One more “at the same time”. Traveling to Nairobi, Kenya, on the occasion of the Franco-African Africa Forward summit, the Head of State defended on Tuesday an assumed vision of the dual cultural and national belonging of French people with immigrant backgrounds.
In an interview with the media Brut Afrique, the President of the Republic spoke directly to African diasporas living in France, believing that their dual identity constituted “a treasure” And “a chance”. “My message to the diaspora is this, no one will take it away from you. And so you are totally French and French and totally Algerian, Moroccan, Nigerian, Beninese, Kenyan, etc. »he declared. Emmanuel Macron insisted on what he considers to be a human, cultural and economic asset for France. “It’s a treasure and it’s an opportunity. For you, it is to go to the end of each of these cultures, of these anchors. It’s an opportunity for the companies or the State that hires you, and it’s a multiplier of opportunities because Africa is a land of extraordinary opportunities”he continued, putting forward the figure of more than 15 million dual nationals.
Less than a year before the presidential election, while the themes of immigration and integration should occupy a central place in the public debate, the Head of State wanted to distance himself from positions that he considers the most radical. Emmanuel Macron returned the speeches of the far right and part of the radical left back to back, denouncing on the one hand those who would require foreigners living in France to be “totally French” in “forgetting the rest”and on the other those who would encourage, “on the extreme left sometimes”A “retreat into communitarianism against the Republic”.
The president thus defended a conception of the Republic which would not force individuals to choose between several identities. According to him, the French model should not “turning identities against each other”. During this exchange, Emmanuel Macron also returned to the relationship between France and several African countries, in a context of persistent tensions in the Sahel. For several years, military juntas in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have gradually severed their ties with Paris, leading to the withdrawal of French forces from the region.
Despite this diplomatic deterioration, the Head of State assured that he had maintained a “constant course” in his African policy since his arrival at the Élysée. He insisted on the human links which remain, according to him, between France and the populations concerned. “It’s a transition, but we are deeply attached to the people concerned, we love them”he said. Emmanuel Macron also showed himself personally affected by the situation in the Sahel region. “Honestly, it breaks my heart when I see all the better we could do for and with the Malians, the Malians or the Burkinabè or the Nigeriens,” he declared, before adding: “I hope that their leaders will reopen and that they will be on a path to the future.”
