THE 1944 BRAZZAVILLE FRENCH AFRICAN CONFERENCE:

This was a meeting of senior French colonial officials. Governors General and military officers of French Equatorial Africa (French Congo); Madagascar (Malagasy) and French West African colonies. It was held between January and February 1944 in Brazzaville the Capital of French Equatorial Africa. The conference was organised by General Charles de Gaulle the French leader and presided over (chaired) by Mr. Pleven the commissioner of colonies. Africans hadno delegates to represent them at the conference, but one black man, Felix Eboue from French Guyana attended.

The Brazzaville conference was aimed at the fallowing:

a. Thank African French colonies for supporting France against German occupation during- World War II

b. Lay strategies of diverting Africans under French rule from the idea of self-rule. The Second World War had created political consciousness or wind of change prompting-Africans to demand for independence

c. France was threatened  by American anti-colonial activities in the Maghreb region (North Africa) especially in Morocco, hence the need to deal with American anti-colonial policy d. Lay strategies of orienting Africans into managing their own affairs

e. It was to safeguard French interests in Africa and preserve French colonies from outside influence

f. To plan for economic development of French colonies

g. De Gaulle also targeted asking Africans for more war contribution^ since World War II was not yet over, (This was only by promising Africans political changes),

NOTE:

The conference was not aimed at preparing Africans for decolonisation hence its positive impact on Africa was by accident. The final resolution at Brazzaville clearly stated that, "The works of France in her African colonies have no consideration of autonomy (independence) and self-government in near future..."

Impact of the Brazzaville Conference on the decolonisation of Africa

Reference Questions

a) How did the calling of the Brazzaville Conference in 1944 influence the collapse of French rule in Africa?

b) Assess the impact of the 1944 Brazzaville Conference on the delonisation of Africa c) Of what impact was Brazzaville Conference on African nationalism?

1.  The Brazzaville Conference increased African  representation in the French Parliament (National Assembly)  in  Paris. Delegates  at  the  conference  resolved that  all  colonial peoples deserved to represent themselves in the Paris Assembly hence from 1945, French African territories were each required to send two representatives to the French National Assembly.  The resolution  of Africans  representing  themselves  in the French Assembly was later included in the constitution of the French Fourth Republic. African opportunity to represent  themselves  in  the  French Parliament  gave  them  a  platform  for political agitations geared towards self-determination.

2.  The conference led to the enfranchising of Africans in French colonial territories. The French colonial administrators agreed to grant Africans the right to vote for their representatives to the French Assembly and local parliaments with less colonial influence. As a result, one million Africans in the French colonies got empowered to participate in the election of representatives of their choice like Felix Houphouet Boigny of Ivory Coast and Leopold Sedar Senghol of Senegal. The rewarding of Africans with voting rights prompted them to demand for more political rights including their sovereign right to self- determination.

3. The  conference  provided  for  the  establishment  of  native  assemblies  (territorial parliaments) in the French African colonies. These native or local parliaments empowered Africans to play local politics through electing local representatives to discuss solutions to problems  created  by the  French colonial system.  In the  same  way,  French colonies witnessed political growth as many political organisations were created to compete for political participation and representation in the French Assembly and local parliaments.

4.  Consequently, Africans were given civil rights like freedom of association which enabled them  to form mass  political associations that  actively involved  in the  decolonisation process. These modern political associations were formed either at regional or country level.  They included the  "Independents  d'outre  Mer"  IOM)  and  the  Ressemblement Democratique African (RDA). TheRDA was formed in 1946 with representative branches in Equatorial and  French West Africa and  was  very instrumental in  influencing political concessions (changes). Other parties included Bloc Democratique SenegalaisXBDS) formed in 1948, Union Soudanais (US), Parti Democratique de la Guinea (PDG) founded in 1947.

