Brad Pitt: "American's Should Wise Up Over Africa"  10/17/06

Hollywood star Brad Pitt has blasted Americans' naive view of Africa, insisting many Westerners hold an unrealistically romantic view of the continent.

The actor, whose first child with lover Angelina Jolie, Shiloh Nouvel, was born in Namibia earlier this year (06), insists people in the US need to prepare themselves for a different lifestyle - because even a trip to tourist favorite Morocco can be a major culture shock.

The Ocean's Twelve star says, "There are Americans who think it would be romantic to go off to Morocco but never think what would happen if they got into an accident.

"They've grown up with the idea of having a pharmacy down the road; whatever they need, they can have."