This Wednesday, November 8, a parliamentary information report on relations between France and Africa was presented to the National Assembly. And the two rapporteurs, the Modem deputy Bruno Fuchs and his LR colleague Michèle Tabarot, are hardly kind to the strategy put in place for around twenty years. And not with Emmanuel Macron’s method either. They make a series of recommendations to improve this relationship.
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This parliamentary report contains 175 pages from several dozen hearings, including those of former President François Hollande, but also of Mohamed Bazoum, just before the Nigerien head of state was overthrown by military coup in July 2023. And precisely, France’s policy vis-à-vis coups d’état is one of the criticisms addressed by Bruno Fuchs and Michèle Tabarot. We must stop the double standard of condemning some, as in Mali or Burkina Faso, while validating others, as in Chad, denounce the two deputies.
Less vexation, more respect and consistency
THE ” vexatious blunders “, in words – like those of Emmanuel Macron towards Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi in March 2023 – or in actions – the Africa France summit in Montpellier where African heads of state had not been invited – must also stop according to parliamentarians. Just like a visa policy deemed “ humiliating » by African elites.
Bruno Fuchs and Michèle Tabarot therefore call for more consistency and respect: they therefore propose to create a specific visa for French-speaking African countries, to rebuild a more vigorous diplomatic corps and more open to French people of African descent. Other recommendations: transform the French Development Agency into France Partenariat, or even put France’s African policy at the heart of parliamentary debate.
Also listenBruno Fuchs: “We need to build a clearer strategic offer” with Africa
Putting Africa in school curricula
Other recommendations include teaching “ Africa today » in French schools, and to develop African studies in the country’s leading schools, or even create an Institute of Advanced Studies on Africa. A logic which would be supplemented by the evolution of French Institutes, which would be more closely associated with the host countries, while strengthening this network.
Strengthening resources is also recommended for embassies, so that they can, for example, financially support projects on the ground.
Sell better “ the French brand »
Finally, the two deputies regret a lack of positive communication on France’s actions in Africa, while the allocated resources are increasing (15.5 billion euros in loans or donations between 2020 and 2022). Objective: shed light on the efforts made and focus less “ on political and military communication “.
Bruno Fuchs and Michèle Tabarot are also demanding an increased role for public broadcasting in this regard. In August 2023, during the conference of French ambassadorsPresident Emmanuel Macron himself had spoken of RFI and France 24 as a “ tremendous lever of influence “. The Societies of Journalists of the two media reacted by recalling their independence and that they are not “ instruments of influence “.
France 24 and RFI are neither “instruments” of influence nor “equations” to be constructed. For our SDJs, only independence, rigor and impartiality can prevail in a world where fake news is spreading.@sdjrfi@FRANCE 24@RFI pic.twitter.com/QsCk8b1Dfh
— SDJ de RFI (@sdjrfi) August 29, 2023
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