French West Africa

**French West Africa** (French: *Afrique-Occidentale française*, ****) na ebe a federation of eight French colonial territories insyd West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), Dahomey (now Benin) den Niger. Na de federation exist from 1895 til 1958. Na ein capital be Saint-Louis insyd Senegal til 1902, den then Dakar til de federation ein collapse insyd 1960.

Plus an area of 4,689,000 km2, na French West Africa be eight times de size of Metropolitan France. Na French Equatorial Africa get an additional area of 2,500,000 km2.

## History

Til after World War II, na almost none of de Africans wey dey live insyd de colonies of France be citizens of France. Rather, na dem be "French subjects," wey dey lack rights before de law, property ownership rights, rights to travel, dissent, anaa vote. Na de exception be de Four Communes of Senegal: na those areas be towns of de tiny Senegal Colony insyd 1848 wen, at de abolition of slavery by de French Second Republic, na dem grant all residents of France equal political rights. Anybro wey be able to prove na dem born dem insyd dese towns be legally French. Na dem fi vote insyd parliamentary elections, wich na e be previously dominated by white den mixed-race residents of Senegal.

Na de Four Communes of Senegal be entitled make dem elect a deputy mkle dem represent dem insyd de French parliament insyd 1848–1852, 1871–1876, den 1879–1940. Insyd 1914, na dem elect de first African, Blaise Diagne, as de deputy for Senegal insyd de French Parliament. Insyd 1916, na Diagne push a law thru de National Assembly (loi Blaise Diagne) wey dey grant full citizenship to all residents of de so-called Four Communes. In return, na he promise make he help recruit millions of Africans make dem fight insyd World War I. Thereafter, na all black Africans of Dakar, Gorée, Saint-Louis, den Rufisque fi vote to send a representative to de French National Assembly.

As na de Frenc pursue dema part insyd de Scramble for Africa insyd de 1880s den 1890s, na dem conquer large inland areas, den at first, dem rule dem as either a part of de Senegal colony anaa as independent entities. Na dese conquered areas usually be governed by French Army officers, wey dem dub "military territories". Insyd de late 1890s, na de French government begin to rein insyd de territorial expansion of ein "officers on de ground", wey na dem transfer all de territories west of Gabon to a single governor wey base insyd Senegal, dey report directly to de Minister of Overseas Affairs. Na dem name de first governor-general of Senegal insyd 1895, den insyd 1904, de territories na he oversee be formally named French West Africa (AOF). Gabon go later cam be de seat of ein own federation French Equatorial Africa (AEF), wich na e for border ein western neighbor on de modern boundary between Niger den Chad.

## Territorial changes

De administrative structure of French colonial possessions insyd West Africa, while more homogeneous dan neighboring British possessions, na ebe marked by variety den flux. Thru out de history of de AOF, na individual colonies den military territories be reorganized chaw times, as na de *Government General* insyd Dakar. Na dem form French Upper Volta wey na dem parcel am out to neighboring colonies twice. Na de future states of Mauritania den Niger remain out of de federation til de 1920s den 1940s respectively.Na dem be *Military TeTerritories* wey be directly controlled by de French Army.World War II, den de passing of de Loi Cadre (*Overseas Reform Act of 1956*), na both radically restructure de administration of de colonies. Na French Togoland, seized by France from Germany insyd World War I, na ebe for most of dis period no be nominally a colony buh a Mandate territory.

## Federal structure

Insyd theory, na de Governors-General of de AOF report directly to de Minister of Colonies insyd Paris, while na individual colonies den territories report to Dakar per. Originally na dem create am insyd 1895 as a union of Senegal, French Sudan, French Guinea den Ivory Coast per, na dem place de federation on a permanent footing insyd 1904. Na a governor-general based first insyd Saint-Louis, then (from 1902) insyd Dakar (both insyd Senegal, de oldest French settlement). Na de AOF subsequently expand to neighbouring French-ruled territories: na dem add Dahomey insyd 1904, after na dem put am under colonial tutelage insyd 1892; Mauritania insyd 1920, wey na dem divide de territory of Upper Volta from French Sudan by colonial decree insyd 1921, e sanso automatically enter de AOF. Between 1934 den 1937, na dem subsume de League of Nations Mandate territory of French Togoland into Dahomey, den between ein seizure from Germany insyd World War I den independence na dem administer am thru de AOF. Insyd 1904, na dem class both Mauritania den Niger "Military Territories": wey be ruled by de AOF in conjunction plus officers of de French Colonial Forces.

