However,
these events have rarely been articulated into an African narrative, with the
result that western audiences end up being drip-fed stories reinforcing the impression of
stereotypical African instability and ‘Afro-pessimism’. Yet if the under or mis-reported
uprisings, protests, revolts and changes of regime in many parts of Africa over
the past few years (including, amongst others Cote D'Ivoire, Malawi, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Ethiopia, Swaziland, Uganda, Nigeria, Sudan and Mozambique) have told us anything, it is that
politics on the continent does not always, or mostly, take place at the point
of a gun.