Neo-Colonialism

French Neo-Colonialism in Burkina Faso

    The brutal legacy of European colonialism and neo-colonialism as forms of imperialism manifests itself in various ways in Africa. In the 19th century, French imperialism colonized more African territories than any other of its European counterparts. Many countries colonized by France like Burkina Faso gained their formal independence in the early 1960s due to heroes’ anti-colonial, and national freedom struggles that spread throughout the African continent. Despite the formal declaration of independence for the colonized countries, France among other colonizer’s European countries maintains deep economic and administrative ties to almost all its former colonies. Like many of African countries, Burkina Faso is rich in natural resources, especially gold, uranium, zinc, cotton, copper, plumb, manganese and so many others. Despite this abundance of resources, the per capita income in 1996 was only $600.When independence was granted to colonized African states, many were happy because they thought the Colonial masters had packed their package and were gone for good. The euphoria of independence for Burkina Faso just like most African countries lasted up to the early 1980s. New imperialists and the former colonial master have made a triumphant comeback in Burkina Faso in the form of neo-colonialism. Until recently, Neo-colonialism has been chiefly associated with political and economic matters. Today, it is also inextricably tangled with so many other things such as conflict resolution and peace-keeping in so many African countries. The comeback of the colonial masters to Burkina Faso, just like any other African country, is keeping the country artificially poor.

Burkina Faso obtained independence from France in 1960 after more than a century of colonization. After Colonialism ended, the social phenomenon of "Neo-Colonialism" began. The country is free from direct foreign rule but the economic infrastructure is still in...