Senegal acquits activist for burning cash during protest
THOUSANDS OF SUPPORTERS TURN TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND CALL FOR CHANGE OF CURRENCY
Acontroversial West African activist who was arrested in Senegal for burning a bank note in an anti-colonial protest over the regional CFA franc has been acquitted by a Dakar court.
Kemi Seba, born in France to parents from Benin, was arrested at his home in the Senegalese capital on Friday following an incident on August 19 in which he burnt 5,000 CFA — a banknote worth 7.6 euros ($9.10, Dh33.4).
He was detained following a complaint by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) on charges of “destroying a banknote” and held in pretrial custody, appearing in court on Tuesday.
The move has reignited a decades-old debate and prompted thousands of supporters in former French colonies to turn to social media and demand that the currency be scrapped.
The bank is responsible for issuing the CFA franc, which is pegged to the euro and used in eight West African countries in the region, six of which are former French colonies. A similar currency of the same name is used by six states in central Africa.
Following more than two hours of sometimes stormy debate, the judge acquitted him along with another supporter who was accused of handing him a lighter. The prosecution had pushed for a three-month suspended sentence.
Addressing the court, Seba said it was a “symbolic” act during a demonstration aimed at “exposing the wrongs of FranceAfrique” — a term referring to the murky post-colonial relationship France maintains with African countries it once ruled.
‘Economic bondage’
Seba told the court on Tuesday his act had been symbolic. “I burnt the note to raise public awareness and not as lack of respect to anybody,” he said, before being acquitted.
Keba says on his Facebook page that French-speaking nations in West and Central Africa should mint their own currencies to free themselves from economic bondage imposed by the former colonial ruler. The CFA franc, which is pegged to the euro and backed by reserves held in France, was established after the Second World War to help France import goods from its colonies.