[ad_1]
French ambassador to South Africa Aurélien Lechevallier
Africa and France have a sophisticated historical past and a darkish historical past in some ways. Ambassador of France to South Africa, Aurélien Lechevallier writes that to actually transfer ahead, there must be an open dialogue of the uncooked, advanced points, which have usually been ignored.
The Africa- France summits date again many years, with a string of Heads of State from France and the African continent assembly for the reason that first version in 1973. This yr’s Africa-France Summit was initially scheduled to happen in June 2020 in Bordeaux, on schedule as the following French version after the summit in Mali in 2017.
However in 2020, the world stopped. After which the world modified.
The devastation introduced on by the Covid-19 pandemic not solely highlighted the intense challenges and obvious inequalities on the earth but in addition pressured us to assume in a different way, and now – to do in a different way.
That’s the reason the brand new Africa-France Summit in Montpellier on 8 October is occurring in a radically new format. This time, we wish to give a voice to folks on the bottom who embody the connection between Africa and France every day. The artists, the researchers, the athletes, the scholars, the enterprise folks, and most significantly, the younger folks.
Goal is to construct an equal partnership
With out Heads of State, the Summit can be dedicated to the folks of Africa and France who’re devoted to renewing our relationship, together with the African diaspora in France. The purpose is to construct an equal partnership with the African continent that may have fun its wealthy variety, faucet into its immense potential and empower its gifted youth.
There isn’t a denying that Africa and France have a sophisticated historical past and a darkish historical past in some ways. We perceive that to actually transfer ahead, we have needed to brazenly talk about the uncooked, advanced points, which have usually been ignored.
READ | SA cannot be insular in its relationships with Francophone nations warns mental
I’m extremely honoured to be attending because the Ambassador of France to South Africa, with 27 South African members, one of many largest delegation. The participation of this various and important group is proof of our broader imaginative and prescient for our partnership with the entire of the African continent. The go to of French President Emmanuel Macron to South Africa this yr additionally confirmed our dedication to this course of.
A course of that began in 2017 when President Macron set out his ambition to resume this relationship by a number of commitments in a speech in Ouagadougou. This summit can be a chance to take inventory of progress on the principle priorities set out in his deal with, together with schooling, mobility, governance and financial growth.
Not a straightforward course of
Friday’s plenary session discussions will happen between President Macron and a bunch of younger African and French skills. Prof. Achille Mbembe, from Wits College, may even current his report on the outcomes of the Africa France Dialogues, a continental dialogue organised for the reason that starting of 2021 throughout Africa. Once more, South Africa was one of many 12 nations that hosted the essential debates on these subjects that helped form this report.
We perceive this has not a straightforward course of, and naturally, there’s nonetheless an extended highway forward. That is clear from Prof. Mbembe’s message, who described the three important aspirations that emerged particularly from the debates: one aspiration for freedom and democracy, one other for mobility, and eventually one other for dignity and recognition.
We wish to honour these aspirations after we announce concrete proposals and initiatives to mark the top of this summit and begin a brand new journey in direction of our renewed relationship.
– Aurélien Lechevallier, Ambassador of France to South Africa.
To obtain Opinions Weekly, join the e-newsletter right here.
*Wish to reply to the columnist? Ship your letter or article to opinions@news24.com together with your identify and city or province. You might be welcome to additionally ship a profile image. We encourage a variety of voices and views in our readers’ submissions and reserve the appropriate to not publish any and all submissions obtained.
Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of various views. The views of columnists revealed on News24 are subsequently their very own and don’t essentially signify the views of News24.
[ad_2]
Source link
