Macron faces backlash after interrupting Africa summit panel
French President Emmanuel Macron is facing backlash after he interrupted a panel at the Africa Forward Summit in Kenya to demand silence from the audience.
Macron stormed the stage to rebuke audience members for what he called a “total lack of respect”, accusing them of disrupting speakers during a presentation by artists and young entrepreneurs. He had earlier described himself as a “Pan-Africanist” during a news conference.
The summit is meant to showcase France’s new policy for the continent - a shift from a former colonial power seen as dominating to what Paris describes as a partnership of equals.
On Tuesday, Macron announced a $27 billion investment into various sectors in Africa, including energy, artificial intelligence and agriculture.
Videos of Macron’s heated intervention on Monday quickly spread across social media, drawing a mix of mockery, praise and criticism. Appearing visibly frustrated by the noise in the room, Macron abruptly walked onto the stage and asked the speaker to hand him the microphone, saying he would “restore order”.
Addressing the audience in English, he criticised attendees for talking over the speakers and creating disruptions during the session. Some audience members applauded the intervention, but Macron also drew criticism over his response.
“Just imagine what would happen if an African leader did the same thing in America or Europe,” said Thierno Mbaye, a history student at a university in Senegal’s capital, Dakar.
“He acted like a schoolteacher scolding children,” Mbaye told The Associated Press. The intervention also drew criticism in France.
“It’s stronger than him: as soon as he sets foot on the African continent, he can’t help but behave like a coloniser,” Daniele Obono, a lawmaker for the hard-left party France Unbowed, said in a post on X.
The Africa Forward Summit, which is set to close on Tuesday with a declaration that is expected to be signed by all 30 heads of state, comes amid a fallout between France and its former colonies, mostly in West Africa. France has long maintained a colonial policy of economic, political and military sway dubbed Francafrique, which included keeping thousands of troops in the region it controlled. After years of criticism from leaders and opposition parties in many West African countries over what they described as a demeaning and heavy-handed approach, France has withdrawn most of its troops from the region. It completed the withdrawal of troops from Senegal in July.
Macron had already faced a backlash ahead of the summit for claiming Sunday at news conference alongside Kenyan President William Ruto that “we are the true Pan-Africanists”.
“We believe that Africa is a continent, and that this continent has an enormous amount to build,” Macron said. Pan-Africanism refers to an ideology seeking the unity of Africans and the elimination of colonialism. Given France’s colonial history across the continent, the remark went viral on social media and drew swift backlash.
