African state removes colonial-era names from streets
Niger’s government has removed the name of the late French president General Charles De Gaulle from a major street in the capital, Niamey, and renamed it after Djibo Bakary, a key figure in the West African nation’s independence struggle.
On Tuesday, several historic streets and monuments had their French names removed by the military authorities. Since taking control of Niamey in a coup last year, the new leadership has been seeking to cut ties with former colonial power France.
“Most of our avenues, boulevards, and streets... bear names that are simply reminders of the suffering and bullying our people endured during the ordeal of colonization,” Nigerien government spokesman Abdramane Amadou said during the name change ceremony, according to AFP news agency.
“The avenue which once bore the name of General Charles de Gaulle is henceforth christened Avenue Djibo Bakary,” Amadou added.
Bakary, a socialist politician, became the first Nigerien to hold local executive power under French rule. He advocated for a ‘no’ vote in the 1958 referendum, when citizens were asked if they approved the adoption of a constitution written by Charles de Gaulle that favors maintaining ties with France.
Niger is not the first African state to rename streets that previously bore references to France. In October last year, Burkina Faso changed Boulevard Charles de Gaulle to Boulevard Thomas Sankara, honoring the Pan-Africanist icon and former Burkinabe president, who was assassinated in a 1987 coup.
On Tuesday, the image of French colonial officer and explorer Parfait-Louis Monteil, engraved on a stone monument in Niamey, was replaced with that of Sankara. Niamey’s Place de La Francophonie, named after French-speaking nations, has also been renamed in recognition of the Alliance of Sahel States that the landlocked nation formed with Burkina Faso and Mali last year.
French relations with Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali have deteriorated since the new authorities removed their civilian leaders through military coups between 2020 and 2023. Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou have forged defense partnerships with Russia after expelling French soldiers over allegations of meddling and failure to combat a long-running jihadist insurgency in the Sahel region.
