Kémi Séba and Africa in the Mirage of Progress

Whether toward a physical place, a social setting, or something deeply personal, like an uncomfortable thought you’ve had, an emotion you can’t explain, or how you perceive yourself.

If the answer is no, you’re as good at lying as I am at cooking (few will understand the gravity of this insult).

I invite the most sincere among you to follow me a little further. Imagine living in a fictional world, the Matrix: how would you feel upon realizing that your reality has always been pure fiction? Utterly out of place to the nth degree.

But life in the Matrix is comfortable. It’s not real, but it’s certainly preferable to fighting an army of robots and risking your life in the name of freedom (for those who’ve seen the movie).

This sense of disorientation isn’t just for the movies: it can become political, cultural, and historical.

Explore reality through the lens of knowledge and take a conscious stand.

Kémi Séba has done just that, which is why he’s an inspiration to Africans around the world.

He doesn’t try to please anyone, and that’s why everyone is interested in getting to know him.

If I had to describe him in my own words, I’d say he’s a contemporary African thinker.

WHO IS KEMI SEBA

Kémi Séba is a Beninese activist, writer, and speaker, born in 1981 in France.

He accuses the Western oligarchy of maintaining political and economic control over Africa through modern tools such as the CFA franc, military bases, multinational corporations, asymmetrical economic agreements, and the manipulation of local elites.

Although colonialism has formally ended, Africa is still subject to a form of systemic dependence.

THE INVISIBLE TRAUMA

Africa has not yet come to terms with the profound trauma of slavery, and this is one of the least addressed tragedies of its recent history.

African peoples have found themselves having to cope with post-colonial trauma without preparation, without guidance, and without civic and psychological education designed to empower them.

On the contrary:

The Berlin Conference fragmented ethnic groups, cultures, and families.
Africa was left alone, scattered, and uneducated about its own history.
No process of re-education has ever been implemented within individual nations, and no collective awareness-raising has taken place.

IDENTITY DISRUPTION

I would like to discuss with you two aspects of this trauma, in order to frame the context in which Mr. Kémi Séba’s struggle takes place.

THE BERLIN CONFERENCE

At the Berlin Conference, the European powers gathered in a pastry shop because, being as greedy as they are, they wanted an exotic dessert.

So they divided up Africa, drawing borders as they pleased, as if it were a cake.

This led to the haphazard fragmentation of cultures, families, trade relations, and much more.

Imagine splitting Italy in two, North and South: two nations, two separate governments.

And why not? Let’s even annex a bit of France and a bit of Switzerland to the northern half, because… it suits a small group of people who hold power.

Probably within a few years, future generations wouldn’t even give a second thought to historical national unity.

Now imagine if this trick were to affect all of Europe.

Would the EU still exist if every country lost its national identity?

Africa has been carved up, and few truly grasp the gravity of these events.

If middle school history textbooks don’t cover it, I will.

According to Kémi Séba, the continent's pursuit of true sovereignty transcends its current geographical division.

OLIGARCHY

By “Western oligarchy,” I mean a minority of the total population that wields disproportionate power. They are coordinated and share common interests; they act to preserve their own power and exclude the majority (in this case, African communities, though we can include the Western population itself) from the actual decision-making process, keeping them uninformed about their actions.

Kémi Séba denounces Western elites (political, banking, military, and multinational corporations), who, in alliance with corrupt local African elites, keep Africa trapped in a neocolonial structure.

They impose a suffocating presence on African economies, feigning cooperation and development aid, while concealing predatory practices behind the rhetoric of “partnership” and “humanitarian aid”. Projecting an air of benevolence while sustaining a deeply unequal system.

Let’s take two case studies as examples (there are countless others) to understand how this predatory class operates.

CASE STUDY 1: The CFA franc

Kémi Séba publicly burned a 5,000 CFA franc bill as a symbolic gesture against what he calls “Françafrique” (France’s neocolonial influence in Africa).

The incident took place on August 19, 2017, during a demonstration in Dakar, Senegal.

He was arrested, charged with destruction of currency, and subsequently acquitted.

He was expelled from Senegal and Ivory Coast as a result of his actions and the political tensions linked to his activism.

But what is the CFA franc? Why all the fuss?

The CFA franc, an acronym originally standing for “Franc of the French Colonies of Africa,” was created by France in 1945 and is currently in use in 14 African countries.

The CFA franc’s exchange rate is pegged to the euro: 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs. It does not float freely on currency markets; instead, it automatically mirrors the euro’s movements, like a monetary clone with no autonomy. If the euro strengthens or weakens, the CFA follows it exactly, rather than adapting to the African economy.

CONSEQUENCE: The euro is a “strong” currency, designed for developed economies. Pegging the CFA franc to it stifles the competitiveness of African exports, harms local growth, and favors imports from Europe.

CASE STUDY 2: Ivory Coast

According to Kémi Séba, the Ivory Coast represents the beating heart of the Françafrique system: a state deeply manipulated by France.

Séba is particularly concerned about the country’s fate, and especially that of the capital, Abidjan, which risks becoming a “future African Dubai”: opulent, modern, glossy… but deceptive.

“It’s like a golden prison,” says Séba.

“Beautiful, dazzling, comfortable, but still a prison.”

Behind the glittering facades lies a total absence of sovereignty.

The relationship with France is marketed as positive, and many, especially within the misinformed African diaspora, return to the continent thinking they are contributing to an African renaissance.

Séba argues that returning to the motherland must be a conscious choice; if you prop up an economic and political system that is still French, you are not building Africa, but rather reinforcing the prison that keeps it shackled.

