Colonial Legacies: Racism & Shame in France | Global Commentary
The Colonial Legacy Connecting Nations
No Country Is Above Shame
Working in my field in France, I meet people from all over the world. Americans are some of the most self-conscious travelers I’ve ever encountered. Many of them, the moment they realize I speak English, lower their voices and confess their embarrassment of being American and being lead by Donald Trump.
It fascinates me how much shame they carry over a single political figure. They act as if the rest of the world is constantly judging them. But here’s the truth: every country has its own political disasters. America is not unique.
Look at South Korea — three presidents in a few years, swept away by corruption scandals. I don’t even think they reelected a new president yet. Or look right here in France. People like to present this country as sophisticated, cultured, and politically mature. But behind the surface, France is deeply fractured. Protests erupt constantly, governments turn unstable, and racism is woven into the very fabric of society.
France’s Own Racism
France loves to look across the Atlantic and shake its head at American racism, pointing to police brutality and, or segregation.
But France has its own story of slavery and colonialism. Entire systems here justice, police, healthcare, education are built on that same history of exclusion. Racism is not an American export; it is a shared inheritance of every nation that once built wealth on the backs of enslaved or colonized people.
France also has a long record of police violence. From the 1961 Paris massacre, when Algerian protesters were beaten and drowned in the Seine, to the Charonne metro killings in 1962, state repression has scarred the country. In modern times, names like Malik Oussekine (1986), Zyed Benna and Bouna Traoré (2005), Adama Traoré (2016), Rémi Fraisse (2014), Cédric Chouviat (2020), and Nahel Merzouk (2023) have all come to symbolize the brutality of policing in France. Add to this the Yellow Vest protests of 2018–19, where demonstrators lost eyes and limbs to police weapons, and it becomes clear: systemic violence is not just an American problem — it’s French too.
Zyed Benna & Bouna Traoré (2005) – Two teenagers electrified in a power substation while fleeing a police check sparked nationwide unrest. TIME
Rémi Fraisse (2014) – Killed by a stun grenade fired by police at a protest against a dam. France 24
Adama Traoré (2016) – Died in custody after being pinned by officers; sparked protests and remains a symbol of anti-racist struggle. The Washington Post
Théo Luhaka (2017) – Sodomized with a baton during a police search; officers eventually convicted but received suspended sentences. France 24AP
Yellow Vest Protests (2018–19) – Violent repression led to severe injuries: 24 eyes lost, 5 hands damaged, over 300 head injuries, and 2 deaths. TIME
Michel Zecler (2020) – Black music producer beaten and racially insulted by officers; incident sparked outrage and reform calls. The Washington PostFrance 24
Cédric Chouviat (2020) – Died after being pinned down by officers during a traffic stop, repeatedly saying “I’m suffocating.” DWThe Washington PostAP News
Nahel Merzouk (2023) – A 17-year-old shot dead by police during a traffic stop; led to massive protests and national reckoning. Teen Vogue
Other Fatal Shootings (2017–2022) – Multiple deaths, often involving Black or Arab youths shot during “refusals” to comply with police stops—includes Aboubakar Fofana (2018), Olivio Gomes (2020), Rayana (2022), and Alhousseim Camara (2023).
The Colonial Legacy
And in fact, the connections between America and Europe run deeper than people realize. The United States was built not only by the English, but also by the French and the Dutch. That’s why so many Americans still carry French, British, or Dutch names today because their ancestors came directly from those countries.
The same nations that shaped America politically and culturally also shaped its structures of power.
France in particular exported its systems everywhere. Its empire included huge parts of Africa (Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Benin, Niger, Chad, Madagascar, Gabon, Cameroon, Togo, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Mauritania, and more), the Caribbean (Haiti, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, Trinidad), the Middle East (Lebanon, Syria), Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia), and the Pacific (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Vanuatu). Even in North America, France once claimed Canada and Louisiana.
This is why America and France resemble one another in their institutions: both were built on colonial power, slavery, and racial hierarchy.
Wealth Built on Theft
People also need to understand something rarely said out loud : France is not rich because of its soil, geography, or innovation. France became rich because it stole. It looted colonies, extracted resources, and killed to maintain control.
Gold from Mali. Uranium from Niger. Oil from Gabon. Cocoa from Ivory Coast. Art from across Africa and Asia still displayed in French museums. This is the true source of French wealth.
And today, that system is breaking down. Africa is rising. More and more African nations are realizing that their resources should serve their own citizens not be siphoned off to Paris.
The CFA franc, which still binds 14 African countries to the French treasury, is being challenged. Young people are demanding sovereignty. And with that, France feels what it long ignored: the frustration of a nation that cannot steal as it once did.
And the legacy of exploitation doesn’t end with formal independence. In West and Central Africa, fourteen countries—including Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, and Gabon—still use the CFA franc, a currency pegged to the euro and kept stable through deposits of 50–60% of their foreign reserves in the French Treasury.
Monetary policy is influenced by French-appointed officials, and scholars estimate that €500 billion has been siphoned from those economies since 1960—all while growth lags behind.
Meanwhile, Hungary—notably Haiti—was compelled to fund its independence with a “ransom” paid to France in the 19th century. Announced in 1825 and finally settled only decades later, this debt remains a symbol of structural injustice echoing in today's economic disparities.
A Shared Truth
So the next time an American feels ashamed of Trump, as though he alone defines their country’s shame, they should remember: no nation is spotless. Every country carries its scars. Every country has leaders who embarrass them, systems that oppress, histories that wound.
France has built its image on sophistication, but beneath the surface lies racism, brutality, and looted wealth. The only reason France was ever rich is because it colonized and stole. And now that the world is changing, France faces its reckoning.
Instead of shame, what we need whether American, French, or otherwise is honesty. Honesty about where our wealth came from. Honesty about the blood and resources that built our nations. Honesty about the systems that continue to oppress.