The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, has referred to colonialism as a ‘grave mistake’ that seriously affected the mentality of African nations which experienced it.
Although Mr Macron admitted that his generation and that of most Africans never witnessed colonialism as it was practiced in times past, he pointed out that most nations in the continent, using Ivory Coast as an example, still have “hegemonic view and the trappings of colonialism”.
“I belong to a generation which was not that of colonization. The African continent is a young continent. Three-fourths of your country never knew colonialism,” the French President noted.
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As a way forward, the French president called on youths of the country to rise and build a new bond with France, a kind that is devoid of the traits of slave-master relationship.
President Macron made this remark at a press conference held in Abidjan, the capital of Ivory Coast, on Saturday, December 21, 2019.