"Africa has got off to a bad start" René Dumont said as early as the 1960's. The difficulties of the black continent have persisted for endless decades : famine, poverty, pandemics, corruption, political instability. However this part of the world is not short of raw materials or resources. How can one understand such a paradox ?

Without denying the historic responsibility of the political elites of the western world, this essay examines the different mechanisms according to which Africa is run. It takes a new look at the North/South problematics and offers new ways of thinking about the imbalance of our planet.