The president of the African Patriots of Senegal party for work, ethics and fraternity (PASTEF-Les patriotes), Ousmane Sonko, estimated, Thursday, that it was necessary to ‘reassess the relations between France and Senegal, and between France and Africa generally.

”We need relations based on justice, a sincerely authentic, frank dialogue based on mutual respect between France and Senegal, and between France and Africa as a whole,” he declared in an amphitheater at Cheikh-Anta-Diop University in Dakar filled like an egg.

Ousmane Sonko was speaking as part of a conference he co-hosted with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the French left-wing party, La France Insoumise (LFI) on the theme: ”Exchanges on the future of African relations -Europe”.

The leader of the ‘Insoumis’ and his delegation arrived in Senegal on Thursday for a four-day stay at the invitation of PASTEF (power).

For Ousmane Sonko, relations between Europe and Africa, between France and Africa and particularly between France and Senegal
have not always been focused on mutual respect.

‘Until now, they have been leonine relations for the benefit of Europe and France, based on historical patterns of dispossession,’ he said.

For Ousmane Sonko, the European and French authorities, or at least a certain current French political elite “has often acted towards the former African colonies according to a + Focardian + vision of the continent, helped in this by local relays maintained by the corruption”.

The Senegalese Prime Minister, who spoke with students at the University of Dakar, as president of his political party, underlined the biased analysis of a certain Western ruling elite, when it considers what she describes ”anti-Western sentiment” as ”manipulations by competing powers”, and expressed regret at such ”blindness” in their analysis.

”We must stop the infantilizing shortcuts which make us believe that the so-called anti-European or anti-French feeling is not the effects of causes created by France and the West,” he retorted.

He
thus advocated ‘transparency’ as one of the bases of a new cooperation that he calls for.

”Transparency must be at the heart of our relations for the benefit of our people. Together we can build a common future where justice and common sense must be essential,” said Ousmane Sonko.

It is, according to him, in this perspective that the issues of emigration, security, among others, “can be well analyzed and resolved”, he suggested.

”And intellectuals and artists must play an important role in these issues,” he added.

Source: Burkina Information Agency