The concept of ‘Republic’ in Francophone African states: origin and impact

ABSTRACT

Taking the opportunity of the 60th anniversary of independence of the former French colonial empire, this article addresses the issue of being ‘Republics' for the Francophone African states in sub-Saharan Africa. From the history of decolonisation and the milestones of the independence process in Francophone Africa, the article shows how that process was torpedoed by France, in order to guarantee a continuous presence in Africa and to preserve control over its former territories for its vested interests. Even after 60 years of independence, the decolonisation process appears to be unfinished. The article also emphasises that the current poor political system of governance in Francophone Africa lies in the concept of Republic and has a lot to do with history. Therefore, for the Francophone African states to assume mastery over their own destinies, they need to reconsider their historical legacy within the challenge of having their identity as ‘Republics’ as their sole reference.

KEYWORDS:

• Decolonisation
• France
• independence
• Neocolonialism
• Republic

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Although Cameroon has a double colonial legacy (from France and from Great Britain), the governing system is dominated by the French colonial legacy. This partly explains the ongoing Anglophone crisis in the western part of that country.

2 For instance, the book published by Deltombe, Domergue, and Tatsita (2011).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the grant of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, under the auspices of Rhodes University.

Notes on contributors

Etienne Lock

Etienne Lock received his PhD in history at the University of Lille (France). His research interests focus on contemporary Africa with an emphasis on global history, intellectual history, religious history and political history. After having been a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at Rhodes University in South Africa, he is now conducting another research project in global intellectual history at the Open University of Catalonia in Spain.