well, if africa has been, as you put it, "blown up" no news, in the conventional sense, would be needed i should imagine. africa is a massive place, for the whole thing to be destroyed, we would hear something, we would know about it. if the media along with africa vanished, we would know!
regardless, even with the media, the news etc, personally, i believe we in britain wouldnt be effected. yeah it would be talked about, but were a pathetic culture really. we dont care unless we have a problem right on our door step. take the poverty and plight of the worse area's of africa today. from the time we are children, we have seen masses and masses of images of poor children, starving, mothers unable to feed them, drinking filthy water, weve all seen it. we all know it. its easy to turn a blind eye. weve seen it a zillion times, and no one wants to admit it, but were bored of it. it doesnt affect us directly. (and if you ask me, africa's poverty and plight isnt my/our problem and i believe its wrong to even make us feel guilty about it, anyway, thats another debate entirley!) so, if africa vanished, over here, we'd be like..."oh god, how terrible." until of course david beckham scores a goal and posh spice snaps in two.
interesting question!