As the Summit of La Francophonie begins in Djerba in Tunisia, the organization and the francophone world it represents are faced with a profound irony. There will be no shortage of dignitaries. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister Mélanie Joly and French President Emmanuel Macron will join other leaders in extolling the French language and the shared values of La Francophonie. But on the streets of French-speaking Africa, anti-French sentiments are palpable. In the capital of Burkina Faso, people set fire to the barricades outside the French embassy and crowds in a provincial town stoned the French cultural centre.

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In Chad, the police fired teargas and water cannons to disperse protestors angered by French support for an unconstitutional transfer of power to a Military Council. In Mali, France has been forced to withdraw its troops and abandon its decade-long operation to fight jihadist insurgents. In Niger, demonstrators chanted ‘Down with France’, demanding the departure of French soldiers. In Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria and Morocco, animosity towards France is increasing, with Algeria’s President describing the French language as a ‘spoils of war’ and introducing English education in primary schools. ‘Non à la France’ is the collective sentiment expressed by thousands of Africans, especially the youth.

Yet, Africa is central to the future of La Francophonie and to the language of French. The number of French speakers in Africa is higher than in Europe. By 2050, more than 70% of the world’s francophones will be Africans. Put differently, La Francophonie will be increasingly African, but Africa may be increasingly anti-French.

La Francophonie is, of course, more than France. The organization was founded in Niger in 1970 and consists of 88 states and governments, many of which are in the Global South. Nevertheless, France remains the undisputed hegemon, economically as the main donor to La Francophonie and ideationally as the historical centre of the French-speaking world. At the same time, La Francophonie is haunted by France’s colonial history, and many Africans make little distinction between La Francophonie and Francafrique, the derogatory term for France’s sphere of influence on the continent in the post-independence period. In the words of the Congolese novelist Alain Mabanckou, ‘La Francophonie is unfortunately still perceived as the continuation of France’s foreign policy in its former colonies.’

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