There’s an old adage that a picture is worth a thousand (or ten thousand) words. Let’s not haggle over whether it’s an ancient Chinese proverb, or from a 1921 article by Fred R. Barnard in the trade journal Printer’s Ink.The point is that images have the ability to make us laugh, cry, ask questions and stare in wonder. We here in the London office of The World found these images of elders sent in to the BBC by online visitors from Africa especially compelling. Take a look.

• Click here to view the slideshow
• Latest news from BBC Africa

See also

• December 1, 2009 -- Business in the Developing World, Part II
• November 27, 2009 -- Business in the Developing World, Part I
• November 20, 2009 -- Tech Podcast 268: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Returns!
• November 6, 2009 -- Tech Podcast 266: The Strange Case of Blogger Hossein Derakhshan