“Five Lessons from the Franco-African Summit in Montpellier” (by Thierno Bocome)

1. President Macron heralds the era of African representatives not appointed by Africans. It heralds the age of summits of nations that include Africa without representatives of African nations. It opens the era of bypassing the internal democratic processes of African states leading to the selection of elected leaders. And it opens the era of universal attribution to the Medal of French Legitimacy, which will prevail and place its holder in the rank of interlocutor of a French president and representative of the African peoples.

2. President Macron, on the one hand, gave the image of a united and organized France, which speaks of a single path that he himself is taking as the legitimately elected President of the Republic, and on the other hand he shared the image of a divided Africa, without states, without elected authorities, with agitated youth seeking solutions in France. That is, when he is credited with the fact that with only 25% of voting intentions in the polls, 75% of the French have turned their backs on him.

3. President Macron decides to strengthen the financing of his civil society in our sovereign countries. He decides to make an impact in our nations. It reveals a subversive idea towards Africa and does not hide it.
In France, even with the ban on public funding of religions since the 1905 law, foreign funding is being fought.

As soon as he took office at the head of France, Emmanuel Macron said: “I no longer want mosques to open with hidden funding, I no longer want those who use Hajj money to finance anything.” What is his right as the head of a sovereign state.

Today, this is the same president who decides to unilaterally fund his civil society in our sovereign countries without the participation of our heads of state.

4. President Macron made unilateral decisions without the participation of the legitimate leaders of Africa. He decided on behalf of France and decided Africa, and he witnessed the subjects of the African peoples and the French diaspora. It also intends to implement it in Africa. This was also the case in the recent past (December 21, 2019) with the decision to switch from the CFA Franc to Eco. He had mentioned the African youth who had “heard it”. Even if he maintains steady parity with the euro by attributing it this time to the will of African presidents. It is clear that this concern of African youth, which does not help French companies, is not satisfied.

5. The silence of our heads of state about the African-French summit held in Montpellier and the involvement of our country through the decisions taken for this purpose without their presence and without their participation, calls into question everything. All of President Macron’s speech on Africa’s independence hangs around like a house of cards. If our African heads of state were free, they would not let such an insult pass.
No French youth or civil society can represent France in any region of the world. No French head of state will accept that decisions concerning France are taken outside France, without their representatives and implemented in France.

By organizing this summit in Montpellier, President Macron only confirmed the heavy hand of France in the internal affairs of African countries.

The struggle for the full independence of Africa must continue with conscious and resolute youth.
This must be done by improving our internal democratic processes and by elevating the value of men and women to the summits of our nations, able to put the interests of the African people above all others.

Thirno Bocum
Chairman of the AGIR . movement

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