Abstract
The French policy in Africa is frequently deemed neo-colonialist. France would enduringly attempt to keep its former colonies within its sphere of influence for economic and political reasons. Cases in point are the lyrics of the song "Françafrique" by the Ivorian descent artist Tiken Jah. Fakoly François-Xavier Verschave mentioned the 'Françafrique' as a scandal in 1999 . The latter policy means that French leaders aim at leading the former French African Empire through indirect means, generating military, economic and political dependencies. Paradoxically enough, the French cooperation policy has undoubtedly been one of the main engines of Africa's development. What has been the role of France in its former sub-Saharan African colonies since 1960? Can we draw a line between economic, cultural and military backing and imperialism? The different types of cooperation appeared to me as an effective method of analysis. That is why in the first part, we will focus on military cooperation. In the second part, we will consider economic cooperation policies. In the last part, we will get a look at cultural cooperation.
