With a Weapon & a Grin: Postcard Images of Frances Black African Colonial Troops in WWI

In incorporating Black African soldiers on the European battleground in their war against the Germans in World War I, France needed to change the image of the African from that of savage to a loyal and courageous soldier, a non-threat to French citizenry. What emerged was the Grand Enfant, a child-like figure with a winning grin who nonetheless could be ruthless in pursuit of the Hun. Meanwhile, German propaganda persisted in portraying the African as a cannibal, being unjustly deployed by France against the civilised European. Postcards of the era were an important means of disseminating these images and demonstrate how the African soldiers image was manipulated to serve the changing needs of the European belligerents. The book contains over 150 stunning images from this propaganda war and places them in historical context. It is a pioneering study in English of a long-neglected aspect of the First World War.