Account for the Failure of Assimilation in French West Africa.

Let’s take a quick look at the factors that were responsible for the failure of the colonial policy of assimilation in French West Africa.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

2 Factors accounting for the failure of Assimilation

3 1. Disregard for African cultural practices

4 2. African attachment to their culture.

5 3. The French used the wrong method.

6 4. Assimilation tended to be counter-productive.

7 5. Inadequate resources and personnel.

8 6. Opposition from the French business community

9 7. The spread of Garveyism and the Negritude Movement

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Introduction

The French abandoned their colonial policy of Assimilation in 1958. In the place of assimilation, they introduced a new policy of Association. The French came up with the policy of Association to give greater autonomy to the colonies.

Thus, the French edged closer to the British policy of indirect rule.

Factors accounting for the failure of Assimilation

The following were the factors that led to the failure of Assimilation in French West Africa.

1. Disregard for African cultural practices

This was borne out of the wrong assumption that all men, regardless of culture and origin are one. The French tried to ignore such cultural practices as polygamy which the Moslems in Senegal, for example, did not take kindly to.

2. African attachment to their culture.

A second reason for the failure of Assimilation was that Africans could not easily abandon their culture in favour of a foreign one.

The Africans could not have easily abandoned their culture in its entirety over such a short period of time.

In fact, it is impossible to turn a people from their culture in a short period of about 40 – 60 years.

3. The French used the wrong method.

The educational system which was the instrument designed to brainwash and indoctrinate Africans was not strong enough.

The French left the educational system largely in the hands of Catholic Missionaries. The Africans in French West Africa, who were mostly Moslems, were unwilling to send their children to Christian schools.

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Also there were only few institutions of higher education. For example, the Ecole Normale William Ponty served the whole of Senegal

4. Assimilation tended to be counter-productive.

Clearly, the French were not looking for this so they allowed the failure of Assimilation to happen.

There was the danger that assimilation could defeat the very purpose of colonialism, namely the domination and exploitation of Africans.

The French realized that if Africans were truly assimilated, they would end up taking over the government and economy of metropolitan France.

5. Inadequate resources and personnel.

Assimilation was a system of direct rule which did not do much to groom and encourage Africans to take part in the colonial colonial government.

In fact, only few Africans had the chance to become part of the system. Yet still, the French placed them at the bottom of the hierarchy.

This meant that the real administrative work was in the hands of French nationals who were rather few.

But the reality was that the Federation of French West Africa was too large to be ruled solely by French officials and resources.

6. Opposition from the French business community

French business people realized, to their horror, that Assimilation would end up undermining their interests and privileges.

Africans, as well-educated, business savvy French citizens could take over their commercial interests.

And this, definitely, was nowhere near what they were looking for under Assimilation.

They had wanted economic assimilation and exploitation rather than cultural and political assimilation.

7. The spread of Garveyism and the Negritude Movement

Garveyism and the Negritude movement were Pan-African nationalist movements or ideologies that came to instill pride and hope in all Africans and persons of African descent around the globe.

People like the Jamaican Marcus Garvey and the Senegalese poet Leopold Senghor began to encourage Africans to take pride in their colour and identity.

They called on Africans to reject European culture.

This brought about an intensification in the demands from educated French West Africans for reforms in the system of direct rule and cultural assimilation.

Now you know.

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