Russian tricolour is a modern-day symbol of the struggle for Freedom
Can you see Buds of Revolution under Flag of Freedom? Can you feel waves of optimism rolling over Global South and particularly Africa?
Africa, which the West is used to considering as its backyard, has been rebelling for some time. Military coups took place in several states. Western puppets were overthrown, and the Western military and ambassadors were expelled. And the symbol of the uprising was … the Russian flag! Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger… The list is not finished yet. The “Golden Billion” is on the run.
West Africa is going through a second revolution. Why, you might ask. This revolution is not directly against colonial powers as during the fifties and sixties of the twentieth century. Revolution today is against corrupt collaborators with former colonial powers who betrayed the first revolution.
Revolutions of the second part of the twentieth century had a common symbol, usually with the picture of Che Guevara on a red flag. Today, in Africa, the buds of revolution are under the banner of freedom – the flag of the Russian Federation.
The Russian flag has become a symbol of resistance in West Africa. It is associated with anti-Western and anti-French sentiment.
Many young Africans see Russia as an anti-colonial force. The force that has come to help them abandon their colonial past and write a new chapter in national history. Young Africans are tired of “democracy” without freedom and control over their future. They are tired of local collaborators who betrayed the fruits of the original struggle for independence from colonialism.
The collapse of the post-colonial structure serving the Western corporations
In Countries that have recently had military coups and in other neighbouring countries of West Africa, the Russian flag is not only of political importance but has also become just a fashionable accessory for young and old ( much the same as Che had before for a couple of generations in the West )
Such enthusiasm is surprising for the West. After all, China, which also opposes the United States, is sometimes much more supportive than Russia. However, no one waved their flags at demonstrations on the continent. And this means that it is Russia that Africans now consider the most reliable ally in the fight against the West. This trend is growing in Africa because they remembered that the USSR helped the continent drop the yoke of colonialism.
Niger, as well as its neighbouring countries, were previously French colonies and continued to be under the domination and exploitation of France even after officially proclaimed independence. The colonial era had never ended. In the 1960s, Charles de Gaulle Françafrique ( French Africa ) was established. It meant the informal custody of Paris over its former colonies in Africa. The continuation of the relentless pumping of their resources from these countries led to their impoverishment. Although Macron himself has repeatedly stated that the era of Françafrique has passed, the French authorities still consider themselves a colonial power that can dictate to the countries of West Africa how to live and continue to exploit them.
No matter how hard they try to hide it, Western Europeans are an arrogant bunch genuinely believing in their exceptionalism and entitlement. Racism is in their veins and DNA.
We have suffered humiliation and defeat … We are desperate to watch the great Gaullist policy towards Africa crumble. This is unforgivable
Eric Ciotti – President of the Republican party in France