Exclusive interview: Tapé Groubera "Architect of the African Renaissance

Tapé Groubera, president of the Mouvement pour la Renaissance de l'Afrique (MORAf), is an emblematic figure committed to reflecting on the political and cultural future of the African continent. The author of several analytical contributions, he looks at power dynamics in Côte d'Ivoire and the strategies of African leaders. In this interview, he shares his vision of Africa's current challenges, the historical mechanisms influencing contemporary politics, and possible paths towards a genuine African renaissance.

About your background and ideals

Jombelek: You describe yourself as a committed African patriot. At what point in your life did you decide to take up the pen to defend your ideas?

Mr Groubera : Hello dear sister. Thank you for the invitation.

Allow me to introduce myself briefly. I'm Tapé GROUBÉRA, originally from the colonial enclave known as Côte d'Ivoire. I was born there, went to primary school, secondary school and university. I now live in Belgium, where I arrived in 2005. There, I went back to school to teach mathematics in athénées and polytechniques. In 2001, I founded the Movement for the Rebirth of Africa (moraf). My comrades have entrusted me with the presidency of this movement.

To answer your question, my commitment stems from a questioning process that began in primary school. In fact, in primary school, in the first year of middle school (CM1), we had a history book. And in that book, it was mentioned that "Africa is the cradle of humanity". And I wondered how we were the first on Earth and how it is that we (melanized Africans) got to this point? And it kept me thinking. And then, because I loved to read, in 1996 I bought "Nations, nègres et Culture" by the greatest scholar of the 20th century, Cheikh Anta Diop, at the bookshop "par terre". I had bought Volume 1 (and later got hold of Volume 2). I learned a lot from reading this scientific masterpiece. I was grading to learn, not to write. In the meantime, I had obtained a position at Cocody Town Hall, in charge of education. And my comrades elected me as a union delegate. And I became deputy general secretary of the Syndical communal. Then, on December 24 1999, a military regime came to power in Côte d'Ivoire. That's how I was dismissed by the then mayor, he said, for serious misconduct. But the Labour Inspector asked him to reinstate me on the grounds of procedural irregularities. Which he refused. And on February 18 and 19
2000, there was a two-day strike. The military, who didn't want any "noise", went to the site, and I was taken to the camp. But as the matter hadn't yet gone to the top, after a few "push-ups" and some customary advice from the commanding officer, I was released. But when I was summoned a month later, I knew I had to leave the country. That's how I ended up in Germany. It was from there that I learned that a coup d'état orchestrated by Chirac-style France, and carried out by the former president of Burkina Faso and the current head of state of Côte d'Ivoire, M. Alassane Dramane Ouattara. Having seen an article in "Le Monde Diplomatique", I replied. These were my first writings, apart from the publications I had written when I was General Secretary of the Côte d'Ivoire Pupils' and Students' Union, section of the Faculty of Science and Technology (FAST). As far as my first book was concerned, the question of debt was on my mind. And I wanted to know more. I had written several manuscripts on the Bretton Wood institutions. And during the "Covid 19" period, I produced this first book. Thanks to Professor Léandre Sahiri and his publishing house, the Maybro Foundation.

Jombelek: If you had to sum up your vision of Africa in one metaphor, what would it be?
Mr Groubera : The situation in Mother Container (Africa) would be summed up as "Living very close to a
river of clean drinking water and being thirsty". We have the wealth and human resources, but we have leaders who serve Africa's enemies, in other words, in the pay of imperialism. Let's be clear. When I speak of imperialism, I mean those who want to have an empire in which African countries are vassals.
Jombelek: As a disciple of Cheikh Anta Diop, how does your thinking fit in with the continuity or evolution of his?
Mr Groubera: Professor Cheikh Anta Diop ordered us to arm ourselves to the teeth with science. That's what we're trying to do. Professor Cheikh Anta Diop was such an immense figure that my humble self can only appropriate what he wrote and the theses he developed, which, I would remind you, are still relevant today. For example, in his book "Barbarism or Civilization", he develops the thesis of the contribution of our melanized African ancestors from the Nile Valley. Professor Noussêrê Kalala Omotundé enriched this thesis with his first two books, "L'origine négro-africaine du savoir grec, Vol. 1" and "Les racines africaines de la civilisation européenne vol. 2", published respectively in 2000 and 2002 by Editions MENAIBUC. My humble self has just written my third book, entitled "De l'origine africaine des mathématiques modernes" (On the African origins of modern mathematics), which will be published in mid-February 2025. I'm trying to confirm one of the elements of the thesis of the great master Professor Cheikh Anta Diop.

