France 'collects' Colonial Tax: From 14 African Countries Annualy Receives $ 500 Billion

Fourteen African countries, the former French colonies, although they have long gained independence, are still paying tribute to his colonizer – France!

When Sekou Toure in 1958 decided to liberate Guinea from colonial bondage and take the road to independence, the elite in Paris was so furious that it decided to destroy all that her administration has created in that country. Three thousand Frenchmen shortly after that fled Guinea bringing with them all the assets that they could carry, and destroying everything that they could not take with them: schools, kindergartens, public buildings, cars, tractors … Some have even leaving poisoned horses and cows on their farms and food in warehouses destroyed. The meaning of this furious act was to send a message to other French colonies that the price of their emancipation will be very high.

Free, but poor

The fear has then slipped among the African political elite, writes Mawun Remarque Koutinin, publisher and Peace Activists, in an article published in the online magazine Silicon Africa. After the events in Guinea, no one had the guts to follow the example of Sekou Toure, whose famous motto was: “We would rather enjoy freedom in poverty than riches in slavery.”

Sylvanus Olympio, the first president of the Republic of Togo, a small country in West Africa, found a compromise solution with the French. He did not want his country to continue to be under French rule, and refused to enter into a pact continuation of colonization what it proposed by then French president Charles De Gaulle.

However, he agreed to pay an annual tax France for all material goods that was created in his country. That was the only condition that the French do not, as they did in Guinea, on leaving destroyed them. However, the amount of colonial taxes that Togo had to pay the French was tremendous and in 1963 amounted to almost 40 percent of then state budget.

Since Togo was in a difficult financial situation, Olympio, to pull the country out of this situation, decided to abolish then colonial money FCFA (Franc of the French African colonies or shorter – colonial franc) and introduced its own currency.

The killings and coups

On January 13, 1963, three days after the Togo began to print their own money, the group of France favoring soldiers killed President Olympia. They were led by a former member of the French Foreign Legion, Sergeant Etienne Gnassingbé who for this bloody work was by Frenchman allegedly awarded with 612 US dollars. Olympiovs dream was to build an independent, sovereign and independent country, but the French did not like that idea.

On 30 June 1962, Modibo Keita, the first president of the Republic of Mali, decided like Olympia in Togo, to pull colonial franc, the currency that French imposed on twelve of its African colonies. For Keita, who aspired to a socialist economy, it was clear that the continuation of the pact with France was the burden of further development of the country. But Keita will, like Olympia, become a victim. He was not, however, killed, but the on 19 November 1968 was overthrown in a coup led by another former legionnaire, Lieutenant Moussa Traoré.

During this dramatic period of struggle for the liberation of African countries from colonial bondage, France with full confidence could rely on the former members of the Foreign Legion who performed most of the coups against the legally elected presidents