Abstract
In most discourses about International Relations, Africa is described as a ‘victim' of external powers – namely its former colonisers, the United States and, as far as the Cold War period is concerned, the Soviet Union. For instance, it is said that African wars in the post-colonial era were fueled by the Eastern and Western blocks. Interestingly enough, this framework of analysis is not only used among International Relations experts and students, but also by the Africans themselves. For instance, Sam Kobia, director of the “Study and Action” Group of the Kenyan Section of the Ecumenical Council of Churches (a non-governmental religious organisation which regroups 120 countries), said in a press conference in August 26th, 1999 that “Up to the fall of the Berlin Wall, political life on the African continent has been deeply influenced by the Cold War between both superpowers.” In his opinion, Western powers did everything they could to prevent the birth of democracy in Africa, because “it is easier to control people under a dictatorship”.
