Cote d'Ivoire: 'France played a negative role; Mrs Simone Gbagbo, the First Lady of Cote d'Ivoire, takes no prisoners when defending her country's national interest. She is the president of the ruling party's group in parliament. She talked to our correspondent, Ruth Tete, about what the French did in the Ivorian crisis and other matters.

Ruth Tete: The Ivorian crisis is gradually coming to an end. What has been the impact on Franco-Ivorian relations?

Mrs Simone Gbagbo: I think that France is a bit late regarding the evolution of mentalities in Africa. Some French political and economic players have had the habit of treating Africans in a master-servant manner, yet a new generation of Africans wants this type of relationship to change.

In this type of master-servant relationship, the French expect to come to our countries and be masters of our wealth and resources as though that is their divine right. They think we cannot exploit these resources without their consent. We don't even have the right to set up factories to transform these raw materials into finished goods. We are expected to sell all our produce in raw form and all this was laid down in so-called "cooperation agreements" between France and its former African colonies. Some French people continue to operate under these agreements. And each time an African raises his or her voice to demand change to these agreements, that African is considered an enemy of France who must be fought. I will give you an example. The wealth which we produce in the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (UEMOA) and which enables us to buy foreign goods is represented by the CFA Franc, our currency. But this CFA Franc is kept in the French Treasury, 65% of the resources of our countries is kept in the French Treasury! This is to say that all our hard currency and that of all other African countries that use the CFA Franc, is deposited in the French Treasury. This means that at the international level, we do not exist; it is the French Treasury that exists.

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Each time we raise this problem and demand a change, the French find it unacceptable. Therefore, an African leader who raises this issue and demands change is considered by the French as an enemy who must be destroyed. This type of behaviour needs to change, and if France does not understand this, the new generation of Africans will push them to change. This new generation is not going to accept what the French did during the colonial period. It is in the interests of France to understand that this situation must change in order for real partnership to be established between Africa and France. France must change its mentality. One cannot continue to be at war for centuries. The African people hold no grudges against the French people or against France as a country. In the same way that France has relations or partnerships with the British, the Americans and the Asians, the same way they must build partnerships with Africans.

Africans too must organise themselves in order not to be perpetually regarded as beggars waiting for aid in order to develop. We must organise ourselves as adults capable of sustaining mutually beneficial partnerships with Western countries. I am convinced that there is a rising consciousness in Africa of French aggression in Cote d'Ivoire, and France risks being confronted by increasing demands for change in its relations with Francophone Africa.

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Ruth Tete: Many African women see you as a strong activist. Tell me, what brought you into politics and in taking such a strong stand?

Simone Gbagbo: I took up politics naturally, I was young and I was an activist in the young Christians student movement. I was interested in the problems faced by young people and women in particular, and also in justice, development and poverty.

Ruth Tete: We speak today of the birth of a new Ivorian nation and an emergence of a strong national consciousness. What do you attribute this to?

Simone Gbagbo: We have been in a crisis for five years and have been struggling to get out of the crisis. This is a war which pitted Ivorians against other Ivorians, Ivorians against foreigners living in Cote d'Ivoire, and Ivorians against the former colonial power. All this has led to a sense of rapprochement amongst Ivorians. It has enabled us to build stronger links with the people and the country. It has helped us to analyse in more profound ways the type of relations which should exist between our country and its former colonial power.

The crisis has also positioned us on a more patriotic and even nationalistic path vis-a-vis the former colonial power. It has helped us to reflect on the type of relations which should exist between Ivorians and the foreigners living amongst us, hence the emergence of what you describe as a strong national consciousness.

Ruth Tete: You were often thrown into prison in the past because of your struggle for democracy. How do you explain this paradox?

Simone Gbagbo: When we started our fight for democracy, our country was still governed as a one-party state. The government remained in power for almost 40 years. When we intervened politically, it was to fight for the installation of a multiparty system. Evidently this kind of position disconcerted those in power and we found ourselves in prison several times. It was only in 1990 that we won the fight for a multi-party system.

Ruth Tete: What really led to the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire?

Simone Gbagbo: This crisis was linked to the problem of installing real democracy in our country.

Ruth Tete: Did France instigate it as has been alleged?

Simone Gbagbo: France played a negative role in the crisis. It was biased and used the international media--TV5, Radio France International, newspapers, and also lobbied international organisations to accept its point of view in total contempt of the defence agreements between France and Cote d'Ivoire. This was unbelievable.

Ruth Tete: What concrete actions have you taken to sensitise African women to recognise that the Ivorian crisis is a pan-African struggle?

Simone Gbagbo: The work that I personally do is not necessarily to mobilise women in other countries. However, in countries such as Mali and Senegal whose populations were directly affected by our crisis, we were able to make contact with women with whom we exchanged ideas and experiences. We were driven by the desire to promote cohesion to avoid hatred among different communities.

Ruth Tete: Mrs Hillary Clinton wants to run for president in 2008. Could we expect the candidacy of Mrs Gbagbo in Cote d'Ivoire?

Simone Gbagbo: [Laughs]. I would not look at the issue in that way. My struggle is for democracy, whoever comes to power and whoever is able to ensure real democracy, whether a woman or a man, I will support him or her. For the moment, I believe that the best man to do the job is President Laurent Gbagbo. Therefore, we will support Gbagbo, and later we will see [laughs].

RELATED ARTICLE: 'Enough of history', Sarkozy tells Africa

Nicolas Sarkozy, the new French president (pictured below), rounded off his first "mini-African tour" in Gabon at the end of July, by laying out his vision of a new partnership with Africa. In Senegal, Sarkozy had urged Africa not to dwell on its colonial past but commit itself to good governance.

He told students at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar that it was time Africans faced up to their problems, including dictatorship and poverty, and pledged to support any efforts to change the continent's fortunes.

"Do you want to end the arbitrary corruption, violence? That money is invested instead of being embezzled. Do you want the rule of law? It is up to you to take the decision, and if you decide so, France will be by your side like an unwavering friend," he said as he proposed a "shared development, a common strategy in the face of globalisation ... to prepare for the advent of 'EurAfrica'.".

His remarks were generally well received but drew criticism from some who felt the French president was in danger of lecturing his audience. "It was a little too much of a moralising speech," said Moustapha Kassy, economics professor at the university. "It is undeniable that we are responsible for some things hampering our progress, but the world is also guilty of a good part of Africa's situation," Kassy said.

"Africans are conscious of their problems," Aissata Tall Sall of the leading opposition Socialist Party said. Sarkozy's mini-tour of Africa started in Libya on 25 July and ended in Gabon where he held talks with Africa's longest-serving president, Omar Bongo.

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