For decades, the Elysee Palace viewed Africa through the narrow lens of its former colonies – a cozy, if often toxic, arrangement known as ‘Francafrique’ in which language was a colonialist tool rather than a neutral medium of expression and knowledge. But as French flags are lowered and troops are ushered out of the Sahel, President Emmanuel Macron touched down in Nairobi with a different script.

Leading the Africa Forward Summit in Kenya this week, Macron brought a strategic pivot toward the Anglophone world – a cultural, and no less colonial, space usually reserved for a competitor colonialist, the UK. By courting 30 nations in a region where France has no colonial history, Paris is attempting a high-stakes rebranding. It is a move that seems to be born of necessity. As the traditional sphere of influence crumbles under the weight of anti-colonial resentment and shifting global alliances, France is betting that its future on the continent lies in the English-speaking East.

However, as colonial habits die hard, a visibly angry Macron stormed the stage while proceedings were in progress at Nairobi University, telling the audience to either be quiet or leave as he complained about the side noise and private discussions. It was a moment of pure theater in which the actor’s mask slipped to reveal his true face – a lapse that the French press seized upon to express skepticism about this ‘new’ approach.

Le Figaro described the presidential outburst as a “total lack of respect.” Far-left French MP Daniele Obono characterized it as yet another instance of the “behavior of a colonialist” who cannot help himself the moment he “sets foot on the African continent.”

Even as Le Monde analyzes the pivot as a pragmatic economic necessity, the domestic narrative suggests that while the geography has changed, the........

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