On the podium: Philexafrique (1969)

Philexafrique was a stamp exhibition held in the city of Abidjan in Ivory Coast in February, 1969. A lot of planning must have been going on beforehand, because an omnibus series of stamps on stamps from 14 different African states, all former French colonies or protectorates, was issued in connection with it. They had similar designs and shapes, and rather big formats. Each of the old stamps depicted show some typical scenes, folk custom or industry of each country, so there is quite lot of African history embedded in these 16 stamps, in both the old ones and the new ones.

The independence of many of these African states was a new thing in the 1960's, and the stamps clearly show that the connections to France weren't completely severed. The stamps were all designed and engraved by French stamp artists and printed in Paris.

I must surely be allowed to pick a favourite, and that would be the pair from Niger.