SPIRITUAL BOND

We’ve discussed the invisible trauma that persists on the African continent, its connection to the historic Berlin Conference, and today’s Western oligarchy, which carries on the “work.” One final piece of the puzzle is missing, one necessary to place Kémi Séba within the context of his mission.

THE ORIGINS

When you don’t know where you’re going, look at where you’ve come from — African proverb

Africa has been left alone, scattered, and uneducated about its own history (For those who wish to learn more about the inhumane practices that deported Africans had to endure, practices aimed at severing the invisible thread of genealogical memory).

The Western world has treated, and to some extent continues to treat, Africa as a single, homogeneous bloc. It’s an oversimplification that flattened centuries of diverse cultures, languages, and civilizations.

A collective African identity exists, but it has been fragmented, united largely by skin color, and unable to express its true potential on the geopolitical stage.

Faced with this dehumanizing Western “work of art”, organized and justified by racist theories, Kémi Séba has written several books, including Fundamental Philosophy of Pan-Africanism (translated into Italian), in which he advocates a return to an essentialist and spiritualist philosophy (not to be confused with institutionalized religion), which draws on an “original” African identity lost or stifled by modernity and colonization.

PHILOSOPHY OF FUNDAMENTAL PANAFRICANISM: CONCEPT OF TIME

Africa and the West have two different conceptions of time, and not in a physical or chronological sense.

Linear time (the West):

It conceives of the past as barbarism and the future as progress.
Development is material (technology, control over nature, the economy...).
It abandons the past in favor of new discoveries.

CASE STUDIES: colonialism, capitalism, exploitation in the name of “progress” and “civilization”

Cyclical time (African cosmogony):

Time is not an arrow, but a circle.
The beginning (origin) is the highest point of harmony between humanity, nature, and the divine, as it is a pure reflection of God’s creation.
Every cycle returns to the origins, and traditions have eternal value.
Wisdom lies in preserving the past.

CASE STUDIES: cultures based on respect for roots, community, rituals, and spiritual and natural balance

For Séba, Hegel is the perfect antithesis of cyclical cosmogony: he represents the intellectual foundation of cultural colonialism, the denial of the value of African civilizations. In other words, Séba rejects not only Hegelian teleology but also the very idea that Africa must “enter” history according to Western parameters. The Eurocentric conception, in which Hegel views Africa as “outside of history,” is deeply questionable. Hegel lived in the midst of colonialism, and it would have been unthinkable for him to acknowledge Africa as the cradle of humanity.

This symbolic distinction of time is Kémi Séba’s foundation for an African return to its original identity.

ALKEBULAN REBORN

INTEGRATION

Given the colonial context and the theme of a return to identity, what is Kémi Séba’s vision?

He argues that African communities are overly inclined toward integration: wherever the diaspora may be, they passionately struggle to be recognized in a space that was not built for them and, in effect, seek to “invade” someone else's territory, often that of the former colonizer, in order to gain legitimacy.

Establishing oneself within a system that has denied you rights, freedoms, and representation means entering a party to which you were not actually invited.

He argues, quite provocatively, that it’s like going from being a slave who hoes the fields to a slave who runs the ballroom: you may be better off, but you’re not free.

In reality, inclusion is fundamental; it is the primary tool for claiming our freedom. It has allowed Black people to live with greater dignity and to aspire to high-level careers in intellectual and athletic circles (which were once completely inaccessible), but I like to think that everyone has a mission, which is expressed in this quote:

“I am not a leader, I am not a role model, I have countless flaws, but what matters is that everyone on earth shines their own light to help their people move forward ✨” — Kémi Séba

Integration must exist as an important component of a larger process of emancipation. This is especially true for the younger generations, who are often confused.

When you transform inclusion from a tool into an absolute goal, according to Kémi Séba, you have entered the integrationist current, the one that seeks approval within the other’s system, forgetting the autonomous construction of one’s own.

SELF-DETERMINATION

No matter where you start from (and by the way, if you’re Black, you’re probably starting at a disadvantage, so chill, you’re in good company), you’re still a light that can illuminate a path for future generations.

This is embodied in the current of self-determinism (or reactionism).

Create your own space, your own network, your own home, your own rules. The sovereignty of African nations is an illusion if it is not accompanied by real power, economic autonomy, cultural dignity, and political self-determination.

“It is the union of the strong that makes the strength of the union” — Ludovic-Hermann Wanda

Everyone, in their own small way, must shine, and this requires sound financial management (and even this area cannot be considered a source of pride for Africa).

Kémi Séba’s brilliance lies in his political commitment, his NGO Urgences Panafricanistes, his social media presence, and his many other projects.

Not everyone is in a position to truly embrace this course of action. It is not a matter of will, but of material and social possibilities. Those born into extreme poverty, or marked by structural discrimination, do not even have the most basic starting tools. A large part of the African diaspora finds itself facing psychological trauma, language barriers, undocumented status, cultural isolation, health issues, and difficulties related to immigration.

The inclusion of the diaspora is the foundation: one’s dignity comes before everything else.

CONCLUSION

“A soldier who is not educated in politics is potentially a criminal.” — Thomas Sankara

Drawing inspiration from this quote, Kémi Séba adds that an economist or businessman who lacks a geopolitical education is a potential enemy of his own people. This is because capitalism absorbs you like an octopus, and if you lack firm social and political principles (we’ve seen that Kémi Séba finds steadfastness in spiritual reconnection and a return to his roots), you slip into pursuing personal and material well-being as your sole paradigm.

The diaspora plays a fundamental role in Africa’s self-determination: it has the opportunity to cultivate a broader perspective on today’s global society and return home with exotic knowledge and projects.

“It seems to be a lowly and humble state to know what one does and why one does it” — Seneca

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Traorè: the perfect revolutionary leader? Multicultural Identity: A Colonial Product or a True Asset?