Publisher's Synopsis
The notion of a statesman or stateswoman is not an easy one to grasp, as its appreciation is sometimes subjective. Clearly, it is not enough to be in the service of the State to be a statesman or stateswoman. Is it a question of semantics? Is it a question of moral legitimacy, or a symbol of representation? Is it simply a question of highlighting servants of the State, or is it a question of highlighting exceptional men and women? In spite of all these questions, which attest to the complexity of the notion of "stateswoman" and the legitimacy of the scientific expectations of Africans in terms of building new knowledge, this colloquium has endeavored to highlight the careers and profiles of those who have clearly distinguished themselves in various fields at local, national and international level. In this way, the colloquium pursues a heuristic and memorial objective for the benefit of the social sciences and humanities.
