The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

In Abyan (the capital of Ivory Coast), one can withâ€" draw money from instant tellers using a bank card in big modern bank buildings. In my experience, ‘Africa‘ bears no closer resemblance to the depressing media images than ‘Amenca‘ does to the Hollywood lifestyle so, we traversed four different language areas, watched the staple crop change from millet to rice and went from one of the poorest countries in Africa to one of the mchest Perhaps some of these stereotypical image can be attrbuted to our geographical ignorance. Africa is not a ‘place‘ or location as is implied in the question that is so often asked of me, *So, how was Africa‘" It is a vast continent with a fantastic diversity: of landscape, if people, of hustory, of food, of clothing. of music and f political circumstance Our travels I was with a fmend for this portion) took us through only a portion of West Africa but we were amazed at how fast our surroundings changed. Durng a oneâ€"day bus tmp from Mali to Ivory Coast), we left behiund virtual desert conditions to arrive at spectacular tropical rain forestâ€"lined beaches. In doing Or at least it seems that way from the vantage point of a chair in front of our TVs, radios and newsâ€" papers here in Canada, My recent volunteer experiâ€" ence in the lesserâ€"known reaches of West Africa tells me that there is much more to the ‘Africa story‘ than popular media and childâ€"sponsorship agencies would have us believe. Just as murders and car accidents dominate our domestic news hours at the expense of more meaningful and/or ‘good news‘ stories, reports such as those above appear to make better news covâ€" erage than do some of the wonderful things that I encountered AFRICA. For most Canadians, the very word conâ€" jures up a vivid set of images. Of hundreds of thouâ€" sands of people being killed by their neighboring tmibespeople. Of barely dressed, grossly malnourished children on the brink of starvation. Of farmers trying to nurse their next year‘s food supply from hot, parched desert soils. Of street mots where casualties are the norm. Africa is a dangerous, desperate place. PAGE 8 â€" WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1994 Serving Waterloo Region since 1959 2960 Kingsway Dr. Fairview Park Mall Kitchener 894â€"0883 Mon. â€" Fri. 10 a. m. â€" 9:30 p.m Sat. 9:30 a m. â€" 6 p.m Closed Sunday By Cameron Douglas Africa is more than media images ) EW EULLERS City business. «& A.concern for the individual taxpayer. - *4 To ensure value for taxes spent. QUALITY LIFESTYLE â€" AFFORDABLE TAXES +« ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITMENT «* A dedication to devote the necessary time to EXPERIENCE *4 Small business owner and a consultant to local business. & 20 years in municipal management as Director of Human Resources for the City of Waterloo «& A 28 year resident of the Glenridge Ward. x \Tterry HALLMAN Cameron Douglas, a recent graduate from the U. of Waterloo, returned two months ago ufter spending four months working in Freetown, Sierra Leone and four months travelling through neighboring West African countries. He was a partiipant with Canadian Crossâ€" roads International, a nonâ€"partisan nonâ€"religious NGO which promotes crossâ€"cultural understanding and education. He will be sharing some of his thoughts from his experiences in a series of articles in subsequent "Comment" sections. This, the first in the series, focuses upon media images of Africa. images being portrayed across Africa and elsewhere, although there is truth to both. Make no mistake â€" we were travelling through five out of the eight least developed nations in the world (according to a UN human development index) and we saw things that shocked us. Health care was in many places nonâ€"existent. In some cities, lepers abounded. Babies died. There were hungry people. In Sierra Leone, rebel troops were wreaking havoc on the country and are responsiâ€" ble for some unspeakable atrocities. Corruption was the norm. But for myself, these images were more than offset by other positive and equally powerful experiences. Of giant smiles and big hugs from chilâ€" dren who were laughing and playing â€" without a toy is sight. Of immaculately and colorfully dressed peoâ€" ple who instantly made you feel welcome and shared whatever food or drink they happened to be enjoying at the time. Of genuine respect and admiration shown to elders. Of people who listen just as much as they talk. Of women with pails of water balanced on their heads, babies tied on their backs and firewood in their arms, singing and laughing while they walk back together from the fields to the village a mile away. Of Freetown, Sierta Leone, where my female Canadian fmiends felt comfortable (with good reason), walking alone down dark streets at midnight. Of clean, white sandy beaches bordered by sparkling clear turquoise water and lush rainforestâ€"covered mountains. And of thythmic strains of drumming drifting above the cookfire smoke and starâ€"filled village skies. Meet Terry Hallman â€" "Have a Coffee" November 5/94 â€" Waterloo Kniaht What you see depends upon what you‘re presented with and what you‘re looking for. VOTE FOR AufimzodbymCFotovV\onyHmmmmw nemmnemmmmmmmmemmmmmmmmmmmmsemmememmmmmencs.......... lt CB PC _ mave a Coffee" â€" 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Waterloo Knights of Columbus Hall 145 Dearborn Place Councillor â€" Glenridge Ward Chronicle Voluntary Pay * Petals & POLS inc._Flower & Gift Shop Gary Miller ROSES f/ A Rewarding our carriers for a job well done! You Can Wake A Difference! Money Back Guaranteed Best Prices | (est. 1960) â€" WATERLOO TOWN SQUARE + BOG-ZBIOA SWEETHEART * 12 SWEETHEART RNSES Reo sngsm‘ mnlvm"'Q” 2221 CARMATIONS Assorted Cotours â€" Cash ‘n Car Assort ed Colours â€" Cash ‘n Carry M ‘N bu ROSES Reg s11 95 dnb ce s oas it icbata uesd sb on »ppeahnatnged DIAMOND CENTRE jomo&yét ogolt{dmd/ld 20* â€" 50* orr ALL DIAMOND JEWELLERY COUNCILLOR WESTMOUNT WARD 5 Authorized by CFO for the Bumstein Campaign Perfect for home or business! dor _ 14 ©NTELTAVEPIET o ROSES IN A VASE 3390 8333 ~