This article uses a careful analysis of African novels published since 1930 to examine Africa's vertiginous history, its stammers and convulsions: racially-motivated conflicts, tensions, social classifications, rivalries and rebellions for domination and power. But, this history - the fruit of novelists' imaginations - is fragmentary, sidelong; it reveals the stance of authors sharing their memories. The post-colonial state becomes a preferred target, as colonization once was. While the novels usually show us lost illusions, they also show hope and the possibility of making a world that is more just, more democratic and respectful of human rights. All of which shows that African history has followed a spiral, and that Africa's situation is more complex than it appears.