Dirty Little Secrets of Neocolonial Europe, Specifically France

Dirty Little Secrets of Neocolonial Europe, Specifically France An old video from 2022 has resurfaced, showing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni fiercely criticizing France’s neocolonial grip on Africa. She condemned the CFA franc and even child labor exploitation — blunt words rarely heard from a European leader. But when one imperialist power accuses another of exploitation, it usually means the competitor has stolen its spoils. Italy’s own corporations — ENI, Generale Construzioni Ferroviarie, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, SACE, Illy, Lavazza, Iveco, CNH Industrial, Sacmi, and others — are already deeply entrenched across Africa. From oil and construction to finance and consumer goods, they pursue the same relentless extraction. France, however, has long guarded West Africa as its privileged domain, clinging to influence through the CFA franc system and deep economic ties. Meloni’s outrage, then, was less about justice and more about Italy demanding its own share of the pie. ... Source: Africa Intel