Niger, other West African coups 'rebellion' against France – Agyemang-Duah posits

The recent coups in four former French colonies in Africa, is a "rebellion" against France, the Chief Executive Officer of the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation, Prof Baffour Agyemang-Duah has analysed.

Speaking to Korku Lumor on the Class Morning Show on Class91.3FM on Wednesday, 30 August 2023 about the latest coup in Gabon, following those of Burkina Faso, Guine and Niger, Prof Agyemang-Duah said: "First of all, I am not surprised that there is a coup in Gabon, and the reason[s] I'm not surprised [are] two things: first, it is striking that all these coups are happening in former French colonies: Burkina Faso, Guinea, Niger and now Gabon".

"So, I think we have to ask ourselves: why is this happening in the former French colonies?"

The answers, Prof Agyemang-Duah noted, "are there for us to see because we know that the French leaving their former colonies did not mean cutting off their links".

"I think the French have continuously plundered these countries since independence", Prof Agyemang-Duah asserted.

He said: "We know the famous story of the independence agreement that they reached or the compact that they reached with these colonies, tying them strictly to the French, so, I'm not surprised there is that kind of rebellion".

The second point, he added, "is this notion of democracy", explaining: "I have been somebody, who, for some years now, have been calling for a radical regime of our understanding of democratic practice".

"There is a difference between principles or the ideals of democracy and what we call practised democracy, so, I'm talking about how the practise of democracy, for me, has been a failure in African countries".

Prof Agyemang-Duah complained: "We have simply imposed upon ourselves, the way democracy is practised in the Western World without any regard at all to our history, cultures and traditions".

"... We hurriedly created constitutions without any serious consideration of our culture or tradition; the composition of the state, [and] so many things that we should have taken into account, and quickly imposed on ourselves majoritarian democracy, winner takes all, all kinds of stuff and I think that's the backlash".

"So, while I'm optimistic, relatively that countries like Ghana or the so-called former British colonies may not experience this, I'm still very very cautious about making that statement because, so far as our democracy remains the way it is, without serious revisions to make sure it reflects our realities as Africans, we are going to have those challenges", he feared.