The Representation of Cunning Strategies to Maximise the Political Personalisation: Machiavellian Approach to Holding and Retaining Power in Africa

Abstract

This study explores the representation of Machiavellian strategies by dictators in Francophone Africa, focusing on their use of cunning discourse to manipulate political actors and the public to consolidate and retain power. Despite extensive scholarship on political manipulation, limited attention has been given to the literary representation of such tactics in contemporary African narratives. By analysing Alimou Sinta’s novel Le sang pour l'alternance (2021), the research examines how rhetoric, deception, and strategic manoeuvring shape authoritarian governance. Using Machiavellian theory and discourse analysis, this study highlights how political personalisation is reinforced through calculated rhetoric and performative governance. The findings contribute to discussions on authoritarian resilience, the instrumentalisation of discourse in power retention, and the intersection of literature and political strategy. By bridging political theory and literary analysis, this research enriches understandings of dictatorship in Francophone Africa and the broader implications of cunning discourse in governance.