Paristroika and Sub-Saharan Africa: Linguistic Familiarity and Policy Challenges

Three decades after independence, the democratic situation in sub-Saharan Africa was far from ideal. Whilst certain countries, such as Benin, Senegal, Cape Verde and Ghana, had made notable attempts at democratic openings, for many others, establishing democratic values and human rights was either very weak or evolving unevenly. A hyper-presidential political regime, absence of a multiparty system, patrimonialization of power and coups d’état have been the main characteristics of many states in sub-Saharan Africa. In this context, France put forward a novel policy of political conditionality towards Francophone Africa. In his La Baule speech of June 1990, François Mitterrand encouraged his African peers to move towards the democratization of their political regime in order to continue to benefit from public developmental aid from France. This speech marked the starting point of democratic conditionality in France's Francophone African policy. By subordinating its official development aid to the respect for and promotion of democratic principles and human rights, France was pursuing specific objectives. Establishing this prerequisite for its financial assistance responded to a double conviction: no development without democracy; and championing the universality of democratic principles and human rights. More than two decades after this declaration, the results of the democratization process remain very mixed. The same dynamics remain present in African politics, sometimes seeming to take precedence over the successes of democratic processes achieved on the African continent. During this period, the realpolitik dimension in France's sub-Saharan African policy has often trumped the democratic ideal. This research sheds light on how language, culture and imperial legacy have affected the political challenges and troubles of sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on its relationship with France in the immediate aftermath of the ending of the Cold War.