1960-2010: l'heure des bilans ou des interrogations pour l'Afrique indépendante ? Doit-on se réjouir d'une Afrique prétendument sur la bonne voie, avec un taux de croissance supérieur à 5% ? Ou s'offusquer des images misérabilistes montrant la sécheresse, la faim ou les conflits dans bien des régions du continent ? Il faudrait à l'Afrique plus d'un Mandela pour prétendre renouer avec un espoir raisonnable...

Ce livre fait revivre les expériences vécues par le continent, cinquante après l'indépendance des pays africains. Nombre d'objectifs ne sont pas réalisés. Par exemple, l'industrialisation de l'agriculture n'a jamais été effectuée. Ce livre en trois parties dresse le tableau actuel du continent, aux niveaux politique, économique et social.

By examining three centuries of history, this book shows how vital border regions have been in shaping states and social contracts.

By focusing on the various modes and media of the fetishised object, this anthology shifts the debates on thingness into a new global art historical perspective. The contributors explore the attention given to those material images, in both artistic and cultural practice from the heyday of colonial expansion until today. They show that in becoming vehicles and agents of transculturality, so called »fetishes« take shape in the 17th to 19th century aesthetics, psychology and ethnography - and furthermore inspire a recent discourse on magical practice and its secular meanings requiring altered art historical approaches and methods.

Looking at decolonization in the conditional tense, this volume teases out the complex and uncertain ends of British and French empire in Africa during the period of ‘late colonial shift’ after 1945. Rather than view decolonization as an inevitable process, the contributors together explore the crucial historical moments in which change was negotiated, compromises were made, and debates were staged. Three core themes guide the analysis: development, contingency and entanglement. The chapters consider the ways in which decolonization was governed and moderated by concerns about development and profit. A complementary focus on contingency allows deeper consideration of how colonial powers planned for ‘colonial futures’, and how divergent voices greeted the end of empire. Thinking about entanglements likewise stresses both the connections that existed between the British and French empires in Africa, and those that endured beyond the formal transfer of power.

The production and distribution of film and audiovisual works is one of the most dynamic growth sectors in the world. Thanks to digital technologies, production has been growing rapidly in Africa in recent years. For the first time, a complete mapping of the film and audiovisual industry in 54 States of the African continent is available, including quantitative and qualitative data and an analysis of their strengths and weaknesses at the continental and regional levels.The report proposes strategic recommendations for the development of the film and audiovisual sectors in Africa and invites policymakers, professional organizations, firms, filmmakers and artists to implement them in a concerted manner.