Photo: Ivory Business
He supported Françafrique
As the leader of a former colony of France, Houphouët-Boigny was seen as a contrarian for supporting an alliance with the coloniser. With Francafrique, he alluded that the former colonies will benefit in terms of economic growth and political stability if they maintained their alliance with France.
The term came under scrutiny before Houphouët-Boigny attempt at making it a positive phrase. It was a term that alluded to France’s continued colonisation of Africa albeit in covert ways.
