DR MATSANGA DAVID: WHY COUPS HAPPEN IN POST FRENCH COLONIES IN AFRICA ?

DR MATSANGA DAVID: WHY COUPS HAPPEN IN POST FRENCH COLONIES IN AFRICA ? 

By Dr.David Matsanga in UK 

✅I want to put pen to paper to explain why  French Colonies in Africa are experiencing  repeatedvmilitary Coups?The Industrial Revolution that first began in Britain in the 18th century and later on spread throughout Europe and North America is the root cause of  most colonization of Africa. 

✅Industrial Revolution led to the emergence of capitalism, imperialism and agricultural revolution. Capitalism replaced mercantilism that was more dormant and only favored the heavy government control and regulation. 

✅The monarchs controlled all factors of production. It is industrial revolution that saw France colonize sections of Africa in the struggle of European hegemony.Colonization ushered in colonial rules in  most Africa. These rules were never friendly to Africans.

 ✅Our people were subjected to dehumanized forced labor, low wages over long working hours in colonial plantations, displacement of Africans from their fertile lands, very awkward and unfriendly taxes like the famous breast tax, kipande system, just to list a few. 

✅All these aimed at marching the demands of capitalism in Europe. As a continent, our European brothers and sisters ruined our economy and looted our riches. Africa’s riches were looted left right and center. 

✅When other European powers developed pity on poor Africans and thought of freeing them, France was not ready to let go of Africans and the continent’s riches.

✅Soon after 1945, African countries started freeing themselves from colonial regimes. These was in the mid1950s to late 1975 during the Cold War. 

✅In 1957 Ghana under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah gained independence. Finally, a beacon of hope was realized in Africa. Our people were eventually free from the cruel colonial regimes. Decades later, African countries and especially those colonized by France are experiencing post colonization. 

✅Did France give her colonies freedom like it was a case with Britain, Belgium among other colonial powers?

Did France plan to colonize Africa forever?

✅The Policy of Assimilation and its role in post colonization of African France colonies: The French’s Policy of Assimilation was a colonial policy that was introduced to Africa in France colonies during the 20th century. 

✅The policy aimed at propagating France ideology and lifestyle to Africans. Africans’ culture was considered uncivilized and was in that case to be uprooted and replaced by France culture. Africans lost their identity in so doing. 

✅The French used the policy of assimilation to impact the education system of Africans, their language, among other socio-cultural aspects. This was the only way the French could get into the interior of Africa and win the colonial agenda of exploitation of Africa’s resources.

✅The Policy of Assimilation gave assimilated Africans favors that brainwashed them and made them feel as equal to France citizens. Africans never realized that their riches were being looted to develop France. 

✅Africans were given voting rights and even could be elected in the Representative Assembly in Paris. African elites in France colonies soon fell prey to the Policy of Assimilation and became major defenders of the Policy of Assimilation. 

✅Blaise Diagne, Senegalese and the first black elected African as a deputy in the France Assembly became a very serious supporter and promoter of the Policy of Assimilation.

✅In Senegal, where the Policy of Assimilation started, Africans were automatic citizens of France by birth. Their headquarters were in Paris. Senegalese in that case were made to believe that Paris, France is their home and that they were supposed to work so hard and develop their capital. 

✅Senegal and other African French colonies were overseas France provinces. In other colonies, Africans were to have extra attributes before they could be considered as France citizens. 

✅They were expected to speak French, write in French and read in French to get the rights of being considered as France citizens. This meant that Africans were brainwashed and lost their identity completely.

✅It is such kind of brainwashing that clearly shows that France had planned to colonize her African colonies forever. It takes generations and generations before such kind of brainwashing is cleared. 

✅The perpetrators of coups in France colonies are a group of Africans that were brainwashed and have for years believed that France is their second home. To them, their countries and France are co-joined twins that cannot be separated.

✅France as the Gendarmerie of Africa:

Gendarmerie is the branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of interior and additional duties from the Ministry of Armed Forces. 

✅Gendarmerie is responsible for ensuring law and order. The members of the Gendarmerie are referred to as gendarme. France was not ready to leave Africa. She wanted to maintain her influence in Africa even after independence. 

✅The new African leaders were meant to serve the interest of France. Military relations with her former colonies were therefore forged. Even after post-independence, France has their gendarme who served her interest. 

✅Some of them includes: Omar Bongo of Gabon, Idris Deby of Chad, Denis Sassou of Congo Republic, Blaise Compaor’e of Burkina Faso, and the list goes on and on. 

✅These African leaders were and have for so many years worked as gatekeepers of France to African Francophone countries. They have always remained loyal to France at the expense of Africa. They have staged coups in Africa for so many years.

✅Today, France still maintains military presence in eight African countries and has military cooperation agreements with other fifteen African countries. 

✅In 1994, France decided to deploy her troops under United Nations in Rwanda genocide that claimed more than 800,000 people to help the fleeing refugees to Democratic Republic of Congo. 

✅It is very important to understand that since then Congo has never seen peace as it was a way of having more France troops find their way to Democratic Republic of Congo and cause insecurity as they loot DR Congo’s rich minerals.

France has carried out countable military interventions in Africa. 

✅France still has military presence in Africa and precisely francophone countries. This clearly tells you why francophone countries have never known peace and coups are the order of the day.

✅It is therefore not accidental that Francophone African countries are still experiencing coups and unrest. France never left Africa. Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, Luigi Maio in 2019 accused France of exploiting Africa and fueling Africans migration to Europe. 

✅Maio said that France had never stopped colonizing tens of African states. Maio goes ahead to propose that EU should impose sanctions on France since it was impoverishing Africa hence making Africans to leave Africa for Europe.

✅Do you still need rocket science to know that the coups in Francophone countries  in Africa are made by the Franch?   

The writer is Political Scientist & Conflict Resolution Expert and investigative   journslist based in UK 

12.10.2022