By Bob Newland
The author begins his story with the Berlin Conference of 1884/5 when the four greatest global powers met to divide up Africa between them. He rapidly skips to post WW1 when the German colonies were dived between the others.
The sub-title of the book is ‘The Waning of Francafrique’ and the main focus of the book is on this. Francafrique is a phenomenon which came about following WW2. The French were struggling to maintain their colonial power and a place at the head table with the victors in the war. With the advent of the United Nations, a new era of decolonisation came about. The author explores the key differences between France’s approach to decolonisation and that of Britain.
France was confronted with the disaster of the defeat in Vietnam and not long after in 1954, the revolt in Algeria. De Gaulle returned to power in France in 1958 following a coup by French officers in Algeria. He argued for a programme of resistance to ‘rushed’ decolonisation.
Following failed attempts to recreate an empire under the guise of the Union Francaise, De Gaulle then dreamed up the idea of Francafrique, a continuation of French power and influence which was neither de-colonisation, a voluntary Commonwealth, nor a formal empire. In fact, Prunier suggests that it didn’t really exist.
France ensured by a range of measures that its former colonies maintained close links with France. It created the French African Colonial Franc (CFA), which it imposed on its former territories as a way of controlling their economies with Paris setting the exchange rate. It kept its friends in power through military interventions (largely from bases which never left at independence) often staging coups and counter coups depending on who it saw as best serving its interests at the time.
Prunier argues that unlike some empires and neo-colonial regimes, French intervention in Africa was not primarily driven by financial interests although he demonstrates that vast amounts of money were made by France during this period. In contrast to this he identifies Francafrique involvement in the Biafran conflict as being seen by many as simply acting on behalf of ELF Aquitaine. ELF Aquitaine was a French state owned oil monopoly, one of the largest in Europe and was seen by many as synonymous with Francafrique.
The detail of the many shifts in French policy in Africa is fascinating to read but tells a terrible tale of ignorance and brutality. Prunier credits Mitterrand with efforts to support further steps towards decolonisation but includes him with Sarkozy, Hollande and Macron as having no understanding of Africa or tribalism and as a result making error after error in their ‘Africa’ policy.
Very interesting reading is the way in which Francafrique was used to influence events in other states and the extent to which this has failed in recent years particularly in Libya and Syria. In the background of the story is the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and the various insurgent forces active in Africa including Al-Qaed, ISIS and Boko Haram. This is especially true with regard to the states of the Sahel where France maintained military bases and economic influence often by promising to defeat the insurgents. This never happened and the book explores in some detail the changes in attitudes of key Sahel states including Niger, Burkina-Faso and Mali.
Also examined is the growing role of Russia in the region as French influence wanes. Prunier is sceptical as to Russia’s desire or capacity to do any better in combatting the insurgency than was France or Francafrique.
Readers of this book will get an enormous insight into often unexplored aspects of French political history and the behind the scenes shuffling for power across Africa. The author begins his concluding chapter with reference to Marx saying ‘ that history does, at times, repeat itself, but that if the first time is often a tragedy, the repeat episode tends to be a farce.’ This he links to the creation by De Gaulle of Francafrique to support the myth of French grandeur. Prunier suggests that he half-succeeded in this but this success was accompanied by a tragic and farcical process of ‘myth, diplomacy, blood, money and high jinks’.
No review can do this book justice. Anyone wanting to understand France’s role in Africa in the late 20th and early 21st along with the background to the new wave of anti-French and anti-colonial feeling, especially in the Sahel, should give it a read.
Colonialism Devours Itself: The Waning of Francafrique: Gerard Prunier Hurst Publishers £22.00.
Bob Newland is a member of Liberation and former London Recruit.
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