From the hopeless continent towards the rising star: the perceptions of the European Union by African elites

Autor: 
Anna Masłoń-Oracz, Iwona Janczyk
Rok: 
2019

In the past decades Africa was seen as a hopeless continent. Due to a huge Chinese investment the Pan-African vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent guided by its citizens, acting as a dynamic force in the international arena, has shaped a new order in international relations. Manners binds the idea of normative power of the EU with its ability to exert an ideological, cultural and symbolic influence on actors in international relations. To underline the importance of the chosen analysis one should draw the reader's attention to the Mozambican president who stated: 'We must help each other to improve our governance on the basis of friendship and mutual trust. It is only in this way that we can dissipate the negative image of our continent as an incapable Africa without future'. Africa's role and participation in international relations can be traced back to 'The slave trade, the scramble for Africa and the subsequent colonial period; the proxy wars of the Cold War; and the increasing importance of the continent's natural resources'. This publication includes parallel and independent examination of the analysis of public discourse, public opinion research and the analysis of think-tank opinions.