Journalists were being turned away from refugee camps on the morning of Oct. 30 due to the failure of political violence to force Zambians to flee their homes. Camps set up by the Red Cross stuffed with humanitarian aid remained inaccessible as free and fair elections took place in an unintimidating atmosphere.

Journalists, unable to feed on the scraps of positive images that the election generated, quickly became desperate. Michael Sata, the presidential election's losing candidate, made a desperate plea for violence but despite apparent assurances from supporters that a "violence package" would be released within a few hours, hopes dimmed for the many journalists unable to use their video reel.

It is a lamentable fact that newsworthy items often don't make the news. But a lack of change, a continuation, or a lack of an event are still events. They happen. In terms of media coverage, to Africa's loss, this is what happened with Zambia's elections.

G.K. Chesterton once pointed out that you will never see a headline "Well Man Not Yet Dead" or "Man Does Not Fall Off Ladder." The fact that someone did not lose their life is as important as a life saved, but for journalists there must be a sexy angle for it to be splashed across the tabloids.

In the highly competitive field of media and instant news, attention spans are short. There is not the space to dwell on areas of passing interest or notable non-events.

Earlier this year, Kenya's elections received extensive coverage as corrupted polls led to widespread violence, the loss of lives, and political refugees. Zimbabwe's drawn-out election process was followed in detail for months, and still is as Mugabe's fragile political settlement with Morgan Tsvangirai unravels.

Further north in the Democratic Republic of Congo, images show gun-toting rebels threatening women and children while the stories of Darfur, less prominent but occurring with a grim regularity, paint a picture of dark, dangerous "hopeless" Africa: a continent not to be invested in or visited.

It is impossible to count the cost this has on Africa's economies. Underinvestment and ignorance are two of the continent's true tragedies.

When telling friends our plan to come and live in Zambia, many thought we were mad. Many friends have vowed not to visit, or thought that we will not come back alive. The ignorance from "educated" people has been, frankly, shocking.

Zambia's elections were incredibly close. They we were won by Rupiah Banda, with 39 percent of the vote. Sata won 38 percent. The majority of voters chose someone other than the winner.

Sata led with 95 percent of the votes counted, with tallies announced constituency after constituency. Banda's strongholds are in the countryside, Sata in the urban areas, so it was not surprising that Sata got off to a strong start. But as results started to trickle in it became clear that this race was going to be incredibly close. Eventually, with only a handful of districts left to declare, Banda took a lead he would hold until the end.

In many countries, not just African, such a close race may have created a violent reaction from the loser's supporters. Certainly, Sata's unsubstantiated outbursts about having been robbed by "a bunch of thieves" seemed geared toward inciting the types of violence we have seen elsewhere.

Nevertheless, there was a sense of calm and understanding that not everyone can win, even with fierce Sata supporters I have spoken to.

"It is a competition. There can be only one president, and Banda won," explained one of my colleagues and loyal Sata supporter. "Of course he says it is rigged. They always do."

This is Zambia - peaceful since independence and lucky enough to have political parties that are, for the most part, not split along tribal lines. Given the image of democracy in neighbouring countries, Zambians are justifiably proud of the peace which they foster as one of their greatest natural resources and one they will not easily surrender.

Sadly, this does not make exciting news, and potential investors and visitors remain blinded by the image of Africa that focuses on disasters.