## Colonial administration

Na dem administer each colony of French West Africa by a Lieutenant Governor, responsible to de Governor General insyd Dakar. Na de Governor-General per receive orders from Paris, via de Minister of Colonies. Na de Minister, plus de approval of de French Chamber of Deputies (French National Assembly after 1946), choose Lieutenants Governor den Governors-General.

### Governors-General

### Grand Council of French West Africa
Dey begin insyd 1946, na dem create a Grand Council of French West Africa insyd Dakar. Na two representatives from each colony, usually de Lieutenant Governor den a representative of de French population der, be seated. Na dis council get consultative powers per over de office of de Governor General. Na de functioning of such bodies rest upon de Indigénat legal code of 1885.

## Local administration

Despite dis state of flux, den plus de exception of de Senegalese Communes, na de administrative structure of French rule at de lower levels remain constant, wey base upon de Cercle system. Na dis be de smallest unit of French political administration insyd French colonial Africa wey na e be headed by a European officer. Dem fi range in size, buh na French Sudan (modern Mali) consist of less dan a dozen Cercles for chaw of ein existence. Thus, na a Cercle Commander fi be de absolute authority over hundreds of thousands of Africans.

### Cercles
Na a Cercle consist of chaw cantons, each of wich in turn consist of chaw villages, wey na almost be universal insyd France ein African colonies from 1895 to 1946.

Na de "Cercle Commander" ("*commandant de cercle*") be subject to de authority of a District Commander, den de government of de colony above am, buh na e be independent of de Military structure (outsyd Military areas, e.g.: modern Niger den Mauritania prior to de Second World War). Na below de "Cercle Commander" be a series of African "Chefs de canton" den "Chefs du Village": "chiefs" dem appoint by de French den subject to removal by de Europeans. As well, na de "Cercle Commander" make use of a large number of servants, employees, den African officers such as de "Gardes-de-cercle" police, any military units wey second to dem by government authorities, den sub-administrators such as de *Precepteur du marché* trade inspectors, etc.

### Chiefs
Na de oda official office particular to de local administration of French West Africa be de "Chief". Na dese be Africans wey French officials appoint for dema loyalty to France, regardless of dema rights to local power. Na dem assign dese chiefs created territories wey based on de scale of a French Canton, as well as on de small scale tribal structures na de French find insyd de coastal areas of de Rivières du Sud colony insyd de 1880s, modern Guinea. Na de Canton, then, be much smaller dan, den qualitatively different from, de pre-colonial states of de Sahel (such as de Toucouleur Empire) wich na de French go later conquer.

## Geography

Plus an area of sam  (mostly de desert anaa semi-desert interior of Mauritania, Sudan den Niger) wey dey extend from Africa ein westernmost point to de depths of de Sahara, na de Federation contain more dan ten million inhabitants for ein creation, den sam 25 million for ein dissolution. Na de AOF include all of de Senegal River valley, chaw of de Niger River valley, den chaw of de West African Sahel region. Na e sanso include tropical forests insyd Ivory Coast den Guinea, de Fouta Djallon highlands, den de Aïr Mountains of modern Niger.

### Territories

* Ivory Coast
* Dahomey (currently Benin)
* French Sudan (currently Mali)
* Guinea
* Mauritania
* Niger
* Senegal
* Upper Volta (currently Burkina Faso)
* French Togoland (currently Togo)
* Enclaves of Forcados den Badjibo (insyd modern Nigeria)

## Postage stamps

Na de French colonial territories insyd de federation issue dema own postage stamps til 1943. Insyd chaw cases na dem inscribe de stamps plus de name of de federation  "*Afrique Occidentale Française*" as well as de colony ein own name.

Insyd 1943 den 1944, na dem overprint stamps of Senegal den Mauritania plus new values wey be valid thru out French West Africa.

Na de first issues dem print specifically give de federation be de Eboue common design type den a definitive series wey dey depict colonial soldiers, both insyd 1945. Na a series of 1947 feature 19 scenes den people of de various colonies, then during de 1950s na der be about 30 various commemoratives.  Na de last issue inscribe "Afrique occidentale française" den "RF" be de Human Rights issue of December 1958.

Na ebe followed by a Stamp Day issue on 21 March 1959, wich omit de federation ein name wey na dem inscribe "CF" along plus "Dakar-Abidjan" for use insyd Ivory Coast den Senegal.

## References


## Read further
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* Delavignette, Robert. *Freedom and Authority in French West Africa* (Routledge, 2018).
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* Langley, Michael. "Bizerta to the Bight: The French in Africa."  *History Today.* (Oct 1972), pp 733–739. covers 1798 to 1900.
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## External links