His Background

He was a West African patriot of Guinea born in 1922 in the area around Conakry. His father was a Muslim farmer who belonged to the kinship of the famous Samouri Toure, an important African king who resisted French colonialism.

Education

He had his first education at a Koranic institute before he joined Primary education at the age of 14. Being opposed to French colonial policies even at primary level, he was refused to go to secondary level and instead, he went to a French technical school in Conakry.

In 1935, he was expelled for leading a food strike. After this, he studied privately and did his secondary examination in 1939.

Work

In 1940, Niger Franchaise a business firm where his political career began employed him.

While working with this firm, he showed a great like for labour movements. He left this firm in the same year (1940) and went to work with the posts and telecommunications where he focused and headed a labour group as its secretary general, which played a major role in uniting all workers' unions in Guinea. He affiliated these unions to a French Communist Trade Union called (CGT).

In 1946, he was the founder member of the RDA, a party standing for African Democratic Assembly with its headquarters at Bamako in Mali. RDA was an inter territorial political party for all the French speaking West African countries.

In 1950, he became Secretary General of PDG, Democratic Party of Guinea that was part of RDA.

Sékou Touré served as president of Guinea from its independence in 1958 until his death in 1984. Intolerant of political dissent, Touré’s regime was responsible for numerous human rights abuses.

He was elected vice president of RDA in 1952, the position which gave more power to organise his supporters among the people.

In 1953, he organised a serious strike in Guinea by the workers against the French employers. This strike lasted 66 days, as the workers demanded increased wages and short working hours. All these were achieved.

He used the trade union philosophy of workers' solidarity and brotherhood of Islam to unite the masses behind the RGD regardless of race, origin and tribal attachments.

In 1954, he tried to contest for the post of Guinea Deputy (Representative) in the French Assembly but lost to Barry Diawadou.

In 1956, he was elected to the French Parliament as Deputy of Guinea. He also succeeded in forming an independent African trade union called General Confederation of African Workers. It was later changed to Black African Workers. In the same year, he was elected mayor of Conakry City.

In 1956 a Referendum was held for the people of Guinea to decide whether to remain under the French or become independent. His campaign slogan was that people of Guinea prefer poverty in liberty to riches in slavery.

In 1957, he became president of the semi‑autonomous territory of Guinea, a position he used to destroy power of the colonial government in the country.

He assured President Charles de Gaulle of France in 1958 that Guinea was to have her independence at any cost. As a result, Guinea was granted full independence outside the Framework of the French community on the 2nd October 1958 with Sekou as its first president.

Sekou Toure with Ivory Coast's President Boigny 

But having failed to co-operate with the French, president Charles de Gaulle ordered all the French investors, teachers, doctors, instructors in army and police and other workers to leave Guinea with minimum delay. People were left to suffer. Guinea had no trained personnel.

Achievements

To solve all these problems, Sekou Toure created friendship with Soviet Union and other socialist countries. Aid came from China, Cuba, and Egypt.

In 1958 November, he signed an agreement with the leader of Ghana that led to the formation of Ghana‑Guinea union.

He was among the 32 heads of African states who led to the formation of OAU in 1963 in Adisa-baba- Ethiopia. This was to promote unity of all African states.

His early Presidency was notably Leftist as he tried to forge a Socialist revolution through the early years of African independence. As his policies failed, Sékou Touré filled the vacuum with ever increasing centralized rule and social tyranny. By the time of his death in 1984, life expectancy in Guinea dropped to 40 years, business nearly evaporated, Conakry was in a shambles, and the per capita GDP dropped to US$ 290.

He died in 1984 while being operated in a hospital in Cleveland in USA.

To what extent was Sekou Toure responsible for the collapse of French Federation of West Africa ?

Identify and explain the role played by Sekou Toure in breaking up the French federation of West Africa.

Other factors are also required.

A stand point is required

Identification of French West Africa (FWA)

Identification of Sekou Toure

Sekou toure's role was as follows:

Brave declaration for total independence in 1958 mobilized popular interest for independence in every other colony of FWA

Toure's suddenly inflated popularity was a threat to all other political leaders who had either to follow example or be eclipsed.

Independence of Guinea and that Ghana ultimately convinced Senghor of Senegal and Houphuet Boigny of Ivory coast and even the French that independence of FWA could not be resisted any more.

1959,in Senegal and Mali formed a federation to be strong to resist French power within the community.

Hence the "no vote" of Sekou Toure in the De Gaule federation in 1958 shattered the for the long awaited Federation of West Africa.

Other factors

· Role of RDA formed in 1946.

· Role of the Mass political parties.

· Role of the French government itself by doing the following.

· Holding the Brazzaville conference of 1944.

· Promising concessions to its African territories during world war II.

· De Gaulle's holding a referendum. Role of colonial French education. Role of French communist parties. Role of super powers.

· UNO influence. Asian nationalism in form of Vietnam war of independence.

· Role of India.

· Communist Victory in China.

· Indonesian independence.

· Role of Kwame Nkrumah.

· Algerian war of independence