Niger has begun renaming streets to remove colonial-era names as part of a broader effort to reclaim its heritage and promote national identity. The move marks a significant step in the country’s decolonization process.
The government of Niger has renamed a major street in the capital, Niamey, previously named after the late French president General Charles De Gaulle. The street now honors Djibo Bakary, an important figure in West Africa’s fight for independence.
On Tuesday, military authorities removed the French names from several historic streets and monuments. Since last year’s coup that led to their control of Niamey, the new leadership has been working to sever ties with France, its former colonial ruler.
According to the AFP news agency, Nigerien government spokesman Abdramane Amadou stated during a ceremony for changing names that “many of our avenues, boulevards, and streets… carry names that merely serve as reminders of the suffering and oppression faced by our people throughout colonization.”
Amadou added, “The avenue formerly known as General Charles de Gaulle is now named Avenue Djibo Bakary.”
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Bakary, a socialist politician, was the first Nigerien to hold local executive authority during French colonial rule. He campaigned for a ‘no’ vote in the 1958 referendum when citizens were asked whether they supported adopting Charles de Gaulle’s constitution that promoted continued ties with France.
Niger is not the first African country to rename streets that once referenced France. Last October, Burkina Faso renamed Boulevard Charles de Gaulle to Boulevard Thomas Sankara in tribute to the Pan-Africanist icon and former Burkinabe president who was assassinated during a 1987 coup.
On Tuesday, the portrait of French colonial officer and explorer Parfait-Louis Monteil, previously engraved on a stone monument in Niamey, was replaced with an image of Sankara. Additionally, Niamey’s Place de La Francophonie, originally named after French-speaking countries, has been renamed to honor the Alliance of Sahel States—a coalition that the landlocked nation established alongside Burkina Faso and Mali last year.
Relations between France and the nations of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali have worsened following military coups that ousted their civilian leaders from 2020 to 2023. The new authorities in Bamako, Niamey, and Ouagadougou expelled French troops amid accusations of interference and ineffectiveness in addressing a prolonged jihadist insurgency in the Sahel region. Subsequently, these countries established defense alliances with Russia.
