French Colonial History: From Vietnam to Mali

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French Colonial History From Vietnam to Mali

• Moulaye Ely DIARRA
• Stanford University
• Chief of the Technology and Data Production
  Department
  
• Observatoire Marche Agricole ( Market Information
  System )
  
• Mali ( West Africa)  
•   Professor Bruce Lusignane Stanford University

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Introduction

• This document about the French Colonial History
  form Vietnam to Mali, is not from historians. Its
  purpose is to share events that we have heard,
  learned and read from oral testimonies, classroom
  and documents.

• Oral testimony a valid source in Malian culture
  in Africa, from old to young people or by special
  ethnic ( griot ), was a system to teach, to
  inform and also to record event.

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West Africa Background
1- Cities and Communities

• Before the colonization, there were empires,
  kingdoms, dynasties, cities and communities.

• People were doing activities such as Moving,
  War, Trade and Religious to convert.

• In Africa religions step the colonization.

• Muslin religion, supposed to be the first,
  started from north to west by Arabic and Black
  explorers through Religious conquests and
  expansion of Islamic faith ( Jihad ).

• After European explorers ( British mainly ) came
  by trying to stamp out the slave trade, to spread
  the word of Christ and to search Scientific
  geographical knowledge.

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Education
The hunger for knowledge was great all over the
continent

• In Timbuktu there was a flourishing university in
  the 16th century.

• The oldest institute of higher learning on the
  continent of Africa was al Azhar University (
  Egypt ) and dedicated to a broad range of Muslim
  studies

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Indochina ( Vietnam ) Background
Cities and Communities

• The Vietnamese first appeared in history as one
  of many scattered peoples just before the
  beginning of the Christian era. The area was
  taking over or controlled successively by Chinese
  or Vietnamese dynasties.

• Vietnam was primarily an agricultural state with
  the cultivation of wet rice. Commerce and
  manufacturing thrived, and local crafts appeared
  in regional markets throughout the area.

Education

• The educational system reflected the Chinese
  model. Young Vietnamese grew up conversant with
  the great figures and ideas that had shaped
  history.

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The Colonization

• The colonization started in Africa at the end of
  the British abolition of the slave trade in 1807

• Commercial greed, territorial ambition, and
  political rivalry all fuelled the European race
  to take over Africa

• The territorial occupation of Africas land by
  European powers provoked an enormous amount of
  resistance from different quarters - both rulers
  and people - all over the continent.

• Some African rulers tried to retain or even
  increase power by to fight their enemies with
  European support

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Territorial Occupation Procedure- Period and
People Resistance

• The European powers divided Africa up amongst
  themselves without the consent of people living
  there.This Africa's partition took place at the
  Berlin Conference 1884-5.

• Until the 19th century the French had played a
  smaller role in Africa than the British, but
  their defeat in the Napoleonic War made them look
  to Africa for compensation.

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People and Country Resistance
Vietnam In 1858 to punish the Vietnamese and
force the court to accept a French protectorate,
French attack at Da Nang Harbor and failed. A
second farther south was more successful, and in
1862 the court at Hue agreed to cede several
provinces in the Mekong delta (later called
Cochin China) to France. In the 1880s the French
returned to the offensive, launching an attack on
the north. After severe defeats, the Vietnamese
accepted a French protectorate over the remaining
territory of Vietnam

• AlgeriaIn 1830 the French occupied Algiers they
  came up against the Berber jihad launched by the
  Qadiriyya brotherhood under the leadership of Abd
  al-Kadir who was defeated in 1847and sent into
  exile. But Berber and Arab fighters continued to
  resist the French until well into the 20th
  century

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• Tunisia Status of French Protectorate in 1881
  after an outbreak of violence,

• Morocco French domination in 1909 through
  negotiations

• Senegal Resistance from Tukuler and coast
  native. In 1854 Louis Faidherbe began the French
  conquest of the Senegal valley

• Benin ( Dahomey ) In 1863 Porto Novo (capital
  Benin) was declared a French protectorate, final
  occupation in 1904

• Ivory Coast Resistance from Agnis and Baoules
  tribes. In 1868 a series of French protectorate
  treaties, final occupation in 1915

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• The Tukuloor Empire Part of Mali-Guinea-BurkinaL
  ocated in what is now part of modern Mali and
  Burkina Faso, was founded in the 1860s by the
  hugely effective and militarily successful Al Haj
  Umar. His son Ahmadu came under growing pressure
  from the French in 1880s. Ahmadu decided to
  launch a Holy War against the French, calling on
  Muslims throughout the region the response was
  weak and he was defeated in 1890

• The Mandinka Empire ( or Empire du Mali ) A far
  more successful and formidable enemy of the
  French was Samori Toure with his Mandinka Empire,
  defended by an army 30,000 strong. He kept this
  force very mobile, constantly surprising the
  French and had a tremendous sense of military
  tactics. After his death, his son was defeated by
  the French in 1901.

