In cultural relations between Europe and Africa, exchange and cooperation are often presented as spaces of dialogue and circulation. Yet one structurally decisive dimension frequently remains in the background: the production of cultural narratives themselves.
Who tells the stories shaping cultural dynamics between the two continents? From which institutional, media, or symbolic contexts are these narratives produced? And according to which mechanisms of visibility and legitimacy do they circulate within international cultural spaces?
These questions extend far beyond issues of representation alone. They directly shape how cultural relations are perceived, interpreted, and integrated into differentiated public spheres.
Narratives Embedded in Structures of Circulation
Cultural narratives never circulate neutrally. They emerge within institutional, editorial, and economic structures that influence their visibility and reception.
In Europe, cultural and media infrastructures often benefit from established dissemination networks capable of ensuring broad circulation for cultural productions and the discourses surrounding them. In Africa, these dynamics may appear more fragmented, yet also more diverse, shaped by a plurality of actors, formats, and editorial practices.
This asymmetry does not imply an absence of cultural production. Rather, it highlights differences in visibility, circulation, and recognition within international cultural spaces.
Legitimacy as a Mechanism of Selection
Producing a narrative is not enough to guarantee international resonance. It must also be recognized as legitimate.
In Europe–Africa cultural relations, mechanisms of legitimacy continue to be strongly structured by institutions, platforms, and media spaces located within dominant centers of international cultural circulation.
These frameworks directly influence:
– which subjects become visible
– which formats are considered credible
– which narratives are perceived as central or peripheral
Cultural visibility therefore appears less as a simple matter of dissemination than as the outcome of processes of selection and hierarchy.
The Role of Cultural Intermediaries
Within this context, cultural intermediaries occupy a crucial position.
Journalists, curators, programmers, editorial platforms, and cultural institutions do more than simply relay content. They actively participate in its interpretation, contextualization, and circulation.
In other words, they help determine what becomes visible within international cultural spaces — and what remains marginal.
This mediating role inevitably produces forms of framing. It shapes narratives, organizes priorities, and influences symbolic recognition.
A Still Incomplete Pluralization
Digital transformations and the diversification of cultural actors have opened new spaces for the production and circulation of narratives.
Independent media, transnational platforms, and editorial initiatives operating outside traditional structures now contribute to a broader plurality of cultural voices.
Yet these developments do not eliminate existing imbalances. Rather, they reconfigure the forms of competition, visibility, and legitimacy through which narratives circulate.
The contemporary challenge is therefore not simply to increase the number of available narratives, but to understand the conditions that allow certain narratives to circulate more widely than others.
Producing a Narrative Also Means Producing a Position
The question of cultural narratives now extends beyond the editorial sphere alone.
It involves issues of visibility, recognition, and positioning within international cultural spaces.
Producing a narrative also means producing a particular reading of the contemporary cultural world: establishing priorities, rendering certain realities visible, and organizing forms of symbolic circulation between different cultural contexts.
In relations between Europe and Africa, this question becomes central to understanding how contemporary cultural imaginaries are constructed — and how power relations continue to shape their circulation.
