AHC: Swap Africa and South America

No, not physically--more culturally/politically.

What chain of events could result in Africa being a relatively peaceful continent, home to stable democracies and maybe a few banana republics (plantain republics?) while South America is mostly a post-colonial mess of warlordism and ethnic violence?
 
No, not physically--more culturally/politically.

What chain of events could result in Africa being a relatively peaceful continent, home to stable democracies and maybe a few banana republics (plantain republics?) while South America is mostly a post-colonial mess of warlordism and ethnic violence?

A cure for malaria being discovered earlier, for starters? And early colonization of South America doesn't go well?
 
Pizarro gets killed. Inca empire still gets devastated, splits up and essentially the west coast of S. America becomes a competing ground for various European powers to access trade or at least that's what I planned for me TL.
 
I can't think of any plausible way to get around the disease question, so the question can only be answered in the negative.

While Africa is geologically screwed from a human development standpoint - Diamond did get quite a bit wrong in Guns, Germs, and Steel but his description about Africa's geological handicaps is spot on - the fact that humanity evolved in Africa means that the continent is also biologically screwed from a human development standpoint too.

Africa's various virii, parasites, and other diseases have evolved along with humans and thus can infect and effect humans far more readily.

Absent ASB level advances in medical theory, knowledge, techniques, and technology - remember, in 2010 we still haven't cured malaria - there's no way for Africa to be "replaced" at the bottom of the development heap.
 
I'd be interested in hearing a (relatively brief) explanation of why Africa's disease environment is inimical to cultural stability, but for now I'll accept that point as given. Africa may have some inherent disadvantages. But can the problem still be tackled from the other end? Are there ways for South America to end up as bad as Africa today?
 
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