'Without Them': What If France Lost Its African Roots?

Imagine a France where every morning, street markets are silent, hospitals lack staff, and construction sites grind to a halt. This is not a distant science fiction scenario: it is the bold premise of the new book 'Without Them,' written by the same three authors who, a year ago, described Marine Le Pen's accession to the Élysée. This time, they go further: a fictional government, haunted by reducing immigration, implements mass expulsions. Very quickly, the machine seizes up. Public services falter, the economy slows down, and society freezes. The message is clear: France, without its immigrants, would not be France. This book resonates particularly for us, Senegalese of the diaspora. Whether you are in Paris, Montreal, or New York, you know that our communities are not just workers: they are cultural, economic, and social pillars. The authors do not fall into miserabilism; they show with surgical precision how every sector—from healthcare to technology, from hospitality to the arts—depends on these 'invisibles' who have become indispensable. The narrative avoids the clichés of the 'good immigrant' and instead offers a realistic fresco, where the characters are as diverse as our own paths. What strikes you is how the book transforms a burning political question into a human experience. We follow torn families, entrepreneurs whose businesses collapse, patients desperately waiting for a doctor. The absurdity of the situation—a government fighting against its own citizens—becom