“Contested Africa”, how the 54 nations of the continent respond to the onslaught of the superpowers

ROMA – “Our relationship with Africa was born already distorted by the geographical maps displayed in schools, published in books and newspapers, therefore firmly innervated in our imagination: its dimensions (as well as those of South America) appear little larger than Europe, positioned in the center of the map, while the United States seems enormous…” Thus writes Enzo Nucci, the Rai journalist, for years a correspondent from Nairobi, the first (and the only one so far) who has had the responsibility of a correspondence office from the African continent. Nucci wrote a book, with a preface by Pietro Veronese, “Contested Africa. The continent’s response to the onslaught of the superpowers”.

A continent “simplified” on geographical maps. In his testimony, Nucci underlines the “simplification” used by the Belgian cartographer Gerhard Kremer when, in the sixteenth century, he designed the world to meet the needs of shipping companies by adapting the proportions of countries to colonial routes or by bending them to commercial interests. In reality, the 54 African nations occupy an area larger than China, India, the United States and Europe combined.”

The new world order and post-colonial “puppet governments”. The events that have taken shape from 2020 to today have given rise to a new world order whose balances, developments and boundaries are still to be defined. All this makes Africa the central piece of the puzzle geopolitical destined to remain unfinished for now. Russia has returned to regaining positions it held during the Cold War, entering into competition with China. The United States is struggling to follow the path of the rapidly evolving African continent; Europe (France, in particular) pays the price of a colonial past that is perpetuated to this day thanks to artificial support for “puppet governments”. Meanwhile, Turkey has also entered Africa in competition with the Arab countries.

The unprecedented role that Africa is trying to carve out for itself. In this jumble of interests – raw materials, geopolitical control of the territory, military bases, trade – Africa is trying to carve out an unprecedented role for itself, also through the birth of a new movement of non-aligned countries that refuses the Western bloc’s request to isolate Russia on the international level but which also rebels against Moscow which promises much in terms of cooperation and aid but delivers little. The jihadist unknown weighs on everything, as it is concentrating its efforts in Africa for the creation of the Caliphate after the failure in the Middle Eastern area.

The presentation. The book it will be presented on Thursday 3 October in Castellammare di Stabia at the Auditorium of the Liceo Scientifico Severi, in via Libero D’Orsi 5, at 10am. Reservations are mandatory, subject to availability: [email protected]telephone: 339/7686861.