Will Smith Hopes to Boost Africa's Image  4/7/05

Actor Will Smith is hoping to help reshape Africa's image to encourage more people to visit and help the troubled continent.

The Men in Black star made his first trip to Africa when he was filming scenes for his 2001 movie Ali.

Smith immediately fell in love with the vast and diverse landscape and has since made numerous trips to the continent - and he'd like many others to start doing the same.

He says, "It is just so beautiful, and I feel like I have a perspective.

(AIDS in Africa) is the greatest epidemic in the history of man, but I think that the public relations approach is wrong.

"I think if you show sick children and flies and all of that, I think that kinda turns people off. There's so many beautiful things. Africa's the most beautiful place in the world and it's a place to visit and a place to go.