Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on African and French political leaders who travelled between France and Africa around independence (1958-1962). It argues that travels became a platform for weaving a political environment of collaboration and complicity, and for evoking tensions and suspicion.

Paper long abstract:

This paper focuses on African and French political leaders who travelled between France and Africa as well as within the so-called “francophone” Africa around independence (1958-1962). This covers the period of the late Union française, the Communauté française and its regular Executive council meetings of delegates from all members states, as well as the early independence period with both federal projects within Africa (Ghana-Guinea-Union, Mali Federation, Entente, Senegambia) and the implementation of independent nation-states. The paper argues that official travels became a platform for both negotiating French-African relations and weaving an environment of collaboration and complicity, and for evoking tensions and suspicion. On the one hand, political leaders travelling together to gather at joint meetings spent time together and became more and more familiar with each other. This became particularly evident at the Executive council meeting of the Communauté. In addition, travels were used to tighten relations and to showcase them to a broader spectatorship. In particular, the first state visits of African presidents in France in the very early 1960s can serve as an example for this. On the other hand, travels became moment when tensions became manifest (as with de Gaulle’s visit in Guinea and Senegal in 1958). Moreover, French officials were closely following the travel itineraries of African political leaders and observed with distrust once they were traveling to the East. The paper is based on archival research and press cuttings.