Exclusive conference at the Barreau de Paris
During the official visit to France of His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, at the invitation of His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, we organised a special edition of Choc des Légendes on 15 November 2024 in Paris at the Maison des Avocats in collaboration with the Barreau de Paris and the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, where political, economic and legal figures gathered to lead a debate led by professors, lawyers and students on the ‘Relationship between guaranteeing fundamental rights and democracy seen from Africa’.
During the discussions, chaired by President Nana Akufo-Addo, it was recalled that fundamental rights and democracy have existed in Africa for centuries and have not been imported by the West. These fundamental rights pre-existed and were enshrined at least as far back as the thirteenth century with the Manden/Kurukan Fuga Charter, well before European colonisation in the seventeenth century and even before the advent of major texts such as the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen in France and the American Constitution in the eighteenth century.
L’Éloge des Femme
On the occasion of the 4th edition of Choc des Légendes: “The Praise of Women”, on 19 April 2024 at the Mariott in Accra, Ghana, under the High Patronage of His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, we celebrated and highlighted the place of women in the world. The verdict of the Grand Jury, chaired by the First Lady of Ghana, H.E. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, was in favour of the women who deserved to be praised, underlining the need to enable them to participate fully in the socio-economic development of their country. The event was followed by a VIP cocktail reception in the salons of the Mariott Hotel and preceded by an exclusive high-level dinner at the Presidential Palace of Ghana.
Le Procès du Progrès
During the 3rd edition of Choc des Légendes: ‘Le Procès du Progrès’, on 19 November 2021 in the Victor Hugo Room of the French National Assembly in Paris, France, under the High Patronage of the President of the French National Assembly, Richard Ferrand, we confronted the contribution of scientific and economic progress to humanity. The verdict of the Grand Jury, presided over by the President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, acquitted Progress to the benefit of the doubt, while sentencing it to an eternity of community service. The event was followed by a VIP cocktail reception in the salons of the First Quaestor of the French National Assembly.
Le Procès de Dieu
During the 2nd edition of Choc des Légendes: ‘Le Procès de Dieu’ on 15 November 2019 in the Richelieu amphitheatre of the Sorbonne in Paris, under the high patronage of the President of the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Georges Haddad, we questioned the existence of God and his responsibility for the salvation or suffering of humanity. The verdict of the Grand Jury chaired by the President of the Institut Pasteur, Christian Vigouroux, was to defer the condemnation of God to an eternal deliberation. The event was followed by a VIP cocktail reception in the Grand Salon of the Sorbonne.
Qui de Dieu ou des Hommes est le plus joyeux ?
The first edition of Choc des Légendes was held on 13 April 2018 in the Salle Victor Hugo of the French National Assembly in Paris under the High Patronage of the First Quaestor of the National Assembly, Florian Bachelier, our eloquent speakers, Bâtonnier Marc Bonnant from Geneva as well as Bâtonnier Christian Charrière-Bournazel from Paris and Maître Bertrand Périer competed in improvisation to find out ‘Who of God or Men is the happiest?’. The event was followed by a VIP cocktail reception in the lounges of the Questure of the French National Assembly.
