By Bernhard Schmid

Everything must change to basically stay as it is: this phrase once coined by the Italian writer, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa is also true for the relationship between France and the African continent. The Africa-France Summit, which took place for the 25th time on Monday and Tuesday and was held in Nice, provided some examples of that fact earlier this week. All the African states were represented; that is to say, not only the countries of the former French colonial zone but also those of English and Portuguese-speaking Africa – with two exceptions.