Why give a giraffe ? (1)

Abel Fontoura da Costa and the Muzafar rhinoceros (1514-1516) : animals as diplomatic gifts. Rhinoceros diplomacy versus " panda diplomacy " practiced by modern-day China. Gifts as " commodities " (Appadurai) ; intermediaries as " fixer " (Stahuljac). Giraffes offered by African sovereigns : an overview, from the Maghreb to China. Finding the intention behind these giraffe gifts : a mix of wonder and familiarity. The animal parade at the court of the Ghâna (al-Idrîsî, 12th^century ) : a demonstration of taming the world. The giraffe of Fez in 1360-1361 according to several Arab sources: reconstruction of the diplomatic exchange between the sultans of Mâli and Morocco. Broadening the perspective on the agentivity of exchanges between sub-Saharan Africa and Dar al-Islam : who are the actors ? Diplomats, merchants, Christian and Muslim pilgrims. Pilgrims and West African pilgrimages to Mecca. The problem of the invisibility of Sahelian traders : the letter from the Almohad governor of Sijilmâsa to the Sultan of Ghâna (late 12th^century ), based on the testimony of al-Sarakhsî.