Masi Lambo
JF-Expert Member
- Apr 8, 2020
- 532
- 360
France is somewhere I will never even think of going even if I was rich and famous because of the historical facts like this, It's colonial history is worse brutal than all colonists and still robbing Africa, one of the worse racist country in Europe.-
Former French President, Jacques Chirac, in March 2008, said: "Without Africa, France will slide down into the rank of twenty-third power". In 1957, his predecessor, François Mitterrand also said “Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century”, little wonder 14 African countries are compelled by France to place 85% of their reserves under the management of the French Ministry of Finance through the colonial agreement in the central bank of France.
The European Union condemns such an unjust system, but France is not willing to let go of this colonial system, which generates for them some 500 billion dollars in cash from Africa annually.
We frequently condemn African leaders for greed and for serving Western nations, but the reason for this conduct is not farfetched. They do so because they fear being assassinated or becoming the target of a coup. They also want an alliance with a powerful nation in case of conflict or trouble. Unfortunately, this protection comes with a cost.
Sylvanus Olympio, the first president of the Republic of Togo, a small nation in West Africa, found an alternative that would appease the French: not trying to discontinue French rule, he declined signing the colonial agreement suggested by De Gaule, but offered to pay France a yearly debt for the so-called benefits gained during the French occupation. This was France's condition for not ruining the country before leaving. Nevertheless, France's estimated fee was so huge that the repayment of the so-called "colonial debt" was almost 40% of the country's budget in 1963.
Consequently, the economic condition of the newly independent Togo was very fragile and in order to overcome this situation, Olympio opted to forsake the monetary system developed by colonial France the FCFA (franc of the French colonies of Africa) and create the country's currency.
Three days after he started printing the new notes on January 13, 1963, a group of mercenaries seized and executed the first elected leader of independent Africa. Olympio was murdered by an ex-French legionnaire, the army sergeant Etienne Gnassingbe who received a bonus of 612 dollars from the French regional embassy for the accomplishment of his mission.
The vision of Olympio was to build a country that was free and autonomous. But the proposal did not match the desires of the French.
Modibo Keita, the Republic of Mali's first president, like Olympio was also killed by Lieutenant Moussa Traoré, another former French foreign affairs legionnaire in November 19, 1968, for exiting the monetary system of CFAF on 30 June 1962. This is to mention but a few of such executions.
Former French President, Jacques Chirac, in March 2008, said: "Without Africa, France will slide down into the rank of twenty-third power". In 1957, his predecessor, François Mitterrand also said “Without Africa, France will have no history in the 21st century”, little wonder 14 African countries are compelled by France to place 85% of their reserves under the management of the French Ministry of Finance through the colonial agreement in the central bank of France.
The European Union condemns such an unjust system, but France is not willing to let go of this colonial system, which generates for them some 500 billion dollars in cash from Africa annually.
We frequently condemn African leaders for greed and for serving Western nations, but the reason for this conduct is not farfetched. They do so because they fear being assassinated or becoming the target of a coup. They also want an alliance with a powerful nation in case of conflict or trouble. Unfortunately, this protection comes with a cost.
Sylvanus Olympio, the first president of the Republic of Togo, a small nation in West Africa, found an alternative that would appease the French: not trying to discontinue French rule, he declined signing the colonial agreement suggested by De Gaule, but offered to pay France a yearly debt for the so-called benefits gained during the French occupation. This was France's condition for not ruining the country before leaving. Nevertheless, France's estimated fee was so huge that the repayment of the so-called "colonial debt" was almost 40% of the country's budget in 1963.
Consequently, the economic condition of the newly independent Togo was very fragile and in order to overcome this situation, Olympio opted to forsake the monetary system developed by colonial France the FCFA (franc of the French colonies of Africa) and create the country's currency.
Three days after he started printing the new notes on January 13, 1963, a group of mercenaries seized and executed the first elected leader of independent Africa. Olympio was murdered by an ex-French legionnaire, the army sergeant Etienne Gnassingbe who received a bonus of 612 dollars from the French regional embassy for the accomplishment of his mission.
The vision of Olympio was to build a country that was free and autonomous. But the proposal did not match the desires of the French.
Modibo Keita, the Republic of Mali's first president, like Olympio was also killed by Lieutenant Moussa Traoré, another former French foreign affairs legionnaire in November 19, 1968, for exiting the monetary system of CFAF on 30 June 1962. This is to mention but a few of such executions.
