Niger plans to rewrite the narrative of its own colonial history

Niger, which has gone from being a French colony to openly rejecting any French influence, is now attempting to change the narrative of its colonial relations with France.

While Niger understands that its colonial history cannot be erased, it also recognizes that the way the story is told can alter the perception of the future generations ahead.

As a result, the General Rapporteur of the committee responsible for writing the General History of Niger Mamadou Djibo revealed to Sputnik that the present time would constitute history at some point in the future, which is why what is done now is important to the future generations.

“The colonial system in the history of Niger is only one of the periods. […] We are at the heart of the history of continental Africa. So why not update it? To prevent our children from continuing to ignore their history,” Djibo explained.

Discussing the tenets of the project to revise historical texts concerning Niger, the General Rapporteur stated; “A slave’s view of his situation as a slave cannot be identical to that of his master.”

According to Britannica, The French conquest of Niger began in 1899, facing fierce resistance from the native populace.

During the colonization campaign headed by French commanders Paul Voulet and Charles-Paul-Louis Chanoine, also known as Julien Chanoine, this resistance was especially noticeable.

The French did not succeed in establishing a permanent civilian government until 1922, after a string of major events, including the severe drought and famine of 1913–1915 and the Tuareg revolt of 1916–1917.

The Tuareg’s strength and influence had considerably decreased at this point.

The African state would not be independent until the 3rd of August, 1960.