APA News Agency interviewed Kemi Seba, a political activist and journalist known for his anti-colonial policy and anti-imperialist stance.
File: Kemi Seba was born in 1981 in Strasbourg, France.
He is recognized as one of the symbolic leaders of the movement for African independence, sovereignty, and the struggle against neocolonial powers. He is also one of the main critics of French neo-colonialism.
He was put on the "black list" of France because of his open and sharp criticism and condemnation of the damage caused by French colonial policy to African countries, as well as overseas territories. France arrested K. Seba several times to silence him, and when he did not get what he wanted, he was deprived of his French citizenship.
In response to this step of France, several African countries granted diplomatic immunity to K. Seba.
Today, K. Seba, who is the head of the NGO "URGENCES PANAFRICANISTES" and the Special Adviser to the head of state of Niger, has a wide following on various social networks. He has 1.3 million followers on Facebook, 370,000 on TikTok, 306,000 on Instagram, 280,000 on X, and 230,000 on YouTube.
– You have long been fighting against French colonialism as a human rights activist. We would like to take a brief look at your work in this area.
– Over the past year, a global struggle against colonialism has begun. This movement has become more widespread, especially in Guadeloupe and other overseas countries. We are trying to bring this fighting system to the African continent. One of the active participants in the movement against neocolonialism among the countries of the Sahel Conference is Niger and Mali. As you know, after a long struggle, they succeeded in removing the French troops from their sovereign territory. We have also carried out large-scale work in the field of combating neocolonialism in Benin and Cameroon. Colonial countries try to widely use the energy resources of the states they keep under colonial conditions. In the last year, especially Niger stands out for its active activity in this matter. I also want to note that we intend to further expand the fight against colonialism in the future with the support of the Baku Initiative Group.
– In 1960, the UN adopted a document that called for independence for peoples living under colonial conditions. However, this document has yet to be implemented. What is the reason for the non-fulfillment of this resolution? The UN seems indifferent to its resolutions in this regard, and they are not followed through. Meanwhile, some resolutions are implemented immediately. What is the reason for this organization’s dual standards?
– It is no secret that France does not respect human rights. Unfortunately, in the global world, human rights are applied based on geographical location. Because Africa is geographically so far away, France has been oblivious to the rights of the people living in its colonies there. The reason for this is primarily that France wants to benefit more from the energy resources of its colonial territories. As for the double standards that exist in the world, as I have already mentioned, the reason for this is that the countries that have a voice in the world support the position of France. In my opinion, the root of the problem you mentioned should be sought in this factor.
– Countries like France are concerned about the independence of the nations they have oppressed and their emergence as subjects of international law. In your opinion, what are the political and economic reasons behind this?
– The colonial system we live in is primarily favorable to the oligarchs. Because then they can use all our natural resources. This is the only explanation of the situation in our region.
– In the context of the restrictions on the rights of peoples living in colonial territories, what legal and political mechanisms have been utilized by you and other human rights defenders that have been recognized in the international arena? What will your next steps involve?
– We are currently fighting French neo-colonialism. This is a war. If we have not been able to win this war and bring France to its knees, the reason is that there are many French oligarchs and supporters of France in those international organizations. The only way to our victory is through our unity and the reduction of France's influence in international organizations.
– To date, Azerbaijan has taken several steps through the Baku Initiative Group to raise the voices of people living under colonial conditions in the international community. What measures should be taken to achieve more effective results in this regard?
– The purpose of our world tour, if it is possible to say so, is to convey to the world the voice of the people living in colonial conditions, as you have mentioned. At the same time, we try to inform a wider audience about the crimes committed by the French government against the people living in the colony, and we also criticize French imperialism. From this point of view, Baku supports us quite a lot. Let me also say that this support is not limited to media coverage of the problems we face. Azerbaijan is with us in every way.
– Colonial states use various illegal means, such as terrorism, urban extermination, genocide, and other criminal actions, to strengthen their grip on the territories they occupy and to establish their autocratic regimes, committing crimes against humanity. We would like you to share your thoughts on the injustices faced by both your people and other nations suffering under French colonialism.
– France has carried out the killings of more than 100 million people in Africa to date. There are even facts of thousands of citizens from colonized states being thrown into the sea after being transported as slaves on ships to France. Due to the large number of people, these ships faced overcrowding, and representatives of the French authorities saw the solution as throwing thousands of innocent people overboard. All these an example of colonial crime. Furthermore, the French government caused millions of people to be shot dead in the colonial states. I believe that the French colonies in Africa should never forget all of this. We, first of all, should not allow the events that happened to be forgotten. Everyone must be aware of the crimes committed against us, whether by the French state or its authorities. This is because many crimes have been committed by France in Africa to this day. For example, there are facts related to the genocide carried out by the French authorities in Cameroon, resulting in the deaths of nearly 1 million people. France's actions do not stop there. They also distanced us from science and education.
– Do you think the efforts made by countries under colonial conditions in their struggle for independence can be considered sufficient? How should the effectiveness of these attempts be ensured?
– Today, there is a great awakening among the youth in Africa. People began to demand their rights. It is true that before the power was determined by France, but now we are trying to change that. For this purpose, we visited Turkey, Russia, and South American countries. We try to do everything we can to get our voice across.
– Azerbaijan has been supporting countries suffering from French colonialism for several years. As you know, Azerbaijan has been in a state of war with Armenia for a long time and experienced over 30 years of occupation. In 2020, it ended the occupation and restored its sovereignty over those territories. Can Azerbaijan's example be considered a model for countries suffering from colonialism?
– Azerbaijan cooperates with us and always supports us. Azerbaijan liberated its lands because, as I mentioned earlier, these were Azerbaijan's lands. This itself can be a clear example for us, and we can work for it.
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