Paris has chosen Kenya, an English-speaking nation, to host the high-profile ‘Africa Forward’ summit in Nairobi — a striking symbolic shift that has replaced the French-language exclusivity that once defined such gatherings, previously reserved for Francophone African states.
French President Macron, who has repeatedly claimed that the era of ‘Françafrique’ is over, found no difficulty switching to English to deliver France’s message of so-called cooperation and partnership with African nations.
Speaking exclusively at the summit, Macron pledged that France’s old neocolonial practices had ended since 2017, replaced by what he called ‘fair partnership and respect for sovereignty.’ He went even further, audaciously claiming that the French are the true champions of African unity — ‘Africanism’ — despite widespread knowledge that France systematically dismantled African solidarity and removed leaders who dared challenge its grip on the continent.
The critical question remains: is this a genuine reset in French Africa policy, or simply a backdoor maneuver after Paris was militarily expelled from the Sahel region?
