Independence Jubilees, the "Cinquantenaire"* * This work derives from research undertaken by the authors within the context of a doctoral research by Kathrin Tiewa and a book project by Emmanuel YENSHU VUBO (2012). We wish to thank the research assistants, interviewees, collaborators and friends for insights, criticisms and the support that have enriched this paper. We also wish to thank the participants of the Point Sud workshop which took place in Bamako, 7-12 January 2012, during which a first version of this paper was presented, for interesting and comparative perspectives on this research.