Regards croisés - les relations bilatérales Roumanie-Sénégal (1965-1980). Les échanges diplomatiques de Nicolae Ceaușescu avec Léopold Sédar Senghor

The article presents the way in which the communist Romanian leader Nicolae Ceaușescu built the diplomatic ties between Romania and Senegal from 1965 to 1980, respectively how the bilateral relations have been organized. A case study of the visits between Ceaușescu and President Léopold Sédar Senghor is analyzed. The article uses as main sources the recently accessible diplomatic archives of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, articles from the state controlled Romanian communist press, and the Romanian propaganda published by the regime to promote official visits. The research scrutinizes the ideological and nationalistic elements of these visits in the context of the Cold War and of the Non-Aligned movement, respectively post African independences. Taking this case study as an illustration of the ties that Romania had with African states during Ceaușescu’s regime, the article identifies the main elements of a high-level visit, respectively the phases of the evolution of the Senegalese Romanian relations.