La Françafrique : The Global History of an Idea

A fresh exploration of the post-colonial relationship between France and Africa, challenging long-held assumptions about French influence in the continent’s political life.

The term ‘Françafrique’ describes a system of domination which has secured French interests in its former African colonies. Despite criticism and controversy, this idea remains one of the leading frameworks for understanding the post-colonial relationship between France and the continent. But what if it never quite existed as mythologised?

Joe Gazeley traces the evolution of Françafrique both as a historical narrative and as a conceptual lens through which this narrative has been constructed. Drawing on now declassified material from fourteen archives from across the world, he re-examines archetypal cases from the ‘golden era’ of French post-colonial influence in Africa between 1958 and 1970, situating this relationship in its global context. He provides new insights into the assassination of Cameroonian rebel leader Félix-Roland Moumié; the collapse of the Federation of Mali; the assassination of President Sylvanus Olympio of Togo; the coup d’état which toppled Mali’s President Modibo Keïta; and France’s support for Biafra.

Identifying the flaws, simplifications and distortions inherent to the Françafrique idea, this book challenges the narrative of French predominance in African political life after independence. But is not a rejection of Françafrique in its entirety. Instead, Gazeley offers a reconceptualisation of the idea as an explicit analytical lens.