Jean-Fran¿s Bayart is Director of the Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Internationals, Paris.Stephen Ellis is a Senior Researcher at the African Studies Centre at Leiden and former editor of Africa Confidential.B¿rice Hibou is a Fellow at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique attached to the Centre d'Etudes d'Afrique Noir, Bordeaux.