A wild ABC, this book offers a portrait, or more precisely a mythography that gives us a sense of the pulse of Africa, whose cultural power is unfolding before our eyes. Yesterday understated, even mocked, the voice of the Continent in global affairs is undeniable today. Africa is on the way to imposing a brand, a style, a way of being on the world.

In this dictionary, which is by turns informative, playful, funny and serious - from Abacost to Zembla, via Fanon, Mbappé, Obama and Présence africaine - Alain Mabanckou and Abdourahman Waberi sing a love song to Africa, to its inhabitants of yesterday and today, to its exceptional resources and to its spectacular globalization.

Alain Mabanckou is the author of acclaimed novels and essays. Appointed to the chair of artistic creation at the Collège de France, he lives in Los Angeles, where he is a professor of French literature at the University of California.

Abdourahman Waberi is a novelist, poet and essayist. He teaches French literature and creative writing at George Washington University (Washington). His work has been translated into a dozen languages.