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Since their independence, the future of the French African colonies has remained a concern for France. Franco-African cooperation demonstrates strong the connection between the former metropolitan power and its former colonies. This is shown by the frequency of Franco-African summits, which have grown from a gathering of the leaders of six countries in 1973 to a gathering of 37  in 1990 at La Baule, as well as the importance of the French diplomatic network which extends throughout French-speaking Africa, and the numerous military agreements between France and over ten African countries. Despite these positive trends, the general view in Africa is far from satisfying expectation. For several years, some events of French history have been met with conflicting reactions in Africa.