'Sorry, but it's no longer the way it used to be. There's nothing more I can do for you. Under Bongo Senior, this would have been unthinkable. But Bongo Junior doesn't have the same grip on the situation - and nor do I, nor does France. We go through the motions but we're no longer in control.' I received this text message on 9 August 2009 from Robert Bourgi, known in Paris as 'the attorney of la Françafrique'. It's probably not the last word on France's incestuous relationship with her former colonies in sub-Saharan Africa, but it put an end to my four-day wait at a rat-infested border post, where I'd hoped to be allowed into Gabon. I turned on my heel and went home.

LRB 11 February 2010 | PDF Download