J T-L. Assoko’s book does not meet the selection criteria of the Turgot club, neither in substance nor in form. In a style worthy of Gongora, he engages in a radical critique of the policies pursued by certain African states, mainly French-speaking. But his observations and proposals respond to questions shared by the majority of young Africans. As the title of his book suggests, the author denounces certain ideologies and practices applied (the “leaps into the absurd”) by many African countries, taking as an example Burkina Faso chaired by Thomas Sankara, whose policy was aligned with that of North Korea.
But the interest of the book lies mainly in the analysis of the economic handicaps of the former French colonies (united in the CFA Franc zone), whose economic growth since the 1960s would have been generally lower than that of the former countries of East Africa and South Africa, under English-speaking influence. The author attributes this difference to the rejection by the countries of the “former” Françafrique, which inherited the “sad tropisms” of the French Republic, which he considers both “over-administered and under-governed” and marked by “the spirit of Paris”, preferring ideologies to concrete projects. The comparative analysis of the revolutionary speeches of African leaders and the reports of international institutions is enlightening in this respect.
The strong presence of international investors – especially French – also maintains a new form of pan-Africanism, which combines an anti-Western attrition and a pro-Russian and Chinese attraction. The author also denounces European “environmentalism” (the “green rage”) which imposes unattainable environmental standards on Africa, favors short circuits and thus deprives Africa of outlets to the Old Continent and of financing projects in favor of the exploitation of African resources.
Joel Té-Léssia ASSOKO (Sciences Po Paris and Dauphine) is responsible for the economic pages of Jeune Afrique. Pierre HASKI is president of the Reporters Without Borders movement.
J-J. Pluchart