Africa is typically portrayed as a victim of globalisation, hobbled by trade subsidies, and losing its best and brightest minds to the developed world. There are more than a few grains of truth to this: the continent has taken a battering from globalisation in several respects. But, international trends have also been embraced by Africans in interesting, often unexpected ways, suggesting a more complex relationship with the rest of the world than is generally supposed. Here, IPS reporters try to depict the effect of globalisation on Africa in all its facets: good, bad -- and even humorous.