100 Years of the 'Croisière Noire': The Epic Adventure that Defied Limits in Africa

One hundred years ago, in an era when automobiles were just beginning to dominate European streets, a French brand embarked on a feat that defied all logic: the 'Croisière Noire' (The Black Journey).

Driven by the visionary André Citroën, this 1924-1925 expedition became the most ambitious adventure ever undertaken by a private company, crossing Africa from north to south with a caravan of Citroën-Kégresse half-track vehicles.

Beyond a mere mechanical demonstration, the Croisière Noire was an odyssey of over 20,000 kilometres through deserts, jungles, and inhospitable regions.

The mission sought not only to pave roads in Africa but also to scientifically document, explore the world, and redefine brand building. The multidisciplinary team included scientists, artists, mechanics, explorers, a filmmaker (Léon Poirier), a painter (Alexandre Iacovleff), and a photographer (Georges Specht).

André Citroën, an industrialist with an aggressive brand vision who had already revolutionised mass production, understood the power of image. After his success in the Sahara crossing in 1922, his next goal was the total crossing of Africa. To this end, he negotiated with governments and assembled a diverse team to prove that cars could reach places no one had ever reached before.

Having revolutionised mass production in France and left his mark on the industry with an aggressive brand vision, Citroën soon understood the power of image. In the 1920s, when the automobile was a symbol of modernity, he was one of the first to turn technical innovation into spectacle. He had already demonstrated this with the first Sahara crossing in 1922. But that was not enough. His next goal was much more ambitious: to cross the entire African continent, from north to south, aboard vehicles designed by his own brand.

To achieve this, he personally negotiated with the President of the French Republic, the King of Belgium, and half a dozen colonial governments. Citroën did not join the team on the ground. But everything that happened afterwards was possible thanks to his ambition, his sense of spectacle, and his unwavering faith in technical progress as a driver of the future.

The expedition, which set sail from Marseille in October 1924 bound for Algeria, faced the relentless Sahara Desert (Tanezrouft) from the outset, where the first legends of the 'Scarabée d'Or' were born. The vehicles sank in the mud, crossed rivers on makeshift rafts, endured tropical storms and diseases, testing the team's endurance and the machines' reliability.

In January 1925, in Bangui, the expedition split into four groups to reach different points of the Indian Ocean, from Mombasa (Kenya) to Cape Town (South Africa), before reuniting in Madagascar in June 1925. The journey culminated with the return to France in July 1925, having covered distances between 12,000 and 18,000 kilometres along the different routes.

Upon their return, the Croisière Noire became a cultural phenomenon. Filmmaker Léon Poirier edited a monumental documentary that was screened with great success throughout Europe.

The drawings of Alexandre Iacovleff were exhibited at the Louvre Museum, turning African landscapes and customs into visual icons. The press, books, and promotional products consolidated Citroën as an emblem of innovation and adventure.

A century later, the 'Croisière Noire' remains a reference in the history of motoring, exploration, and marketing. It was a bold feat that united science, art, and business strategy, demonstrating that a car could conquer not only impossible terrains but also the collective imagination of an entire era.