be especially aware of.[/li][/ul]
I think that may be too broad of a focus. The needs of all those groups are so very different, I don’t think you can create a project that benefits all of them that isn’t just as surface as what’s already out there.
Don’t say “It’s so good to be back in the Motherland.”
Especially in South Africa or East Africa…
Do you have the address of the wife of the former oil minister? She owes me money.
Regards,
Shodan
Yeah, this. Also, most black Africans feel sorry for black Americans because they have no tribe.