Restructuring (post)Colonial Relationships. European Empires in Between Decolonization, Trusteeships, and a New Projection in Africa

At the end of World War II, newsreels and documentaries played a crucial role in somatizing the trauma of the loss of power caused by the end of the empire, whilst at the same time representing the restructuring of (post)colonial relationship like the Commonwealth, the Union Française, and various forms of trusteeship administrations under the aegis of the UN. This contribution sheds a comparative light on how some European countries (UK in Togoland, 1946–56; France in Cameroun, 1946–59; Italy in Somalia, 1950–60) envisioned their new political presence. I highlight common patterns in the representation mechanism of the former colonial world, thus conceiving the images of trusteeship administrations as a means to rearticulate a hegemony over the newly independent states.