Blood and tears: French neocolonial empire in Africa

Emmanuel Macron vowed a new African approach during his presidential campaign in 2017. This new French strategy suggested that Paris would no longer be an imperialist but rather a strategic partner for Africa, establishing a partnership on an equal footing. However, Macron did not honour his pledge.

The French government has suffered severe setbacks in Africa, particularly in the battle against terrorism and the political and economic sectors, as former French colonies, which had been subjected to French neocolonialism for decades, unleashed their rage by staging anti-French rallies and coup d’états.

The September 2022 coup in Burkina Faso, for example, was triggered by Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba’s failure to fight terrorism, his disastrous economic policies, and his submissive stance toward Paris. The steady collapse of French hegemony in Africa drove the Élysée to pursue a new exploitation strategy in its former colonies.

One of the primary undertakings in this regard is the French government’s economic dominance over much of West and Central Africa. The West African Franc and the Central African Franc, generally known as the CFA franc (Communauté Financière Africaine), which are tied to the Euro, are the lingering symbols of French financial imperialism in sub-Saharan Africa.

The French government has a notorious history of depreciating the CFA franc against the French franc in order to increase France’s purchasing power over its former colonies. As long as the CFA franc exists, the French government will be able to pillage Africa’s natural resources at extremely low costs that are not accessible anywhere else on the global market. Therefore, it is crucial that the French imperialists keep the CFA franc.

The shift in policy towards the exploitation of Africa does not stop with the imposition of the CFA franc in the impoverished African countries. Throughout the colonial era and even after its end, France has endeavoured to expand its political, economic, and cultural supremacy through the employment of culture and the media. Accordingly, France has been able to broaden its influence, in domains such as the legal system, culture, and commerce.

In this respect, Radio France Internationale (RFI) was founded in 1931 under the auspices of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It transmits in twenty languages and delivers 24-hour programming in thirty French-speaking African countries with a budget of 300 million euros. This colonial media guides information dissemination in accordance with France’s nefarious agendas. The satellite (Canal+) also broadcasts French programmes and seeks to sway Africa’s public opinion by virtually eliminating national and local media.

Another organisation serving the French neocolonial empire that provides news feeds in six languages is Agence France-Presse (AFP).