Tout le monde ‹ contre le Franc CFA › ? Formes de protestation contre la Françafrique dans la musique populaire en Afrique subsaharienne

Abstract

France’s persistent influence on its former colonies in sub-Saharan Africa and the Françeafrique that grew out of it have been criticised since African independence. The instruments of this influence include language and cultural policy, the operation of military bases and active intervention in military conflicts, as well as control over the currency union of the Franc de la Communauté Financière d’Afrique (CFA), which comprises a total of 14 African states. Since the African states have to store up to 50 percent of their gold reserves in France for this purpose, many observers speak of a neo-colonial dependency relationship. In this article, the critique of these dependency relationships around the Franc CFA in popular rap and reggae music will be analysed more closely. After an introduction to the historical development of the Franc CFA, the focus is first on various forms of protest against France’s influence in sub-Saharan Africa, before selected songs are examined in the following text analysis