5.  The Brazzaville conference elevated (promoted) the status of Africans in French territories which  inspired African  nationalism. The French authorities  agreed  to  accord  (grant) Africans in French colonies equal status as Frenchmen and also recognise them as equals to French citizens. The abolition of French harsh colonial policies and the granting of Africans voting rights and representation in the French parliament, as well as spreading French civilisation in Africa, were all steps  towards granting Africans equal status  as Frenchmen. The intention of granting. Africans equal status  as Frenchmen was aimed at diverting their attention from demanding self-rule but instead, it exposed the weaknesses of French rule, causing African resistance. Out of 16 million Africans in French West Africa, only 1 million could vote and of the 622 seat in French Parliament, Africans were given only 13 seats.

6.  The Brazzaville conference denounced (called to an end) French atrocities (bad colonial policies) which the French government claimed had tarnished the image of France. The conference cautioned the colonial authorities in, French, Equatorial and West Africa to reverse the harsh policies in order to win back African trust. Consequently, the policies of forced labour and arbitrary (arrest) without trial which characterised French colonialism in Africa were officially abolished. The Africans had suffered because  of these bad policies and therefore, when they were abolished, it became a major step towards restoring African freedoms and later influencing Africans to agitate for independence.

7.  The conference passed  a financial resolution to promote investment and socio-economic development of French West African colonies. Consequently, in 1946, the French government formed the "Fund for Investment and socio-economic Development of Overseas Territories" (FIDES) to spearhead  investment projects in her colonies. Between

1946 and 1957, France had invested about 425 million pounds in West Africa in transport (roads), education and health. Such developments facilitated the road to independence in French colonies of Guinea, Senegal, and Ivory Coast among others.

8.  The Brazzaville conference recommended the extension of French civilisation to French Africa through western education and French language.The French government instructed the colonial office to establish educational institutions: in French colonies through which free education would be extended to Africans. The French civilisation programme facilitated the rise of African  elites who later engaged  in  political activities aimed at achieving self-government.

9.  The French delegates at the conference resolved to change  the status  of the French territories in Africa  from provinces to colonies. The conference  abolished the use  of "overseas territories" in regard to French colonies. The status  of African  colonies as overseas territories or provinces had destroyed all African hopes of regaining their lost freedoms through constitutional means, referring to French territories as colonies restored a ray of hope of Africans finally becoming free independent from French domination..

10. De Gaulle's speech in Brazzaville was of political influence to French Africa he said, It is France's duty to raise the Africans to a level where they will be capable of participating in their ram country." He therefore commended Governors General in French colonies to recruit Africans in the different administrative departments  as well as the civil service. Many Africans got appointed to administrative offices as clerks and administrators, while others  served  in  the  civil  service. This  colonial arrangement  exposed  Africans  to leadership and service which became a steppingstone to agitate for bigger political roles in their respective states, thus shaking the pillars of French rule.

11. It laid the foundation for the for the De Gaulle referendum of 1958, which increased hope for independence in French West Africa. Aware of the political agitations across Africa, General de Gaule decided to determine the fate of French rule in Africa. He began by influencing the formation of the Federation of French colonies of West Equatorial Africa. In

1958, de Gaulle organised a plebiscite (referendum) in which French colonies of West Africa would decide to be lecolonised and lose French support, or remain under the French Federation and continue receiving French moral, financial and technical support. Sekou Toure led the Guineans to vote in favour of independence and on October 2, 1958, Guinea's was independence declared. Guinea's brevity inspired the independence of other French colonies of West Africa.

12. The unfulfilled promises  made at the conference inspired  radical  activities  of Africans towards demanding for independence. The French colonial unrests continued even after the resolutions at Brazzaville. French colonial authorities continued harassing and persecuting African politicians through arrests and shooting masses attending political rallies. Forced labour was only abolished on paper but mistreatment of African labour continued especially in the army and on plantations.Africans were hence convinced that French rule was dictatorial which increased their determination to demand for political freedoms.