A country in East Africa recently held public meetings to discuss whether it should remain a single-party state or allow other political parties to be recognized. National leaders were aware of the sweeping political changes in eastern Europe, and they wondered whether their own largely unsuccessful socialist-oriented policies needed modification. International donors that provided substantial financial assistance to the country were also pressuring the leaders to establish a multiparty system. According to a story making the rounds, several old men listened quietly in one village as administrators and party officials discussed the possible political changes. An elderly farmer, irritated by the long speeches, finally rose and asked something no one had yet addressed: "The party we already have is lousy. What do we want another one for?"
Many articles have been written in the press recently describing "winds of change" blowing through East Africa, including the rise of multiparty democracy and economic liberalization through structural adjustment. Kenya and Tanzania, for example, longtime one-party states, now allow opposition parties to operate. Most countries are trying to reduce state control over the economy, including privatization of parastatal corporations.
But major political, economic, and social problems continue to confront the countries of East Africa. Civil strife still engulfs southern Somalia, southern Sudan, Rwanda, and Burundi, while Kenya teeters on the edge of ethnic violence.
Rising population levels, dealing with the AIDS epidemic, halting land degradation, and trying to earn foreign exchange in a sluggish world economy are only some of the challenges facing the people of this region.
The countries comprising East Africa vary greatly in their size, endowment of natural resources, and population. Sudan is the largest country in Africa in terms of landmass, covering an area over one-fourth the size of the United States. In contrast, Rwanda and Burundi are each roughly the size of Maryland, while Djibouti is smaller than New Hampshire.
Much of East Africa consists of drylands, averaging less than 20 inches of rainfall per year. The frequent droughts in the region have received considerable publicity in recent years. Civil strife and bureaucratic ineptitude, however, rather than crop failure, have been the primary causes of famine in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia. International relief was available but unable to reach the hungry because of warfare, administrative delays, or poor logistical arrangements.
Agriculture is the backbone of each country's economy. Women
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