Paper short abstract:

This paper aims at assessing the overall situation of Turkey's relations with African countries, focusing in particular on the spreading of Turkish private schools in the continent as a catalyst for strengthening political and economical connections and gaining space in the new scramble for Africa.

Paper long abstract:

Within the framework of its foreign policy's post-bipolar evolution, Turkey has shown in the last twenty years a rising interest in developing strong relations with African countries, putting an end to several decades of neglect. This opening strategy has envisioned a synergy of multiple public and private actors, making Turkish approach to the continent unique in its style, yet predictable in its goals. In order to mitigate the crude reality of an expansion meant to maximize profits and prestige, Ankara is indeed resorting to a vast arsenal of soft power instruments. Development aid, humanitarian assistance and Islamic solidarity, essential elements of its cooptative pick-lock, are entwined nowadays in a thick texture with the conventional spheres of diplomacy and trade. In this context, Turkish private schools play a crucial role. Mostly established by members of Fethullah Gülen's movement, they represent the sharpest tool of cultural diplomacy Turkey can make use of to consolidate economical interdependence with African continent. This paper will try to shed light on strengths and liabilities of these educational institutions, whose brokering function has been too often underestimated.