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• Beledougou Part of Mali ( Komi Diossé story from
  oral and Malian written ) Located in the central
  part of Mali, this area occupied by Bambara
  tribe made resistance to French penetration and
  was defeated by French troops

• Togo First German colony, occupied by French
  troop in 1916 during World War I and finally
  mandate by the League of Nations which divided it
  between France ( East) and Britain ( West).

• Cameroun Mandated like Togo by the League of
  Nations which divided it between France ( East )
  and Britain (West).

• Congo Bazza Treaties with sub-chiefs of the
  Bantou Empire or the Kingdom of the Congo in
  1880s (Count Pierre De Brazza).

• GabonTreaties of protection with various chiefs
  of the Bantou people between 1839 and 1841 (Count
  Pierre De Brazza )

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• Ubangi-Shari ( Republic of Central Africa )
  Occupied in 1889 when an outpost was establish at
  Bangui (Count Pierre De Brazza)

• Madagascar Establishment of a French
  Protectorate at the Berlin Conference in 1885.
  Resistance from non-coastal people ( interior) up
  to 1947

• Somaliland Treaties with local chieftains in
  1862

• Mauritius Dutch settled island in 1598, arrival
  of French in 1715 when Dutch withdrew

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Others types of resistance
Malaria
Before the discovery of quinine, one of the main
obstacles to European penetration of large parts
of Africa was malaria.
Associations
- Aborigines' Rights Protection Society was
formed in the Gold Coast ( Ghana ) in 1897 as an
association critical of colonial rule,
- In 1908, the People's Union was founded in
Nigeria, - The Young Senegalese Club was founded
in 1910,
Journalists Writers, Radio
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Colonial Rule

• Once Europeans could protect themselves from
  malaria with quinine, which they began to use in
  the 1850's, they became increasingly less reliant
  on Africans helping them achieve their objectives

• French colonial rule was more centralized,
  British colonial rule was less.

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Financial Rule
One of the central pillars of colonization was
tax. The European powers did not want Africa to
be a drain on their treasuries
The competence of a French colonial official
might often be measured by how much tax ( Impôt
in French) he was able to collect
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Administrative Rule

• People in Africa were burdened by colonial
  perceptions of who they were

• The French, by comparison, were prepared to treat
  Africans as equals, but only if they learnt to
  speak French properly and adopted the values of
  French culture

• For local affairs, a variety of local councils
  were permitted.

• There were distinctive administrative areas
  French North Africa ( Afrique Nord Francaise),
  French West Africa (A.O.F. Afrique Occidentale
  Francaise) with administration from Dakar
  Senegal, French Equatorial Africa (A.E.F.
  Afrique Equatoriale Francaise), and French East
  Africa.

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Army- War Contribution
o      Troops

• Without the cooperation of local leaders and
  chiefs, European powers would not have been able
  to raise the troops and carriers they needed, and
  some chiefs were very willing to help.

• In 1912, the French set about creating a
  permanent black army. There was compulsory
  military service for all African males.

• African troops under French command were
  combatant. The Tirailleurs Sénégalais' in charge
  of artillery, with their distinctive red fezes,
  were famous.

• First World War, over two million people in
  Africa made huge sacrifices for the European
  Allies, 100,000 men died in East Africa and
  65,000 men from French North Africa and French
  West Africa lost their lives

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o      Job
As large numbers of Europeans went off to fight,
more Africans moved into key positions. This was
particularly true in French West Africa where
jobs previously held only by Europeans, were now
held by Africans.
o      Food Production
Production of more food ( like rice ) to support
the war during the Second World War,
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Investment Rule
For economic purpose (to transport minerals from
mines to ports), territorial expansion (linking
one part of a region to another), and better
fight opponents to colonialism (transporting
troops, supplied and controlling the areas where
they had colonies), investment projects and works
were set up.
Education
Of all the things that Europeans had to offer,
education had been the most prized in Africa.
European style of education was introduced. Most
of the first groups of educated people did not
achieved widespread enrollment due a shortage of
trained teachers willing to live in Africa.
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Political Support

• German occupied France in 1940. There was a Free
  French government in exile led by Charles De
  Gaulle. African colonies had to choose with whom
  to side. In Chad the black governor, Felix Eboue,
  made a bold and swift decision to support the
  Free French. The Governors of other French
  Equatorial territories fell in behind him. The
  capital of the French Congo, Brazzaville, became
  a temporary capital for Free France.

