Presentation

The AfricaReview offers, in this double issue, a collection of diverse contributions that examine the intellectual, social, and cultural trajectories of the African continent and its diasporas. The theme, ‟Thinking Africa between memory and Culture” highlights the prevailing social and historical dynamics.

Through approaches drawn from political economy, sociology, history, anthropology, literature, and philosophy, the authors offer an in-depth reflection on legacies and contemporary dynamics, examining the tensions that cross the continent.

A wide variety of themes are addressed. On the socio-political level, attention is focused on the lasting effects of colonization and criticism of the global economic system. In terms of cultural heritage, the analysis highlights the existence of a structuring social imaginary that organizes symbolic and mythological systems, cultural practices, and forms of collective memory. These dimensions are expressed and transmitted through both oral traditions and written works. All of these perspectives aim to shed light on the profound cultural and identity changes at work in contemporary African societies.

Beyond the disciplinary diversity of the contributions, cross-cutting themes emerge, sketching a real intellectual cartography. These works converge around several major questions: to what extent can the production of knowledge and the quest for meaning in post-colonial societies, within contexts of profound transformation, contribute to redefining Africa’s place in the global economy, while taking into account ancestral legacies, forms of resistance, and the lasting effects of colonialism? More broadly, how can we think about Africa based on its own historical experiences, its systems of thought, and the contemporary social transformations it is going through?

The two volumes of this edition of AfricaReview are organized around two major complementary themes: cultural dynamics and historical dynamics. The former examines the ways in which African societies produce meaning, transmit knowledge, and shape their identities through myths, oral traditions, naming practices, and relationships with alterity. They highlight the vitality of the symbolic systems and cultural expressions that structure collective imaginaries. Historical dynamics, however, shed light on the political and social processes that have left their mark on African societies, from the legacies of colonization and liberation struggles to critical reflections on development and the world order. Together, these two perspectives show that history and culture cannot be dissociated: they are part of the same movement to understand African trajectories and contemporary transformations on the continent.

In the volume Cultural Dynamics, all contributions explore the ways in which African societies produce meaning, transmit their heritage, and develop worldviews that articulate tradition and modernity. In “Mythology and the Quest for Meaning,”
Ouiza Galleze shows that African mythologies should not be reduced to mere folk tales. On the contrary, they constitute real systems of thought, structured around the sacred, the cosmogonic, and social morality. Through their ethnic and geographical diversity, these myths reveal a profound coherence and express a shared worldview based on the idea of connection. Mythological narratives connect humans to the sky, the earth, the living, and their ancestors, thus contributing to the construction of a relational philosophy that transcends African cultures. The study of myths therefore appears to be a privileged way of thinking about the human experience and reconstructing a symbolically open Africa that goes beyond contemporary political boundaries.

In the same context, Benaouda Lebdai focuses on “Oral Cultures in African Literature” offering a reflection on the concept of orature. He demonstrates how numerous post-colonial writers have integrated African oral heritage into their fictional works to move beyond a strictly Eurocentric vision of literature. Orality thus becomes an aesthetic and narrative resource that nourishes writing and transforms the language inherited from colonization. Through various processes of transformation, adaptation, and rewriting, orature contributes to the emergence of an original aesthetic of transmission. This dynamic reflects a literary renewal in which writing becomes a place of cultural reappropriation and identity affirmation.

This reflection on the relationship between orality and writing is further explored by Sidi Mohamed Lakhdar Barka in “From Speech to Writing: An Unfinished African Transformation”. The author examines the complex relationships between societies with an oral tradition and modern institutions based on writing, in African contexts marked by colonial experience. Using two examples, the emergence of written literature in Nigeria and the development of journalism in Algeria, he highlights the tensions that accompany the transition from a culture of enunciation to a culture of utterance. In oral societies, truth is conveyed by the speaker, by the spoken word and by the relationship between the speaker and the listeners. Conversely, written societies grant legitimacy to texts, signs, and the institutions that produce them. This shift profoundly transforms modes of communication and forms of symbolic authority. It also raises the question of inclusion in the modern nation, as those who do not master the codes of writing are at risk of being marginalized. The author’s reflection thus invites us to rethink the communication models that structure contemporary African societies.

