n September 2024, Rwanda hosted the “African Renaissance Retreat,” an event spearheaded by Nigerian business magnate Aliko Dangote to unite African business leaders and policymakers. The retreat aimed to address the continent’s challenges and position Africa as a prime destination for investment. However, today’s discussion shifts focus from this initiative to a broader, more historical concept—the “African Renaissance” envisioned by Cheikh Anta Diop, a Senegalese historian, anthropologist, physicist, and intellectual. Diop articulated his vision of an African Renaissance in a series of essays written between 1946 and 1960, later compiled into the book ‘Towards the African Renaissance.’ He imagined a mentally, economically, politically, and culturally decolonised Africa, united in solidarity among people of African descent. At the time, his ideas faced resistance from political elites, some of whom were aligned with colonial powers like France. For example, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Senegal’s president and Diop’s compatriot, favoured a federal French structure over full independence. Similarly, Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Ivory Coast, a French citizen who served in the French Parliament and held ministerial roles before leading his country to independence in 1960, was seen as a staunch ally of France. Selfless leaders who embraced Diop’s vision—such as Patrice Lumumba, Kwame Nkrumah, and Sylvanus Olympio—met tragic ends, often assassinated through covert operations by Belgium, France, NATO, or the CIA. Yet, today, globalisation and technological advancements like the internet, social media, and instant communication have transformed the landscape, shrinking the world into a “global village.” News now spreads worldwide in seconds, making secretive plots harder to conceal and offering Africa new opportunities. Boundaries and barriers to information sharing have dissolved. Online access transcends geography, connecting people regardless of where they live or their nationality. Platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have dismantled geographical divides, empowering Africans to learn more about their continent and the world. Before globalisation, Western traditional media often spread narratives designed to undermine Africa. Now, social media provides real-time, on-the-ground perspectives that challenge those distortions. In the past, when an African leader posed a threat to Western interests, assassinations were planned and executed in secret. Today, such schemes are often exposed before they can succeed, thanks to the transparency of a connected world. A recent example is the 2023 coup in Niger, where General Abdourahamane Tchiani overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, a leader perceived as a French puppet. France attempted to restore Bazoum through military force and leverage via the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), but Niger’s people—aware of France’s 63-year exploitation of their uranium—rallied behind Tchiani. Using WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter, they voiced their support, joined by Mali and Burkina Faso, both of which had recently severed ties with France. France’s efforts failed, and subsequent assassination attempts on the leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger were thwarted. Today, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger stand as symbols of pride in West Africa. Social media has exposed France’s historical interference, fueling patriotism and bolstering support for military leaders seen as liberators from decades of exploitation. This momentum is reshaping political, financial, military, cultural, and linguistic ties between France and its former colonies, including Benin, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritania, and Senegal. The term “Frexit,” originally coined to describe a hypothetical French exit from the European Union (akin to Brexit), is taking on new meaning in Africa: the withdrawal of French influence from its former colonies. Following Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, Ivory Coast has joined the movement to expel French troops, becoming the sixth African nation to cut military ties with its former colonial power. Chad recently terminated a key defense agreement with France, while Senegal, under President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, not only expelled French forces but also plans to rename streets and build Africa’s second oil refinery. Leaders like Mali’s Assimi Goïta, Niger’s Abdourahamane Tchiani, and Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré are proving to former French colonies that it’s possible to thrive after breaking free. Elsewhere, Rwanda has taken a bold stand against Belgium. After the EU, influenced by Belgium, imposed sanctions on Rwanda over alleged military involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Rwandan government severed diplomatic ties with Belgium, giving its diplomats 48 hours to leave. Rwanda’s defiance, alongside that of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, has captured global attention. Could this mark a turning point, sparking the revival of Diop’s African Renaissance? Might these events redefine Africa’s relationship with the West? Experts believe that globalisation will soon awaken Africans from Algeria to Windhoek, Dakar to Harare, to the realities of Western exploitation. This awareness will compel their leaders to stand firm against neo-colonialism. As Arikana Chihombori-Quao, former African Union Permanent Ambassador to the United States, eloquently stated: “We want an Africa where Africans are left by foreign governments to determine the fate of Africa—an Africa where we receive just compensation for our minerals, where our resources are transformed into value-added products, and where foreigners, especially the meddlesome West, no longer misuse their military, financial, and informational dominance to create problems they then exploit. An Africa of Africans, for Africans, by Africans.”
