My Take | Curtains fall on France in Africa as fake video bears hint of truth
- Contrary to a popular viral clip, newly elected Senegalese president did not tell Paris to go away, but he may as well have with PM appointment
A viral video clip that claims to show Senegal’s newly elected president Bassirou Diomaye Faye telling France to stuff it has delighted many and collected more than 52,000 likes from 1.3 million views on YouTube.
“It is time for France to lift its knees from our necks … It’s time for France to let go of us.”
However, it turned out to be an AI-manipulated fake. French commentators and politicians collectively heaved a sigh of relief. They cheered too early, though.
The politician who made the actual speech – in both French and Wolof in 2021 rather than English, as in the clip – is Ousmane Sonko. Faye has just named him prime minister.
Both men are leaders of the main opposition party, Patriotes Africains du Sénégal pour le Travail, l’Éthique et la Fraternité. Given the party’s anti-colonial programme, and that the two men are close allies, it’s hard not to think Faye doesn’t share at least some of Sonko’s anti-French sentiment.
The viral clip appears to have been a direct translation. According to Africa Check, a fact-checking service: “The viral video not only features Sonko, but [also] has been altered, with English audio replacing Sonko’s original French. But Sonko said something similar in his 2021 speech.”