In another vein, Léonce Ki examines the question of ‟Name Giving in the San Country’ of Burkina Faso”. Based on a corpus of more than two hundred first names collected in the province of Nayala, he highlights a particularly rich anthroponymic system, where proper names function as true social and cosmological markers. First names are organised according to several criteria, including the body, time, space, social status, existential strategies and moral values. This system reveals how individuals are embedded in a network of relationships that connects the social world, the cosmic environment and collective history. San anthroponymy thus appears as a means of identity construction that favours group membership over the affirmation of individual uniqueness. Paradoxically, this rich classification system also gives rise to a high degree of homonymy, which reinforces the sense of community belonging.

Finally, Khaled Boudaoui analyzes cultural dynamics within the contemporary Algerian context. In “Culture and Alterity: Dynamics and Specificities in the Algerian Context”, he highlights culture as a creative energy in constant recomposition. The author emphasizes the fundamental role of alterity in the shaping of collective identities and in the vitality of artistic and social creation. He also highlights the tensions that run through Algerian society, particularly those related to social anomie, the weight of religious norms, and certain forms of dogmatic rigidity. These constraints can limit critical space and undermine the development of the social sciences and the expression of individual subjectivity. By extending his analysis to African and Mediterranean contexts, the author shows that culture remains an essential lever for thinking about modernization, critical democracy, and the resilience of postcolonial societies.

This volume on Cultural Dynamics effectively examines the forms of production and transmission of meaning in African societies, highlighting the fundamental role of mythology, oral traditions and symbolic practices in the construction of collective imaginaries. The contributions show how speech, which has long been the preferred vehicle for knowledge, continues to feed African literature while engaging in a dialogue with writing and modernity in a process of transformation and development that is still ongoing. Reflections on culture, the construction of meaning, alterity, naming and identity structures highlight the tensions and interactions between local heritage, historical influences and contemporary dynamics. Taken together, these works reveal an African culture in flux, capable of preserving its foundations while reinventing itself in response to the shifts of the modern world

The volume Historical Dynamics offers an exploration of the political, social and intellectual processes that have shaped Africa’s trajectory, focusing on the legacies of colonization, liberation struggles and contemporary debates on memory and development. In “The Algerian Revolution: Passion and Commitment”, Yamina Rahou revisits the testimony of Elaine Mokhtefi, an American activist who committed herself to the side of Algerian independence fighters. Through this autobiographical account, the author traces a life entirely devoted to the struggle for Algerian independence. In particular, she notably evokes Mokhtefi’s arrival in Paris in the early 1950 ^s and her decisive meeting with Algerian activists. The book also describes the political effervescence in Algiers after independence, when the capital became an international hub for liberation movements. Activists from Africa, Asia and Latin America gathered there to exchange experiences, and organisations such as the Black Panthers found a space for political solidarity. The book thus highlights the city’s role as a crossroads for anti-colonial struggles and a symbol of militant internationalism.

In a darker register, Christian de Montlibert analyzes the policy on “The Resettlement Camps in Algeria 1954-1962”, implemented by the French army during the Algerian War. Nearly three and a half million people were displaced, and around two and a half million were gathered in camps. This policy led to one of the largest forced migrations in contemporary history. The expulsions were brutal and the displaced populations had to live in precarious conditions, first in make-shift camps, then in villages rebuilt according to the colonial administration's plans. In addition to relocation, these regroupings had an ideological dimension, as the French army sought to transform the lifestyles and mentalities of rural populations. This attempt at social restructuring conflicted with peasant traditions and contributed to profoundly destabilizing the communities concerned.

