Daniel Mengara was born in Minvoul, Gabon, in 1967. He holds a BA from Omar Bongo University in Gabon, an MA from Illinois State University, USA, and a PhD and another MA from the University in Nice, France. He is currently an Associate Professor of French and Francophone Studies in the Department of French, German and Russian at Montclair State University, Montclair, USA. He is the Executive Director of SORAC (Society of Research on African Cultures) and the Editor-in-Chief of the SORAC Journal of African Studies. He has published several articles in the areas of francophone, post-colonial and African studies. He is the author of ‘La représentation des groupes sociaux chez les romanciers noirs sud-africains’ (L’Harmattan, 1996), and Images of Africa: Stereotypes and Realities (Africa World Press, 2001). He also leads the BDP (Bongo Doit Partir), a political organization which sets itself in opposition to the Omar Bongo regime and which promotes democracy and democratic reforms in Gabon.