Leaders build nations, and never underestimate the power of vision. Today, France is alleged to look “small” in Central and Western Africa. Yes, 94 French senators wrote in a newspaper, Le Figaro, thus “Today Niger, yesterday Mali, CAR, Burkina Faso rejected France, French forces and French enterprises…The French Africa of yesterday is being replaced by a military Russian Africa, an economic Chinese Africa, and a diplomatic American Africa. Africa, a friendly continent, no longer understands France and is increasingly challenging its role and presence”. Simply, it does seem like a guilty man running away from his shadows.
This alarm is misguided because the senators were not fair to Macron who might just want to modernize his diplomacy, using soft power. Do not think the senators are correct; they are confusing everyone in sub-Saharan Africa to think that France’s influence is diminishing. Nothing like that: the toothpicks, cereal, tea, etc which will be consumed in Cameroon, Niger, etc tomorrow are likely exclusively produced in France. Yes, France is fine and noise by a military junta does not change the equation that they need processed foods and items in Paris to power their economies.
In the Igbo Nation, the elders will say “nnunu nke si n’ala fepu ma noro n’elu ikwubo ka nokwa n’ala” [a bird that flew from the ground only to perch on an ant-hill is still very much on the ground]. Indeed, young Africans must not rejoice because China, Russia, etc are replacing France.
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Period, Africa must focus on absolute and total economic liberation so that we can rise as a people. The problem is not France. The problem is not China. The problem is not America. The problem is not Russia. The problem is what We Africans want for our shared destiny. Dropping France to sign up with Russia, China, etc is not liberation!
Why are people cheering that? Cheering that you’re handing your future and economy to another global power when you should focus on internal economic evolution?
People, we cannot become small to not see the big picture. The population we have in Africa will blow up if we do not have a plan for the young people. So, the idea that people are cheering that Mali, Niger, etc are handing their futures from one global to a possibly new preferred one, is unfortunate. That mindset must change immediately because we need to have emancipation, and that means we need to advance from within, endogenously.
Yes, France has nothing to lose in Africa because it never has any right to Africa. We’re the ones losing and can fix that misalignment.
Leaders build nations, and never underestimate the power of vision. Today, France is alleged to look “small” in Africa. Yes, 94 French senators wrote in a newspaper, Le Figaro, thus: "Today Niger, yesterday Mali, CAR, Burkina Faso rejected France, French forces and French… pic.twitter.com/BboPYTmhWt
— Ndubuisi Ekekwe (@ndekekwe) August 9, 2023
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Comment 1: Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe whilst I agree with your well-reasoned opinion I like to highlight the eureka moment this largely signifies. Breaking the slavish (oft-brutish) hold of the French on those African states signifies that the people yearn to be liberated. That message reverberates all the way to China and Russia. The Yorubas will say that ‘pasan t’a fi na’yale n’be l’ori ‘ko’ [the whip used to flog the eldest wife remains hung by the wall]…
Comment 2: Africans not cheering because Russia or China is any much better.
They’re rejoicing because for the first time, Africa seems to have an alternative.
Without the presence of Russia and China, France and US would have been using their military might to force their puppet on Africa in their insincere democracy.
Comment 3: I love this write up. God will continue to give you wisdom. You are still a slave until you are economically, politically, socially, religiously and environmentally free. Africans should build their own empire in their own way but should ensure that their fellow human beings are treated fairly.
Comment 4: I do not believe that the Africans are celebrating to replace France with Russia or China. I think they celebrate that they can now be free to choose their own friends and partners with whom they can interact for development in mutually beneficial and respectful arrangements.
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The problem with this kind of exhortation is that after reading and ranting, nothing happens, we have too many defects as a people that we are not even aware of.
I am never comfortable with complaints or observations that do not inspire pragmatic responses, once you waste time in taking action, you fall back to the same sleepy state.
How do we move forward from our usual static complaints and observations? Our best bet will be to build our economies around our cultures, with true education, the one that truly liberates. The most important thing to teach our people, especially younger ones is HISTORY! History about who we are and what our ancestors underwent, our culture, the values; this is more valuable to us right now than all the STEM education in the world.
We have to get the minds and hearts of our people to ask the most important question, which is – what do we do now? Once you get majority of Africans to ask that question, you are already winning. No skill acquisition or use of tech tools will save you, but getting your compatriots to know who they are and what they must do will give you all the advantages you need.
Anger and grief spur men to undertake great deeds, you must be angry enough to take decisive first step.