In her analysis of psychoanalyst Karima Lazali’s book on the psychological effects of colonization, Lamia Tennci also addresses the issue of colonial legacies. In “Les Blancs de l’Algérie : ou Comment ‘Panser’ Aujourd’hui L’héritage Colonial? ” (The Blanks of Algeria: Or how to “heal” the colonial legacy today?), the author examines the difficulties encountered by many individuals in expressing in words the traumas inherited from colonial history. According to this approach, colonization is not limited to political or economic domination; it also leaves deep traces within the collective imaginary, social structures and individual subjectivities. To understand these lasting effects, Karima Lazali uses an analytical approach that combines psychoanalysis, history and literature. This work aims to reveal the silences and erasures produced by colonial violence and to reconstruct traces where official history has left blank spaces. This reflection highlights the persistence of traumas that continue to mark contemporary societies and hinder the possibility of true inner liberation

Seen from a different perspective, Malek Kerdel examines the “Masters of Meaning in Southern Algeria and their Influence in Sub-Saharan Africa”. Based on a study Based on a study specifically dedicated to the Ouled Naïl mountain region, he lists a large number of mausoleums dedicated to spiritual figures. The zaouïas played a central role in the transmission of religious knowledge and in the guidance of communities. They also contributed to the spread of Islam beyond the borders of the Sahara to the populations of sub-Saharan Africa. The qoubbas (mausoleums) that dot the landscape bear witness to the importance of these places, which house or commemorate “men of God” in the collective memory and in the organisation of local societies. These spiritual masters helped to build religious and cultural networks, durably structuring relations between the different regions of the continent.

Hedi Saidi, for his part, examines, in “The French Revolution in the Mirror of Tunisian History. A Hidden African History?” the relationship between Tunisian history and the intellectual legacy of the French Revolution. His study shows how the reformist elites of the Regency of Tunis in the 19 ^th century appropriated certain ideals derived from European political thought. The author refers in particular to the Tunisian constitution of 1861, considered to be the first constitution in the Arab-Muslim world. This attempt at institutional modernisation took place in a context of multiple influences, combining Western inspirations and Eastern references. The article analyzes the ambitions and limitations of this reformist experiment, while questioning the reasons for its failure.

Finally, Benabbou Senouci devotes his study to a “Landmark Thinker of Modern Anti-Capitalism”, focusing on the thought of economist Samir Amin, a major figure of Third-Worldism and the critique of global capitalism. The author notes that Samir Amin held important positions at the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning, attached to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. His intellectual contribution is based on a central idea: underdevelopment is not a natural delay, but the historical product of the development of central economies. This analysis led Samir Amin to develop a critique of the global economic system based on the notion of unequal exchange between the centre and the periphery. His thinking also offers pathways for considering strategies for breaking with the status quo, notably through the concept of disconnection, in order to enable societies in the South to build autonomous development models. Benabbou Senouci's study highlights the relevance of this thinking for understanding the persistent imbalances in the global economy and the challenges facing Third World countries.

The volume on Historical Dynamicssuccessfully explores the events, memories, and intellectual figures that have shaped Africa’s contemporary history. The contributions examine the Algerian Revolution through the commitment of its actors and the often-painful realities of war, particularly the experience of regroupment camps. They also examine how the colonial legacy continues to influence contemporary African societies and the efforts needed to move beyond this past and rethink Africa in a different way. The studies also highlight the cultural and spiritual exchanges between southern Algeria and sub-Saharan Africa, revealing often unknown historical networks. The reflection broadens to include the intellectual history of the continent, notably through the figure of Samir Amin and his critical analysis of global capitalism. Finally, the view of the French Revolution from the perspective of Tunisian history invites us to rethink certain historical narratives from an African perspective. Together, these works demonstrate that African history is forged through interactions, resistance, and the continuous reinterpretation of the past.

Following these suggestive readings, it becomes clear, on the one hand, that African cultures reveal tensions between heritage and modernity, as well as between oral traditions, collective imaginaries, and identity dynamics. On the other hand, the exploration of historical memories, cultural circulations and colonial legacies invites a reinterpretation of the past. How are these meanings produced and transmitted in contexts of profound transformation? How do these interactions, resistances and recompositions contribute to rethinking history and Africa's place in the contemporary world? Such are the questions that nourish and guide the reflection to come.