Dec. 3, 2012
Did You Hear What the French President Said?
NVS– Some few days ago, rebel forces were reported to be advancing in furious steps on Bangui, the capital city of Central African Republic, apparently intent on chasing President Francois Bozize away from the presidential palace and possibly taking over power. Now, they are said to be one town away from the capital territory. Bozize, a man obviously cornered, cried out to the Americans and the CAR former colonial power, France, to help him wad off the rebel onslaught. And to this plaintive cry, did you hear the response of the French president?President Francois Hollande was quoted as telling Bozize that the French troops stationed in CAR is not there to protect Bozize or any god dammed regime of CAR. Rather, that it is there to protect French interests. What manner of president is this Hollande man? We all know that French colonies in Africa are ‘independent’ but long live French colonialism. But need he tell us of this shameful reality in such an arrogant and unfeeling manner? To me, this is the most infuriating, insulting, arrogant and humiliating statement ever made by one president to another.
French troops are still in all of the so-called ex-colonies of France in order to ensure the full exploitation of the mineral wealth of those places for the health of French economy. In fact, the trouble between the CAR government and the rebels is that they are fighting over the crumbs of the mineral wealth which the French leave for the owners of the land. The rebels are saying that the government of Bozize is not giving anything or enough of the mineral wealth crumbs to the area from which these minerals are exploited. And Hollande has the bad character and conscience to say that his troops cannot help to create stability and avoid unnecessary shedding of blood and displacement of hundreds of thousands of the people of CAR whose patrimony France is taking a lion share of.
**In all of my adult life and in all of my nearly thirty years of a career following politics, I have never seen such a display of utter contempt for a country, its people and its president. I have also never seen such an undiplomatic repudiation of a president of another country even if such a president is the leader of a former colony. It shows the high level of contempt some people hold African leaders and just how much they despise African people. Hollande does not care if the sitting government in CAR is overthrown or if hundreds of thousands of innocent people are displaced or killed due to the activities of the rebels. What matters to him is that the French are entrenched in CAR and many other French colonies so whatever happens, France never loses. It is the poor, desperate and hungry Africans who suffer, fighting and dying in their thousands over the crumbs of French imperialism.
In a sense, I like the raw, contemptuous and arrogant manner the French president told it as it is to the president and still conquered and enslaved people of CAR because we Africans seem to be too dull witted to understand anything. I am particularly pissed off by many African presidents who behave like children whose prized toys are threatened and once that toy is safe again in their hands, they will forgive and forget the atrocity of their tormentor. I can bet that if Bozize survives the threat to his throne, he will not try to learn any lesson from the raw repudiation he received from Hollande. The man will not realise that he is not actually the president of CAR but it is Hollande who is. He is merely there to keep up the appearance that CAR is an independent country.
Any other president from another place other than Africa would sit down and figure out how to get the French troops stationed in CAR out of his so-called independent country like yesterday. But wait and see what Bozize will do. He will go to Paris to beg Hollande to forgive him whatever sins he may have committed against him to warrant such display of unfriendliness towards him in his greatest hour of need. The spirit of servile servitude seems to be ingrained in the psyche of African presidents. How sad.
As a self-respecting African, my pride is injured each time any African anywhere is treated with contempt. It is sad that the love of empty power makes many African leaders to accept all forms of humiliating arrangements. Why has Francophone Africa accepted the stationing of French troops on their soils when such troops cannot defend a sitting government? If some foreign troops stationed in your country are not there to help defend a government that is in power then why is it there in the first place? Is it not therefore an instrument of blackmail and intimidation? Is it not obvious that Hollande’s stance is a clear indication that he is fed up with Bozize and wants the rebels to overthrow him? Read more…
