So little attention is directed at Africa and its problems that we should be grateful when any prominent figure finds time to visit the continent.
Sir Bob Geldof's recent five-day tour of Ethiopia is therefore welcome. It also has a historic resonance, being his first official visit to the country since he helped organise the Live Aid concerts in aid of famine victims in the impoverished country 18 years ago.
Geldof's penchant for tough talking and his ability to grab the headlines are undiminished. Not content with describing the EU's famine relief for Ethiopia as "pathetic and appalling", he has surprised aid workers by hailing President George Bush as a great friend of Africa.
The singer is to be congratulated for putting hunger, debt and Africa's other problems on the world agenda. The debt relief movement he helped inspire has succeeded in having over $36 billion in money owed by developing countries written off in the past five years. Geldof's "wake-up call" to the G8 leaders in advance of their meeting in Évian, France, was well timed.
But as he has pointed out, the situation in Ethiopia is a lot better than it was in the 1980s. The genocidal Mengistu regime has been consigned to history, and the international community is better able to cope with food crises.
There are many reasons why 14 million Ethiopians are threatened with famine this year, and not all of these can be blamed on the West. For a start, there are many more mouths to feed, and the rains are proving even less reliable than before.
The Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, whom Geldof met on his visit, could answer further questions. Why did Ethiopia prosecute a senseless border war with its smaller neighbour Eritrea when food shortages were already acute? Why are thousands of people in detention, many without charge, and why are dozens of journalists in exile?
Western aid has been offered grudgingly, and it has sometimes been slow in arriving. However, so far it has helped keep famine at bay, not just in the Horn of Africa but also in southern Africa.
Geldof's praise of President Bush, and his trenchant denunciation of former president Bill Clinton, are simplifications. President Bush's recent pledge to spend €15 billion fighting AIDS in poor countries is welcome, but the US remains one of the main obstacles to reform of world trade. While President Clinton did promise more than he delivered for Africa, he did draw the attention of Americans to the region for the first time in years.