ABSTRACT

This contribution offers a new perspective on the planning of post-colonial Africa focusing on the role of Italy. Weak and underdeveloped due to significant war losses, Italy could not rely on the investment potential of its Atlantic allies. Moreover, after WWII, its political influence across the continent had substantially reduced to zero. Yet, it emerged as an unexpected outsider whose eccentric – and somehow contradictory – position has been often largely underestimated. The peculiarity of the Italian condition, in fact, has been crucial to implement and put the Atlantic developmental vision in practice. To some extents, Italy has been the veritable builder of post-colonial Africa, first as a free-lance actor and then as a partner of the global agencies (IBRD, UNESCO) involved in the re-making of the continent. How could a nation substantially underdeveloped like Italy emerge as one of the leaders in implementing development planning actions abroad, although not being directly involved in decision-making process? This paper aims at answering these questions focusing on logistical, organizational and planning competences deployed by Italian corporates and technicians during the construction of four African major dams, between 1956 and 1966.

摘要

这一贡献为关注意大利的作用的后殖民非洲的规划提供了一个新的视角。由于重大战争损失，意大利弱小且不发达，无法依赖其大西洋盟国的投资潜力。而且，二战后，它在整个大陆的政治影响力已经大幅减少到零。然而，它以一个意想不到的局外人的身份出现，其古怪——而且有些矛盾——的立场经常被大大低估。事实上，意大利条件的特殊性对于大西洋发展愿景的实施和实施至关重要。在某种程度上，意大利一直是后殖民非洲名副其实的建设者，首先是作为自由职业者，然后作为参与非洲大陆重建的全球机构（国际复兴开发银行、联合国教科文组织）的合作伙伴。一个像意大利这样严重欠发达的国家，虽然没有直接参与决策过程，但如何成为在国外实施发展规划行动的领导者之一？本文旨在回答这些问题，重点关注意大利公司和技术人员在 1956 年至 1966 年间在非洲四座大坝建设期间部署的后勤、组织和规划能力。