Les animeaux politiques, prédateurs de la liberté - paryski wizerunek przywódców afrykańskich

In this paper the author focuses on the image of the African leaders in the reports of the French international media, above all the journals and magazines that are disseminated in Africa (the weekly „Jeune Afrique" or the monthly „Afrique Magazine"). France is, however, the biggest patron of the Black Continent, at least of its French-speaking part, so the countries that belong to la Franco- phonie (an international organization uniting French-speaking lands). Africa is perceived in the European consciousness as a poor continent with a very rich nature world. Moreover, Africa is perceived by the West also in accordance with the Western standards, so with the liberal-democratic frameworks. As a consequence, the African leaders often are described as political animals (les animaux politiques) or, in the cases of many dictators, as predators of freedom (predateurs de la liberte), like in the case of the Reporters Without Borders' list of the dictators that attack the media. Hence, in many reports from Africa, the leaders receive some metaphoric animal labels like „the black beast" or „the old lion". It is noteworthy that the women taking over the rules in Africa are not perceived as „predators of freedom" or „black beast" that is a good conclusion for the future of this continent.