Samir Amin is an economist who trained mostly in France. Born in Cairo in 1931, he is one of the most brilliant academics from the contemporary left. The author of numerous works, his career has been marked by his relations with African countries. He was advisor to the Government of Mali, has carried out mission in Guinea and Ghana and has shared his knowledge in Poitiers, Paris and Dakar.  Amin has been, and is, a tireless fighter, be it through his teaching and counselling of governments, but also through his activism with organizations in which he has played, and continues to play, a central role, as is the case with the Third World Forum and the World Forum for Alternatives.