To some, such as South Africa's former President Mbeki, Jean-Yves Ollivier (alias 'Monsieur Jacques') was a mysterious businessman and sanctions buster or a French spy. For others, such as Winnie Mandela and Mozambique's former President Chissano, he was a trusted friend and man of bold vision. For the first time, heads of state, diplomats, master spies and anti-Apartheid fighters reveal how 'Monsieur Jacques' positioned himself to be the improbable...

Ousmane Sem̀bne was a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout who became the self-taught father of African cinema who fought enormous odds to return African stories to Africa.