Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Modern West Africa
The Road to Independence
Although nationalism and calls for independence grew in West Africa throughout the first
half of the 20th century, it was not until after WWII that the winds of real change began to
sweep the region.
In 1956, Morocco became the first country in West Africa to gain independence, fol-
lowed a year later by Ghana, which did so with the reluctant blessing of Britain. In Septem-
ber 1958, the French government of Charles de Gaulle held a referendum in its African
colonies in which Africans were asked to choose between immediate independence and re-
maining under French control. All chose the latter, except Guinea, which was to pay dearly
for its independence. Affronted by Guinea's perceived lack of gratitude, the French, whose
bureaucrats effectively ran Guinea and who had trained very few locals to a level capable
of running the country, took revenge by removing its administrative staff and all financial
assistance from Guinea, leaving its former colony to fend for itself. In 1960 Benin, Côte
d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal and several other countries won their independence. Most
other countries in the region became independent in the following few years. Only recidiv-
ist Portugal held firm, not granting independence to Guinea-Bissau until 1973 and only
then with great reluctance.
France encouraged its former colonies to remain closely tied in a trade-based 'commu-
nity', and most did; Guinea was a notable exception, while Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire were
the darlings of Franco-West African relations. In contrast, Britain reduced its power and in-
fluence in the region. The French maintained battalions of its own army in several former
colonies, while the British preferred more discreet military assistance.
After the Berlin Conference, Britain's Lord Salisbury said: 'We have been giving away mountains and
rivers and lakes to each other, only hindered by the small impediment that we never knew exactly where
the mountains and rivers and lakes were.'
Independent West Africa
The period immediately following independence was a time of unbridled optimism in West
Africa. For the first time in centuries, political power was in the hands of Africans them-
selves. Inspirational figures such as Kwame Nkrumah in Ghana and Léopold Senghor in
Senegal spoke of a new African dawn, while Guinea's Sekou Touré was lauded for having
thumbed his nose at the French.
