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Deicide1031 t1_ja8z1vt wrote

Reply to comment by streetknows in Macron flies to Africa to counter waning French influence by HRJafael

People tend to go with the best deal. It doesn’t really matter how much of the diaspora France has. One of the only reasons they held such sway in the first place was because they were one of the only options.

If France isn’t more proactive and competitive as far as what they offer they are going to lose out completely. Not just to China/Russia but other players like the Americans, japan, other major African countries in Africa, etc.

For starters, those countries want to develop and get rich. Can France help with that? Certainly doesn’t look like they’ve done much but line their own pockets up to now. (No offense)

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streetknows t1_ja91go3 wrote

Definitely right and none offense taken. I was just pointing out that a big part of French society is influenced by African diaspora and culture (mainly in the big cities) which is not the case in other country with the same "imperialists ambitions" operating in the continent at the moment.

It brings a mix of "damn if you do, damn if you don't" which is why, in my opinion, we should step aside from this sensible region for a bit and focus a lot more on attracting investments and developments in our DOMTOMs (oversea territories that are fully part of France).

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Exocet6951 t1_ja98glm wrote

>Can France help with that? Certainly doesn’t look like they’ve done much but line their own pockets up to now. (No offense)

Yeah I'm sure exporting almost nothing to Mali, and sending 40 million in aid in 2020 alone is massively lining one's pockets....

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adilfc t1_ja9n85k wrote

The problem is that most of the leaders tend to go with best deals for them not for community.

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Deicide1031 t1_ja9pmxk wrote

Are we really acting like France doesn’t intentionally support those types? The CFA system promoted by France is also not in the best interest of the African participants.

What you’ve said is very much true, but this is very much a two sided issue with both parties not being good faith actors. The fact some of those African players are looking elsewhere after literally centuries depending on the country speaks volumes. If the relationships were that mutually beneficial there’d be no reason for them to look to Russia or China after all that time.

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rtseel t1_jaauo86 wrote

> If the relationships were that mutually beneficial there’d be no reason for them to look to Russia or China after all that time.

The relationships aren't mutally beneficial anymore. One of the major reasons is that the public opinion in France (and by extension the French government) has become much more sensitive to issues of corruption and sustainable development. There were many awful things that French companies and African elites did in the past that went with the blessing of the French government. Some African regimes miss that blessed period and just want a "protector" which would fund their lavish lifestyles and help them keep the power, but without imposing their ethics. That's why they don't go with Germany either, or Japan, even though Germany has no recent history with Africa and Japan never had, and both would be ideal candidates as healthier alternatives to France and the UK.

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