What do the iPhone, football, Manga or even K-Pop have in common? They are all tools of soft power. Soft power refers to the influence of a country on a global scale through non-binding means such as culture, education, cultural diplomacy… In fact, everything except military or economic force.
The term “Soft power” was coined by international relations analyst and theorist Joseph Nye. His country, the United States, is at the top of the world podium in this area. They are followed by the United Kingdom and China, according to the latest “Global Soft Power Index” ranking, carried out by the consultancy firm Brand Finance, which evaluates, each year, the presence, reputation and impact of 196 nations on the world stage.
In the Top 50 of this ranking, there are only 3 African countries: Egypt, in 39th place; South Africa, at 43rd and Morocco at 50th in the ranking, climbing 5 steps.
If soft power does not seem, at first glance, to be Africa's strong point, various positive and impactful images at the international level emanate from the continent. We can cite as examples, Gnaoua music for Morocco, listed as UNESCO's intangible heritage of humanity, without forgetting, of course, the phenomenal football exploit of the Atlas Lions at the 2022 World Cup.
Nollywood in Nigeria, which constitutes the second largest global film industry, offers another example of African soft power. Added to this is Nigerian Afrobeats music.
This is also the case for the culture of SAPE in Congo-Brazzaville or the dazzling success of athletics in Kenya.
Rwanda's status as a world champion of gender equality also offers it material for soft power.
“The fact that the remarkable aspects of the continent are ignored or underestimated [...] does not mean that they do not exist,” explains Oluwaseun Tella. The author of the book “Africa's Soft Power” also emphasizes that the global media have been a fundamental instrument for highlighting Western countries. But negative perceptions of Africa are increasingly being challenged, with the internationalization of African cultures, particularly in literature, music, art, and fashion.
