Opinions of Monday, 14 August 2023

Columnist: Fiifi Ofori

Niger and the French revolution

French Diplomat, Anne Sophie Ave French Diplomat, Anne Sophie Ave

“The French Revolution was a period of major social upheaval that began in 1787 and ended in 1799. It sought to completely change the relationship between the rulers and those they governed and to redefine the nature of political power.” Britannica.

A revolution is ensuing in ‘French-Speaking Africa’. A revolt against a longstanding system of economic coup d’etats which many blame for huge political, social, and military insecurities in those countries.

Interestingly, tooting this horn ever so loudly is none other than the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni has detailed in a few speeches her disgust for the economic raid occurring in many ‘French-Speaking African nations’ for more than a century. Just as the partakers in the French Revolution no longer saw the French Monarchy as divine, the current citizens of many French-Speaking African nations no longer view it as divine, France enriching itself from their countries’ resources and wealth while they are mired in abject poverty.

Even worse, the masses seem to reject the era where few elites projected themselves as all-knowing to attain power just to enrich themselves, family, and friends to the detriment of the rest of the populace.

French revolution

Western civilization teaches us of 2 significant revolutions in its history; The French Revolution where the peasants and commoners rose against the monarchy and ruling elites to determine their future; with motivation from philosophers of both previous and contemporary eras including Rousseau and Voltaire and inspiration from social contractors like of Descartes and John Locke.
American revolution

The American Revolution which culminated in its Independence from the British Monarchy in 1776 would be led by such figures as George Washington, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson from Virginia, John Adams from Massachusetts, Ben Franklin from Pennsylvania together with many men (and possibly women).

The Americans tired of the economic abuse and having to send a huge proportion of their dollars and other resources to the British colonialist would seek to determine their economic future by rising against the Mighty British and its powerful monarchy, sustaining many casualties but ultimately prevailing in the long run to bequeath a future nation of ‘freedom’ and economic prosperity to generations thereafter.

African revolution

Here on the African continent, a revolution that began many decades ago has been gaining steam, ‘A Revolution of the African Mind,’ and a serious revolt against a form of pseudo-leadership where men and women attain power as a passage of time and fulfillment of personal ambitions with no zeal to improve a lot of its people. Instead, they ascend to power (political, military, economic) as a means of investment with the wealth of the nation as dividends.

Where they seek to change, it is for “Allyship” with mainly foreign countries/entities with predominantly foreign beneficiaries in exchange for whatever monies and access they and their immediate families and friends shall enjoy.

Ghana’s former top French Diplomat, Ambassador Anne Sophie Ave, appears to who have enjoyed significant goodwill (even lordship) through her perceived ‘warmness’ and ‘kindness’ towards the Ghanaian people and has been giving advice and some guidance on how various sectors of the Ghanaian economy may improve.

However, we are yet to ever hear Ambassador Anne Sophie encourage the leaders of her country to help Africa, especially the former French colonies improve by liberating them from the shackles of economic suffocation as succinctly touted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Rather than pilfering the countries only to gift them aids mostly from their treasure, the people of the former French colonies seek economic liberation and the pursuit of their compassionate capitalism in the quest for security and development.

Ultimately the people of modern Africa would much prefer to achieve this liberation absent of all coup d’états including foreign, constitutional, military, economic et al.