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A continent in turmoil, about which many words are spent in relation to the heavy heritage of its past as well as the new problems troubling it. However, the sign of change concerning intra-continental dynamics, the relations with the Western world and the opening to new interlocutor countries, are somehow overlooked. These will be exactly the topics of the meeting in which Jean-Léonard Touadi, member of parliament and expert of African realities, and Maria Cristina Ercolessi, university professor of Political and Social Systems in contemporary Africa at the University “L’Orientale” in Naples, will discuss with con Pietro Veronese, journalist, for many years special correspondent of “Repubblica” newspaper and author of several press reports from Africa.

Jean-Léonard Touadi
born in Congo, he has been living in Italy since 1979. He graduated in Philosophy at Università Gregoriana in Rome and in Journalism and Political Sciences at Luiss University in Rome. As a journalist he dealt with topics such as cooperation and development, inter-culture and migrants’ rights. He wrote works about African culture and geographical politics: Africa. La pentola che bolle, EMI, 2003 (Africa: the boiling pot); Congo. Ruanda. Burundi. Le parole per conoscere, Editori Riuniti, 2004 (Congo. Ruanda. Burundi. The words to get to know); L’Africa in Pista, SEI, 2006 (Africa on track); and, with Ilaria Cresti, Il continente verde. L’Africa: cooperazione, ambiente, sviluppo, Bruno Mondadori, 2011 (The green continent. Africa: cooperation, environment, development).
At the present time he teaches Geography of development in Africa at Università di Tor Vergata and since 2008 he has been member of parliament.

Maria Cristina Ercolessi
since 1992 she has been associate professor of Political and Social Systems in contemporary Africa at the Political Sciences Faculty at the University “L’Orientale” in Naples. From 1981 to 1992 she was research professor at CeSPI, international politics study centre in Rome, and was particularly involved in conflicts and political development in Africa, international cooperation to development, Italian foreign policy towards Africa. Her main research interests concern relations between conflicts, development and humanitarian interventions in Africa; political reform and democratization processes (particularly in southern Africa and in Angola); African international relations.

Pietro Veronese
is a journalist who dedicated most of his professional life to Africa, south of Sahara, where he has extensively travelled and still does. After working for about thirty years as correspondent and managing editor of “la Repubblica” newspaper, today he still collaborates with it, and also with several Italian and foreign newspapers and magazines. For nine years he has held an Inquiry Journalism course at Università La Sapienza in Rome. Among his books, a collection of reportages published by Laterza publishing company (Africa Reportages, 1999).