E. Macron Enthused by Culture Sense of Lagosians
LAGOS:
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| Emmanuel Macron here in Presidential selfie with Nigerian culture enthusiasts |
On his first trip to Nigeria as president, France’s
Emmanuel Macron seemed anti-establishment.
Yes, he
landed to the regular pomp of a presidential welcome and had a meeting with
Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria’s capital. But beyond that, much
of the 40-year old’s visit was removed from government business.
First
was a conspicuous trip to New Afrika Shrine, a concert venue in Lagos owned by
the family of the Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The late musician, a
fierce anti-government critic, railed against successive military regimes
through music and was jailed several times by military leaders, including
current president Buhari who served as head of state between 1983 and 1985.
Indeed the New Afrika Shrine replaced the original venue after it was burned
down in 1977 by the army.
Given
its proudly anti-establishment roots, a visit to the Shrine does not typically
feature in a visiting president’s itinerary. But Macron was quick to dispel any
notions that his visit was unusual given the shrine’s cultural value. “It may
be a surprise that a French president goes to the shrine, but it never
surprises anyone if I go to the Albert Hall or the Met,” he said.
While
there, Macron also announced the launch of African Cultures Season in 2020, an
event to promote African culture aimed at changing cliched perceptions of
Africa.
The
visit was a homecoming of sorts for Macron who spent six months in Nigeria
working as an intern at the French embassy in 2002 and sojourns to the shrine
were part of that experience.
Later
on, at an interactive session with young business leaders in Lagos, Macron did
not shy from poking at the government’s economic policies saying it’s the
“fault” of politicians if local businesses cannot thrive given Nigeria’s huge market.
Macron’s interest in African businesses is well noted: in May, he committed $76
million to backing African startups.
Migration
also featured heavily on Macron’s agenda as he emphasized the need for
governments in Africa to make countries work better and remove the incentive
for young citizens to take “crazy risks” to get into Europe. As of June, over
700 people had died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe this year. As
the European Union explores ways to stop the migration wave—including creating
migrant processing centers in North Africa—Macron insists that, for the best
chance of success, African governments must lead that process.
Since
taking office, Macron has had a mixed relationship with Africa. From making a
problematic and exaggerated claim about “civilization” and childbearing rates
in African states to promising to declassify files on the late Thomas Sankara’s
death, a move that’s proven popular in Francophone Africa. But it is clear that
Macron sees Africa playing an important role in France’s future and vice versa.
Before
Nigeria, Macron had already visited Africa seven times, touching down in nine
countries since becoming president last May. He has consistently appealed to
young Africans to take up entrepreneurship and innovation while charging
African leaders to fix problems at home as risky migration to Europe booms.
And
unlike former French presidents, he has also been bold on the subject of
colonization. While campaigning for the presidency he described colonization as
a “crime against humanity” and has committed to returning African artifacts in
France that were stolen during the colonial era.
Citing
his success during French elections, Macron also urged young people to
participate in politics. That message is timely as Nigeria has just lowered age
limits for major political offices ahead of next year’s general elections.
And
ultimately, there was some very traditional French interests being supported by
the visit despite the culture-led charm offensive by Macron as shown by tweet
by French oil giant Total’s chief executive:
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