Togolese writer and human rights activist, Farida Bemba Nabourema, has reignited debate over France’s historical and contemporary relationship with its former African colonies, particularly the CFA franc monetary system.
Speaking in an interview with Rudolf Okonkwo on 90MinutesAfrica, Nabourema argued that the institutional design of the CFA franc bears similarities to the monetary arrangements imposed on France during the Nazi occupation in the Second World War. According to her, following the war, France emerged financially weakened, with depleted gold reserves and a devastated banking system. She contended that French authorities subsequently established a monetary system in their African colonies that centralized control of the colonies’ reserves in France, thereby allowing Paris to exercise significant influence over monetary policy.
Nabourema asserted that this arrangement mirrored the system imposed by Nazi Germany on occupied France in the early 1940s, where the Nazi authorities exercised control over French monetary affairs. She argued that by holding the reserves of several African colonies, France strengthened its own financial position and expanded its geopolitical influence in the post-war period.
The founder of the “Faure Must go Movement” also challenged conventional definitions of democracy, arguing that democratic governance should be judged primarily by accountability rather than by whether a government is civilian or military. She maintained that elections alone do not guarantee democracy if governments fail to protect civil liberties or remain accountable to citizens.
According to Nabourema, the central question should be whether citizens can freely participate in governance, enjoy fundamental rights, and hold leaders accountable through effective institutions. She criticized the international community’s tendency to equate civilian rule with democracy while overlooking authoritarian practices by elected governments.
“The measure of democracy should be whether the citizens are free to exercise their civic liberties, can participate in governance, and can hold their government accountable,” the Director of The Katutu Civil Rights Center argued, adding that governments lacking accountability cannot genuinely be described as democratic, regardless of whether civilians or the military leads them.
Addressing international affairs, Nabourema also criticized the impact of sanctions imposed following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. She said that while European countries continued to purchase Russian energy supplies, some African countries—particularly those using the CFA franc—were unable to procure Russian agricultural products due to financial restrictions imposed by French monetary authorities.
“Because francophone countries had their money in the Central Bank of France, the French government blocked them from buying wheat from Russia,” the Pan-Africanist stated.
She described the situation as evidence of unequal treatment within the international system, arguing that African nations often bear disproportionate costs arising from geopolitical conflicts in which they have no direct involvement.
The CFA franc, currently used by fourteen African countries in West and Central Africa, has long remained one of the continent’s most debated monetary arrangements. Supporters argue that it has provided exchange-rate stability and lower inflation over several decades. Critics, however, contend that it limits monetary sovereignty, constrains independent economic policymaking, and perpetuates elements of France’s colonial legacy.
