Summary
- Robert Bourgi, a confidant of African leaders, was at the center of the money-grabbing and mutual dependence between French and African politics.
- Bourgi was tasked with collecting funds from African leaders for French political parties, including around $10m per election for Jacques Chirac in 1995 and 2002.
- The system of receiving cash donations from African leaders was widespread and gave rise to a verb “cadeauter.”
- Bourgi reflects on the changing dynamics in French-African relations, noting that while Françafrique brought stability, it has now eroded leading to a decline in France’s influence.