Postcolonial economic and linguistic subordination of West Africa continues

Evidence

Barry’s comments, too, provide a telling coda to the story of France’s colonization of West Africa. In contrast to French officials, he intimated that the mission civilisatrice was largely a lie. French West Africa was itself an imaginary political construct; all that remains of the colonial administration are the reams of paper that any bureaucracy generates, and the official memory that the conservation of archives represents. Economically, France linked West Africa to the world market on unequal terms. This linkage and subordination continue, as witness France’s 1995 decision to devalue the franc CFA by half. Last but not least, Francophone West Africans remain imprisoned within a language not of their choosing, nor that of an increasing number of the world’s inhabitants. Far from graciously accepting the proffered French hand of continuing “friendship,” Barry made clear that West Africans should begin to look for new “friends” elsewhere. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 869

And yet dialogue between Africa and Europe has proven difficult. Who needs dialogue? Why dialogue? How to dialogue? And for which purpose? These are the fundamental questions that need to be asked. The situation that Tempels found problematic in his day continues today in the post-colonial era. The crucial point is that of unequal power relations. With very few exceptions, postcolonial sub-Saharan Africa is not made up of fully autonomous polities, but rather of “post-colonies” highly dependent on foreign investments and controlled in various ways by Western powers and recently China to some extent. Most importantly in this digital age, the impact of Western cultures and Western media on Africa is stronger than ever before, and more problematic. — Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 744

Categorization

• XREF: Directly serves the reading goal of republican France’s force being imposed on West Africa and its lasting effects.
• QUESTION: Following the CFA franc devaluation of 1994/1995 and current discourse would extend this story decades past the book’s range.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 869; Frans Dokman, Beyond Bantu Philosophy_…, 744