Refugees with Attitudes

Demonstration against Franc-CFA

14.9.2019 – Speech on the demonstration

Africa, the richest continent in the world, has been in chains for many years. It is being plundered and impoverished. Every day we can see how not only its wealth – but also its dear and brave children are being stolen from it. Europe’s policies are responsible for this.

Today, many complain about immigration, which they consider the invasion of Europe by Africans. Unfortunately, they do not ask about the causes of this so-called “invasion”.
For us, at Africa Europe Together Strong, one of the causes of African immigration to Europe is the <<franc CFA>>. Yes, the CFA franc, this colonial currency introduced by France in 1945 in the colonised countries to control, dominate, enslave and plunder all our wealth.

This currency is the origin of many of the evils from which our continent suffers. The Franc CFA is a cause of our brothers and sisters fleeing Africa. Our brothers and sisters who have no other choice in the face of poverty, lack of proper care, crises and wars.  They gather all their courage to dare the adventure towards a better future – confronted with the inevitable danger of the Mediterranean and the desert.

With the CFA, France is getting richer every day – becoming the owner of the third largest gold reserve in the world. This, without having any gold reserves of its own. If we look at the case of Mali, the French military base has become in parallel a gold mining base from which gold is shipped to France. At the same time, African peoples suffer from hunger, precarious health care and die trying to escape hardship.

How are we to understand that a currency that supposedly belongs to Africans is printed, owned and controlled by France? A France that holds sway in African monetary institutions and devalues the franc at will.  A France that decides to what extent the currency circulates in the countries that use the CFA?
Today, when the consciousness of the African peoples is awakening about the nature of the CFA, France wants to establish a new form of currency called “ECO”. We do not need and will never accept the foreign-dominated currency “ECO”.

Let us remember that all those who tried to lead their countries and Africa to success as patriots and turn their backs on France and the CFA franc were eliminated under the command of France.
Sylvanus Olympio of Togo, Thomas Sankara of Burkina Faso, Muhammar Gaddafi of Libya and numerous others have become victims of the colonial interests of France and Europe.

It is now time for us, the sons and daughters of Africa, with the unwavering support of our partners, the German citizens, to stand up and say no to this currency of servitude that has prevented us from our sovereign development and led us into poverty for decades until today.

We must stand up, fight this currency and its substitute the ECO until they are gone and no longer stand in the way of Africa’s monetary sovereignty.

Therefore, as a group “Africa Europe Together Strong”, in parallel with the NGO Pan-African Emergency, we invite all sons and daughters of Africa, all friends of Africa, all those who aspire to an independent Africa, to join us and demonstrate again here in Berlin, at Pariser Platz against the existence of this evil currency.  The Franc CFA is one of the sources of the problems of our mother Africa.


ALL TOGETHER FOR AFRICA’S MONETARY INDEPENDENCE

see also – Texts: What is the CFA franc