The state protocol of sub-Saharan African countries, inherited from the colonization, still shapes the habits of the actual African presidents.

After the independences many African countries among Niger, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and DR Congo have retained the ceremonial prestige imposed by the colonizers. In the corridors of presidential palaces and ministerial offices, the rigidity of these protocol rules has remained the norm. At each state visit and official ceremony, the ceremonial dress and the orchestras are out. Behind the symbolism, these proofs of power induce a distance between African leaders and their population. They forge a monarchic image of power that testifies in spite of themselves to the financial mismanagement of the political elites in place.