By Majid Morceli
By Majid Morceli
San Francisco – The 15th Francophonie summit kicked off today in the Senegalese capital Dakar. Thirty-five heads of state and other government officials are attending the summit, among them our own Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar, representing Morocco.
If you look at the African Francophone countries, you will quickly realize that the leaders of these countries came to power with the help or approval of France, the only country that benefits by keeping control over its former colonies. The question that comes to mind is: Does Morocco benefit from belonging to this organization, which was made solely to serve the interests of France?
For instance, among the primary missions of the Francophonie organization is the promotion of the French language. How does promoting the French language benefit Morocco, or any African state for that matter?
English is the language that the majority of the world’s population speaks. It is widely learned as a second language in schools around the world, and is an official language of the European Union, the United Nations, and in the Commonwealth, which is home to 2.2 billion people.
Shortly after many African countries gained their independence from France, they had no choice but to stick to French as a language. But that was 50 to 60 years ago, and French has long since served its purpose. Moroccan decision-makers need to understand that by sticking to French, they are limiting their horizons, when they could flourish.
English-speaking investors prefer to invest in countries where English is widely spoken. Moroccans who want to pursue their studies or take jobs abroad need to have opportunities beyond France. It simply does not make any sense whatsoever to continue catering to France when we know that France is only using us to serve its own interests.
Morocco needs to expand the playing field, just like France does. We are doing a disservice to future generations of Moroccans when we keep ourselves at the mercy of France. Look what happened in the last few months when France decided to get closer to Algeria.
The authorities in France acted as if Moroccan officials were criminals when they arrived at our ambassador’s residence in order to arrest the Moroccan head of the secret service. Or when our Foreign Minister, Salaheddine Mezouar, was strip-searched at a French airport, or when they insinuated that they will not use their veto at the UN to help Morocco with its national cause. These events clearly show that France looks after France, and Morocco should do the same. This is not retaliation; it is simply Morocco looking after Moroccans.
France is sovereign democratic country that will do anything to serve the French people. What we ask from our decisions-makers is not different from what France does. We are simply asking them to think first about the next generation of Moroccans by making English the country’s second language.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy
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