Africans cover a lot of cichlids that aren't anything like each other so lets talk about Lake Malawian cichlid which are further divided into mbuna and peacocks/haps.
Mbuna like kenyi and labs have a brighter single color. They are only yellow, and the females are blue (kenyi only). Most mbunas are single color, but that color is very bright.
Peacocks/haps on the other hand, have one main color but tons of other color, but that is only the males, the female are ugly. For me the only good side about ALL Rift Lake cichlids (cichlids found in Lake Victoria, Tanganyika, and Malawi (which are in Africa)) is that you can have more.
Central and South America cichlids are much better as far as personality and sometimes color (not firemouths though). You can hand feed the and even pet them. And that is all Central/South American cichlids. They are also drastically easier to breed, all you need is one male

ne female and you will probably get babies. For African you need a male to female ratio of like 1:4, and even still they might not breed.
In my honest opinion, I would go for a jack dempsey pair. All you need in one pair and they will fill up your tank in about a year. It is also fun to watch them grow and develop a personality, unlike most Rift Lake cichlids.