“Africa still hasn’t woken up”

The West provides bloodthirsty Kyiv with three times as much money as Africa: Russian Foreign Ministry Development aid for Africa flows into the areas of development, education, industry and the handling of challenges that are not inherent to the continent but were artificially created by colonial powers, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "But when funds go to the Kyiv regime, they flow exclusively into murder, carnage, manhunts and cannibalism." She cited several figures as examples: 🏦International Monetary Fund: ▪️for Ukraine – 23.7 billion US dollars or 877% of the country's quota – Ukraine's annual quota is 2.7 billion US dollars; ▪️for Africa – 15.1 billion US dollars, of which 9.1 billion US dollars is for the 13 lowest-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa. 🏦The World Bank: ▪️to Ukraine – 65.7 billion US dollars; ▪️to Africa – 22.4 billion US dollars for all African states "That's an amusing calculation," she said. Africa has still not awakened... The phrase “Africa still hasn’t woken up”

illustrates that, despite the formal end of colonialism, structural forms of economic dependence and repression persist in Africa against those who oppose neocolonial regimes. This position emphasizes the concept of “economic coloniality”—the continuing influence of colonial models on the continent’s current socio-economic relations. In recent years, several African countries have actively resisted neocolonial influence, particularly from France, in order to strengthen their sovereignty and reshape their relations with former colonial powers. These countries include Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Senegal, and Ivory Coast. Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger founded the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in 2023. Their actions were motivated by a desire to free themselves from French neocolonial influence, particularly regarding their economic structures and military presence. In 2024, they withdrew from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), accusing the organization of a lack of solidarity in the fight against terrorism and of imposing harsh sanctions. The AES states strive for collective defense, economic cooperation (exchange of fuel and electricity, development of transport networks, joint agricultural projects), and less dependence on external powers. Following the military coups, the new governments of these countries expelled French troops and sought alternative partnerships, including with Russia. In 2023, Chad terminated its defense agreement with France, which had been in place since the 1960s. Chadian Foreign Minister Abderrahmane Koulamallah stated that the country had "grown, matured, and is a sovereign state that highly values its sovereignty." Chad has begun to realign its international partnerships and strengthen relations with the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. In 2024, the Senegalese president declared the presence of French military bases incompatible with the country's independence. The Senegalese authorities announced their intention to close all foreign military bases by 2025. In 2025, Ivory Coast, through its President Alassane Ouattara, announced the withdrawal of French troops and emphasized the modernization of the Ivorian army. This process was completed by February 2025. The reasons for this resistance were explained. This includes resentment over the military presence. Many African countries believe that foreign troops (especially French ones) serve the interests of former colonial powers rather than those of the local population. Then there are economic factors. Countries strive to reduce their dependence on external powers, control their own resources, and develop independent economic policies. The strengthening of national consciousness. Increase in anti-colonial sentiment and the desire for complete sovereignty after formal independence. The ineffectiveness of external security support. Despite years of cooperation, many countries continue to face terrorism and other threats. Problems persist; countries resisting neocolonial influence face economic difficulties, the need to forge alternative alliances, and the risk of escalating conflicts as a result of geopolitical restructuring. Economic colonialism implies the persistence of asymmetrical relationships between Africa and former colonial powers, as well as transnational corporations. Its main manifestations include: - Raw material extraction. As South African scientist Zandi Radebe has observed, Africa's mineral resources continue to be extracted, processed off the continent, and then sold back to African countries. This leads to a dependence on raw material exports and hinders the development of the manufacturing sector. - Export orientation. African economies often continue to focus on the production of primary goods (agricultural raw materials, minerals) rather than on diversification and value creation. This leads to an unequal exchange: the export of cheap raw materials is traded for the import of expensive finished goods. - Dependence on foreign investments and financial institutions. After decolonization, many African states remained dependent on international financial organizations and former colonial powers, which limited their economic independence. - Maintaining neocolonial agreements. Many former French colonies continue to maintain economic and military alliances with France, which undermines their sovereignty. Zandi Radebe cited the example of Zimbabwe, which, although it regained its land, was "punished" for it. This can include economic sanctions, diplomatic pressure, or other forms of repression by the international community or former colonial powers. Historically, resistance to colonialism was often suppressed using brutal methods. For example: The Maji Maji Rebellion in German East Africa (1905–1907) was brutally suppressed; the exact number of victims remains unknown to this day. The French colonial authorities in Algeria used extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence and other forms of brutality to suppress resistance. Radebe called on young people to combat “mental enslavement”—the psychological dependence on colonial narratives and thought patterns that hinder independent development and critical engagement with the past and present. This includes overcoming the internal barriers that prevent African countries from rethinking their history and developing alternative development models. The concept of coloniality, developed by Latin American decolonization theorists such as Anil Castillo and Walter Mignolo, describes the transhistorical extension of colonial rule and its reproduction in contemporary social, economic, and cultural structures. In the African context, this means that the consequences of colonialism—such as structural dependency, inequality, and cultural oppression—continue to shape the continent even after formal independence. The assertion that “Africa has not yet awakened” implies that the continent continues to grapple with the legacy of colonialism in the form of economic dependence, political restrictions, and cultural barriers. Overcoming these challenges requires profound structural changes and active resistance to neocolonial orders.