海角大神

During the morning rush hour, people and cars whiz past Birahim Diallo鈥檚 rickety wooden coffee stand. One after another, customers hand him coins in exchange for a small cup of a dark, spiced coffee called Caf茅 Touba. But each time he opens his hand to receive a payment, Mr. Diallo feels a flicker of anger.聽

鈥淲hen I see the CFA, I see my colonizer,鈥� says Mr. Diallo. That鈥檚 a reference to Senegal鈥檚 currency, the Financial Community of Africa franc, which is commonly known by its French acronym, CFA.聽

Originally created by the French colonial government in the mid-1940s, the CFA is today the currency of 14 countries in central and western Africa. That history makes it a perennial lightning rod for debates about France鈥檚 role in its former colonies on the continent.聽

This money feels like 鈥渋t鈥檚 not mine, it鈥檚 from another country,鈥� says Mr. Diallo, swirling spices and coffee grounds in a metal teapot over a portable gas stove.聽

Many other Senegalese feel the same. Recently, the movement against the CFA has been gathering new momentum here and across the region, spurred by leaders who see it as a vestige of colonialism that stifles their economies.聽

鈥淐urrency is a question of sovereignty,鈥� explained Senegal鈥檚 new Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko earlier this year.聽

But the debate is far from over. The CFA also still has many supporters in the region, who argue the sentiment against it is emotionally charged and vague on reasonable alternatives.聽

鈥淵our wallet in someone else鈥檚 pocket鈥�

The appeals to leave the CFA are not new. They began decades ago, during Africa鈥檚 independence wave.

Guinea adopted its own currency in 1960, shortly after its independence, as did both Madagascar and Mauritania in the early 1970s. Those departures were motivated in part by what the currency symbolized. It was a constant, always visible sign of France鈥檚 continued economic and social influence in its colonies, a relationship often called 鈥淔rancafrique.鈥澛�

Today, eight African countries use the West African CFA franc as their official currency, and six others use the Central African CFA. Both are pegged to the euro, which ensures a level of financial stability in countries where it is used. But critics note that this also potentially limits the countries鈥� economic growth because they cannot devalue the currency to make the prices of their goods more competitive internationally, as is done in countries like China.聽

This lack of control creates disadvantages for African governments when negotiating contracts to extract natural resources like oil or gold, says Senegalese economist Demba Moussa Dembele, director of the Forum for African Alternatives, a research organization based in Dakar.聽

Echoing that sentiment, Senegalese singer Ti猫moko Kon茅 argues, 鈥渨hoever controls the currency of a country controls its economy.鈥�

In 2018, Mr. Kon茅, who is better known by his stage name Jah Moko Family, was one of 10 African musicians who wrote and performed a soulful, rap-infused ballad called 聽鈥�7 minutes contre le CFA鈥� 鈥� 7 minutes against the CFA 鈥� detailing reasons that African countries should leave the currency.聽

Their arguments were partly economic. 鈥淚magine that your wallet is someone else鈥檚 pocket,鈥� goes one verse. 鈥淏reak the chains of this economic slavery,鈥� demands another.聽

But the song also speaks to the emotional charge of the CFA, one of the most visible symbols of the relationship between France and its former colonies, which remains in many ways deeply unbalanced.鈥淭he young generation of the mother continent will no longer be witness to the assassination of our dignity,鈥� the song鈥檚 opening explains.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 not that we hate the French or that we hate France,鈥� says Mr. Kon茅, who is originally from Mali. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just [that] we want balanced, healthy relations between France and Africa.鈥�

However, calls to leave the CFA zone do tend to go hand in hand with anti-French and anti-Western sentiment in region. Between 2021 and 2023, military governments came to power through coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. These new governments pledged greater independence from the West, and booted the French troops stationed in their countries. Then, late last year, they began聽discussing abandoning the CFA and starting their own regional currency.聽

鈥淭here is no longer any question of our countries being the cash cows of France,鈥� said Nigerien military leader Abdourahamane Tiani in February. 鈥淔rance has robbed us for more than 107 years. [A new] currency is a way out of this colonization.鈥澛�

Meanwhile, Senegal鈥檚 new president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, was elected in March in part on his promise to rid Senegal of outside manipulation 鈥� including of the country鈥檚 economy. He and his prime minister, Mr. Sonko, have discussed either reforming the CFA or leaving it entirely.聽

A question of stability聽

Still, it remains to be seen if these countries will take tangible steps to boot the CFA. And many in the region 鈥� including prominent leaders like Ivory Coast鈥檚 President Alassane Ouattara 鈥� are against the move.聽

Back at Mr. Diallo鈥檚 coffee stand, repeat customer Ugochukwi Udensi sips his Caf茅 Touba as he explains why he doesn鈥檛 want Senegal to stop using the CFA.

鈥淭he CFA is stable,鈥� he says, using the common colloquial pronunciation, 鈥渃efa.鈥澛犅�

A Nigerian immigrant, Mr. Udensi knows well the value of that stability. In the past year, his home country has plunged into an economic crisis, with inflation now hovering at 34 percent. A similar situation would be very unlikely in countries using the CFA because its peg to the euro makes it more resilient to inflation.

Mr. Udensi reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out two wrinkly, sky-blue 2000 CFA notes, which together are worth just under $7. When he sends that amount home, it can sustain his mother for a week or two, he says. 鈥淭his is a lot of money in Nigeria.鈥澛