Culture
Interview
“Green colonialism”: the background behind a Western outlook on African nature
In his book L’Invention du colonialisme vert – Pour en finir avec le mythe de l’Éden africain (“The Invention of Green Colonialism – Putting an end to the myth of the African Eden,” Flammarion, 2020), the environmental historian Guillaume Blanc analyzes the undercurrents and consequences of an...
Other news
Interview
“Virtual reality inspires empathy”
Can immersive technologies help development? Gabo Arora founded the United Nations’ Virtual Reality Lab and has produced multi award-winning documentaries. His goal: to optimize the social impact of immersive technologies.
Interview
The South!: How to change the way we view it?
What do we really know about societies in the South? Is knowledge about the South not shaped by the domination of the thinking of the North? This is what Jacques Ould Aoudia thinks, who published an essay on our views on the South.
Opinion
Arab-Islamic education in Sub-Saharan Africa: going beyond clichés to build the future
Arab-Islamic education in general and Koranic schools in particular are largely excluded from programs advocating for education for all in Africa. Yet this education concerns a large number of children, many of whom are considered as “out-of-school” by the public authorities. Consequently...
Interview
The post-colonial dimension of development in question
How to think differently about international development, avoiding Eurocentrism and the models inherited from colonialism? Olivia Rutazibwa shares some keys to switch perspectives on development and aid issues.
Interview
Alain Mabanckou: “Writing the Africa we dream of”
In 2016, recognized for his “non-victim way of considering post-colonialism”, Alain Mabanckou was the first novelist to hold a Chair at the Collège de France. Encounter during the 2nd edition of the Thinking Workshops in Dakar.
Opinion
Opening of the second edition of the Thinking Workshops in Dakar
Dakar is a celebration, and the Thinking Workshops, launched in 2016 by the economist Felwine Sarr and historian Achille Mbembe , aim to make their annual event a relaxed, intense and memorable space for debate. “May these days be a celebration of ideas, of mutual listening, of convivial...
Interview
Felwine Sarr : “The Thinking Workshops must firmly establish an open space for debate in Africa”
The second edition of the “Ateliers de la pensée” will be held in Dakar from 1 to 4 November 2017. These Workshops were launched in 2016 by Felwine Sarr, a Senegalese economist and writer, and Achille Mbembe, a Cameroonian historian based in Johannesburg, and have opened a space for...
Interview
The economy of culture in Africa, a chance for development?
According to Cameroonian economist Martial Ze Belinga, the development potential of the economy of culture in Africa must be unlocked. This overlooked industry could become one of the most flourishing of the continent.
Opinion
Speaking the same language: A real economic asset
In November 2014, during the 15th Francophonie Summit in Dakar, an “economic strategy for La Francophonie” was adopted for the first time, thereby underscoring the privileged economic relations between countries which share a common language. La Francophonie makes it possible to promote trade...
Opinion
People do not behave as free riders!
In the standard account in economics, people are self-interested. In other words, individuals “free ride,” taking advantage of others, whenever they can. But is that how people actually behave?
