For the Sake of the Future: Calls to Teach France’s Colonial Past in Schools

In the wake of France’s admission of its violent role in Cameroon, there is a growing consensus that for the sake of the future, this history must be taught in French schools. Activists argue that education is the only way to ensure such atrocities are never repeated and to build a relationship with Africa based on truth.
President Emmanuel Macron’s acknowledgment of a French-led war in Cameroon from 1945-1971 has brought a dark part of history into the light. This conflict, which killed tens of thousands, was long absent from French textbooks and public consciousness.
Cameroonian artist and commission co-head Blick Bassy made a strong plea for this educational reform. He argued that “public outreach is crucial” and that this history must be integrated into the school curriculum “so that the French population can truly understand and accept the country’s history.”
While the French government’s acknowledgment is a step forward, true reconciliation depends on changing mindsets for generations to come. Teaching the difficult truths of colonialism is seen not as an exercise in guilt, but as a necessary foundation for a more just and equitable future relationship between France and its former colonies.