• By contrast governors in French North Africa and
  French West Africa declared their loyalty to
  Marshall Petain's puppet regime in France (the
  Vichy Government) which cooperated with the
  German occupation. When in 1942 the allies
  regained control of North Africa, the West
  African colonies abandoned their Vichy loyalties
  and declared for Free France.

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The Independence

• The people of Africa made a crucial military
  contribution during World War I. When the war
  ended, people felt that having fought for freedom
  in Europe, they were entitled to it for
  themselves

• For Europeans, it was a time of consolidation,
  during which they tried to build up a more
  effective colonial administration

• The period between the World Wars saw a huge
  increase in political activity in Africa, much of
  it led by the younger generation. It was a time
  of intense political and intellectual change for
  people in Africa.

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The Nationalism Activity

• In 1919, African nationalists saw the Versailles
  peace Conference as an opportunity for their
  grievances to be heard even though this peace
  Conference was convened to provide for a lasting
  peace in Europe and punish Germany
• they held the First Pan African Congress, in 1921
  the second, in 1923 the third, in 1924 the Ligue
  Universelle pour la Defense de la Race Noire and
  the Comite de la Defense de la Race Negre, in
  1927 the fourth Pan African Congress in 1945 the
  fifth Pan African Congress.

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The Nationalism Influence and support
The country which made the biggest impact (
Political ) on African nationalists was India
which was led to independence by Mahatma Gandhi
in 1947. His confident doctrine was non-violence.
Oral testimonies of soldiers ( some are relatives
who participated in World War II or Vietnam )
pointed out that Vietnam and Algeria independence
wars made big changed in their mind
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The Independence accession

• After World War II, Vietnam and Algeria
  independence wars and economy reasons, the French
  were in no position to oppose nationalist demands
  of their colonies.

• By 1956, all French colonies in West Africa had
  internal self-government and majority rule. But
  this related only to domestic policy as France
  retained controlled over military and foreign
  affairs as well as economic planning ( The
  Overseas Reform Act- La Loi Cadre Reforme
  dOutremers)

• The passage towards independence of Vietnam,
  Guinea, Algeria and Madagascar was traumatic in
  different ways

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•  
• Case Vietnam
• In 1930 the revolutionary Ho Chi Minh formed an
  Indochinese Communist party and war broke out in
  December 1946. The conflict lasted for nearly
  eight years. In 1953-1954 the French fortified a
  base at Dien Bien Phu, after months of siege and
  heavy casualties, the Vietminh overran the
  fortress in a decisive battle. As a consequence,
  the French government in June 1954 agreed to
  negotiations to end the war

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•  
• Case Guinea
• In 1958, President de Gaulle offered, by the
  creation of the French Community, a choice to
  Africans in West Africa "Oui" or yes to a
  partnership with the French which was essentially
  paternalistic, or "Non" which meant total
  independence and the breaking of all links with
  France, and all support.
•  Guinea alone under Sekou Toure voted for a total
  break with France. Guinea and Sekou Toure paid
  the price for saying no, he brought the country
  to independence in 1959

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•  
• Case Algeria
• Algeria was the only French colony in Africa
  occupied by a white settler population. Known as
  the Pieds Noires (nearly a million ). The
  Algerians were determined to be independent, the
  result was violence. Troops were brought in from
  other parts of Africa to fight on the side of the
  French. In 1960, after six years of conflict, the
  French Government finally gave in and started to
  negotiate. In 1962, Ahmed Ben Bella, leader of
  one of the main factions fighting the French, led
  the country to independence.

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         Case Madagascar Madagascar's path to
independence was violent. It underwent a major
insurrection in 1947 which slid into a guerilla
war in the course of which over 90,000 people
were killed by the French.
 Other French colonies Togo, Senegal, Mali, Benin
, Haute Volta (later Burkina Faso), Cote
d'Ivoire, Chad, Central African Republic, Gabon
and Mauritania - accepted the French umbrella (
French Community), and arrived at independence
relatively smoothly.  In 1960 independence came t
o most of the French colonies.
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French relationship with ex-colonies

• France encouraged an increasing closeness with
  her colonies on the eve of independence and
  thereafter

• Creation of the French Community

• Creation of the Franc Zone and the CFA currency
  to monetary and economically support ex-colonies
  pro-French

• The CFA is warranty ( in somehow) by France.

• In 1994 there has been devaluation of CFA

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French relationship with ex-colonies Cont..

• There is parity between French currency and CFA,
  which is actually 1 Euro for 100 CFA. There are 2
  zones Central Africa and West Africa

• Annual budget support Regional Applied Budget
  Conference for Francophone Africa

Periodical meetings with ex-colonies Heads of
States for relationship improvement.