For some reason, many Africans do not understand what neocolonialism is and that it is not benign. Neocolonialism delays Africa’s economic and social/political progress. Below, I have listed a few practical examples of how the scourge of neocolonialism affects some African countries.

FRANCE AND FRANÇAFRIQUE. – CHASSE GARDEÉ (PRIVATE HUNTING GROUNDS)

• France was the most pervasive and cunning colonial master of the lot. On the crossover — the transition from colonialism and giving African countries’ ‘independence’ — the French had prepared much more assiduously than the British and the Portuguese. The Portuguese had no plan at all.
• When France began giving independence to its African colonies in French West Africa and French Equatorial Africa, it devised an insidious plan to control these countries after their ‘Independence’. The price of lowering the Tricolour and raising a national flag was:
  • Trade pacts that favoured France and French companies. Cooperation Accords between France and emerging African nations – often signed just before independence – secured oil and mineral rights to France or French companies.
  • Using the CFA currency that was linked to the French currency, the Franc. Paris controlled the rate of exchange and printed the currency. Some countries had their Central Banks based in Paris with mor French board members than African ones. African countries had to deposit their foreign reserves with the French Central Bank, which managed the funds on their behalf
  • Defence pacts that included thousands of French paratroopers in the capitals of these ‘newly independent’ African countries. The French soldiers were there – and are still there – to protect French interests. The French had pre-signed letters of military assistance from African presidents, with only the date missing. So, if there was a coup and the French did not like the coup leader, they would take out the letter, date it, and send their paratroopers out onto that African country’s streets to restore order. If they liked the coup leader, the French soldiers would stay in their barracks. These countries were not allowed to have defence pacts with other countries.
  • France expected and demanded that the newly ‘independent countries’ support it in any international disputes.
  • The former colonies were also expected to use French as the official language and the language of education.
  • With all the pacts and cooperation accords with their former colonies – ostensibly to ensure stability of the nations after independence – the French in effect imposed a sort of tax to pay for ‘all benefits that France took to the countries during colonialism’
  • These pacts and accords signed in the 1960s were little different from the ones Henry Morton Stanley made the chiefs in Belgium Congo sign, in the 1880s, under very invidious circumstances.
  • The French, therefore, unlike the British, set up a post colonial neocolonial presence of byzantine complexity in their former colonies. French civil servants were absolutely all over, including as advisors to African presidents. To a lesser degree, this was also true in Anglophone countries
  • Many coups in Africa have had the secret — and often not so secret — hand of the French, but also the CIA. Legionnaires who had served in the French army had often been used by France for coups and assassinations of African presidents who tried to break the hold that France had on its former colonies. Any leader who attempted to free themselves from the French army embedded in their nations was in danger of death by Legionnaire or a coup. Most coups in Africa have been in ex-colonies of France. Since 1960 France has intervened militarily in Africa at least 30 times and counting.
  • The French Connection in Biafra. France, led by DE Gaulle, sent arms and mercenaries to support Biafra when it seceded from Nigeria in 1968. France sought to exert and expand its influence in an area that had been a preserve of the British. Biafra was known to have massive amounts of oil. France wanted in on the oil in that part of Africa. After the war, many Biafran leaders settled in French-controlled Gabon.
  • France has been at the root of the civil wars in the Republic of Congo or Congo Brazzaville. In the past, conflicts had flared up when oil companies from America tried to muscle in on the playground of their infamous French oil company, Elf.
  • Elf was the enforcer of the French state. Through ending monies to some African countries, it exercised massive leverage.
  • In resource-rich former French colonies, Elf, with the African political leadership, created the so-called rhizome states. This is a state that has government accounts but also has loads of monies that are not in the mainstream accounts. These funds are controlled by a clique around the presidency. Regular government functionaries realise this and evolve structures that access these monies and so form parallel governance systems. Angola had or has a similar system. In botany, a rhizome is a plant that has an extensive underground root network. New plants appear near or in its vicinity, but these are not really independent and are part of the index plant.
  • Over the years, secret funds from Elf operations in Africa amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars — and possibly billions — were kept off the radar of ordinary French voters, in offshore accounts. Using these funds, the French State had a deep state that was at the centre of a massive corruption/influence peddling web that was active in African and French politics.
  • After a series of investigations and scandalous revelations by French Magistrates, Elf was disbanded and a new company, Total, was formed. New skin, old wine?, or is it old skin new wine? Whatever!
  • France has so indoctrinated the African citizens of its former colonies that they align more with Paris than with Addis Ababa. An English-speaking African arriving at the border control of a French speaking African country is regarded first as an alien — compared to a French-speaking African or white man — then second as an African. In English speaking countries, the French-speaking African is regarded first as an African brother, then second as coming from a Francophone country. This is a major difference. I believe our French-speaking brothers have been more brain-washed than us! Note, even our African-American-Caribbean brothers and sisters who disparage and look down on Africans are also brainwashed!
  • Madagascar was also a French Chasse gardeé. The 2009 Madagascar coup against Marc Ravalomanana was almost certainly backed by the French. This was because Ravalomanana was diluting French influence on the island and bringing in Chinese and South Africans. Andry Rajoelina, who, led the coup, was pro-French, sans doubte!

BRITAIN – THE SUN FINALLY SET IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE

• Britain implicitly backed apartheid for a long time and did little to have it dismantled.
• Britain helped shaft its colonies with lopsided Development Agreements with companies from there.
• Britain has numerous safe havens for looted monies from poor African countries. The City of London is an intermediary full of lawyers and accountants who can link anyone with money to offshore safe havens. The havens are in Jersey, British Virgin Islands, Isle of Man, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Bermuda, etc. In these locales, secrecy is guaranteed, and opacity is the rule.
• Until 2002, it was not a crime to bribe a foreign official in Britain (and France), i.e. corruption was not illegal if done in a foreign country. In some OECD countries, at about this time, this type of bribe was even tax deductible!

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

• Cold War led by America affected many African countries directly e.g. Angola and Zaire.
• Took active part – through the infamous CIA — of coups and assassinations in Africa, e.g. Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah, etc.
• Through their thirst for oil and other minerals like uranium, Americans have supported numerous African despots and kleptocrats.
• USA is/was one of the most prominent destinations for stolen monies by African dictators. The banks there used to ask few questions and acted as conduits to safe havens. Those leaders whose countries have oil are usually treated benevolently by the USA (a case in point is Saudi Arabia). Foreign Corruption Act of 1977 was progressive.
• USA had tacit support for apartheid South Africa.

USSR AND RUSSIA

• Cold War against the West affected many African countries directly e.g. Ethiopia/Eritrea.
• USSR pumped a massive number of small arms and big arms into Africa. Ohhh these Russians!

SOUTH AFRICA

• South West Africa was handed over to the Union of South Africa from Germany by the League of Nations in 1915. From oppression by Germans, the Herero and Nama now had to fight Afrikaners to free themselves.

Took active part in destabilising the whole of Southern Africa through supporting civil wars e.g. in Zimbabwe, Angola and Mozambique.