Hollande in Senegal, eyes new chapter in Franco-African relations
- 12 years ago
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)
STORY: French President Francois Hollande arrived in Dakar on Friday on his first visit to the continent on his quest to open a a new chapter in France's relations with former colonies.
He is traveling to Kinshasa to meet leaders from more than 70 francophone countries, many of them African, without any company executives in his entourage - a shift from the business-focused trips of conservative predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.
On the eve of his trip he said he would denounce a period of colonization as a historical "mistake".
The statement marked a change in tone from the Sarkozy era, when France often kept silent about electoral fraud.
Sarkozy sparked outrage in much of French-speaking Africa in 2007 when he suggested to an audience in Dakar that the continent had failed to embrace progress and made uncritical allusions to colonialism.
Hollande, who will reach the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday for a gathering of French-speaking nations, has promised to promote democracy in Africa and break with an era of collusion between French and autocratic African leaders.
Senegalese President Macky Sall, who was himself elected earlier this year after a tense presidential election marred with violence, welcomed Hollande in Dakar.
STORY: French President Francois Hollande arrived in Dakar on Friday on his first visit to the continent on his quest to open a a new chapter in France's relations with former colonies.
He is traveling to Kinshasa to meet leaders from more than 70 francophone countries, many of them African, without any company executives in his entourage - a shift from the business-focused trips of conservative predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy.
On the eve of his trip he said he would denounce a period of colonization as a historical "mistake".
The statement marked a change in tone from the Sarkozy era, when France often kept silent about electoral fraud.
Sarkozy sparked outrage in much of French-speaking Africa in 2007 when he suggested to an audience in Dakar that the continent had failed to embrace progress and made uncritical allusions to colonialism.
Hollande, who will reach the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday for a gathering of French-speaking nations, has promised to promote democracy in Africa and break with an era of collusion between French and autocratic African leaders.
Senegalese President Macky Sall, who was himself elected earlier this year after a tense presidential election marred with violence, welcomed Hollande in Dakar.