On your past and future projects
Jombelek: Which of your outstanding projects has had the greatest impact and why?
Mr Groubera: Unquestionably, the publications of my thoughts and my pan-African commitment through my books "Ces Africains ennemis des africains", published in May 2020, and "Et, De Gaulle trahit l'Afrique", published in February 2024. This has enabled me to move from a defensive to an offensive posture, from the revolted to the committed revolutionary who proposes a rupture, and this must borrow from our own paradigm. The melanized African cannot have lived alone for over 100,000 years on Mother Earth, and then only in 2,000 years, the Leucoderms (or Caucasians, called "Whites") will write that they are the ones who discovered everything. In fact, the latter only existed 4700 years ago, as published by Western researchers, including genetic biologist Eva-maria Ceigl in the Mord "Science & Life" series No. 313 of May 2024.
Jombelek: Your books "Ces Africains ennemis des africains" and "Et De Gaulle trahit l'Afrique" share a common observation. Are there any signs today that give you hope for an African revival?
Mr Groubera: Absolutely. You know, my dear, that our commitment must obey this maxim: "We are bound by obligations of means, not of results". What do I mean by that? As human beings, our existence on Earth is limited (but our life is unlimited). We must make our modest contribution to the just struggle begun by Professor Cheikh Anta Diop. And therefore, do so in such a way that the few tools (books, publications, videos, etc.) we produce can serve future African and Afro-descendant generations.
Jombelek: Do you have any suggestions for enabling Africans and their diaspora to fully live out their identity, the solidarity between Africans, despite multiple aggressions and uprooting of all kinds?
Mr Groubera: The first thing is for Africans and Afro-descendants to get out of the inferiority complex created by Westerners. Firstly, they need to immerse themselves in the works of Professor Cheikh Anta Diop. Then, reading the books of Professor Cheikh Anta Diop's disciples. These include, but are not limited to: Professors Théophile Obenga, Noussêrê Kalala Omotundé, Doumbi Fakoly, Mbong Bassong, Seck Reckmire Govi, René -Louis Etilé, and others. Since we're in the digital age, watching videos of his disciples is extremely important. Before passing away, Professor Noussêrê Kalala Omotundé did an enormous amount of work in this area. And we must stop making razzias and deportations (known as slavery) and the occupation of Africa (known as colonization) the history of Africa. For if we consider this 600-year parenthesis (of razzias and deportations and the occupation of Africa) on the scale of the life of mankind, we can see that the history of Africa is no more than the history of mankind.s life that began 2.3 million years ago in Africa, it's like a drop of hot water in the sea. It represents approximately 0.03%. Secondly, they need to know that racism is institutionalized. And it's not going to be stopped by punishing or fining a few ignorant leucodermic individuals. Not long ago, Westerners (Europeans) used to talk about "chinoiseries". But today, it's the same Chinese who are adored by the Europeans. Finally, Africans need to get away from the so-called Abrahamic revealed religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Just like the spiritualities of the East. For they are incompatible with our own spirituality, which is scientific. What's more, by embracing the religions of others, we Africans confirm and certify that the racial classification made by Indo-Europeans (Europeans and Semites) is true.

On community work and globalization
Jombelek: No one can ignore the importance of community work, which may seem remote in everyday life. How can this commitment coexist with the imperatives of globalization?
Mr Groubera : First of all, we Africans need to know that there is no new globalization. It was first in the Nile Valley, then in the 14th century A.D., in the Mali Empire, that the first real globalizations were born. What we have seen since the Berlin Wall came down is another form of oppression and exploitation.-that is, the continuity of slavery (raids and deportations of melanized Africans) and colonization (occupation of Africa). Economy is energy. Europeans have no resources at home. However, they control the financial circuit through which they appropriate African resources in exchange for sheets of paper known as banknotes.
Jombelek: How do you think a genuine pan-African renaissance can emerge in the era of economic globalization?
Mr Groubera : Since 2022, there has been a dynamic underway in three countries (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger), the countries of the AES (Alliance des Etats du Sahel). We are making our modest contribution to ensuring that this Alliance extends to at least 20 to 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to the wonderful things being done in these three countries, the spiritual aspect is missing. In these three countries, Islam is omnipresent, followed by Christianity, particularly in the major cities of Burkina Faso. Yet all these Abrahamic religions are tools for dividing and exploiting Africans. The African renaissance must not only be economic, it must take place in all fields, and particularly in spirituality.
Jombelek: What tools or platforms do you think could better connect local African initiatives to global opportunities?
Mr Groubera: If there's a real political will to promote African unity, we can really create this connection. This political will must be based on bringing together the African diaspora, Afro-descendants and those who have remained on the continent. Today, several digital tools can be used to create this connection, initially. Then, physical exchanges must follow.
On pan-Africanism and cultural diversity
Jombelek: How do we balance pan-Africanist ideals with respect for the specific cultural identities of each nation?
Mr Groubera: In 1959, Professor Cheikh Anta Diop published another very important book, "L'unité culturelle de l'Afrique Noire". Strictly speaking, there are no fundamental differences between the identities of African nations. All the more so since the nations formed following the Congress of Berlin, held from November 15 1884 to February 26 1885, were formed without taking into account the realities of existing entities. For example, the Ewe people were dispersed between Ghana and Togo. So it's the appropriation of our past, through African classical humanities, that will consolidate this cultural unity. In Africa, we are a matriarchal people. In ancient Africa, men and women were not equal, but complementary. Our spirituality, which is scientific, must be at the heart of everything, especially Maat. We need to get back to our fundamentals, which I mentioned earlier.
Jombelek: Cultural differences are sometimes a source of tension. What role can literature play in fostering better understanding between African peoples?
Mr Groubera: At the risk of repeating myself, I'd say that if we Africans were to take ownership of our past and explore the classical humanities of Africa, we'd realize that there are no differences between us. All African peoples share the same cosmogenesis.
Jombelek: You often speak of African unity. What would be your concrete definition of this unity?
Mr Groubera: The African unity we're talking about is based on a triptych: political union, sovereignty and cultural and spiritual union. Without African unity, there can be no salvation for Africans. On youth and transmission
Jombelek : What advice would you give to young Africans so that they develop a sense of belonging without falling into rejection of the other?
Mr Groubera: A knowledge of the classical humanities and an introduction to African spirituality is the key to a Renaissance. This is what I would invite young Africans and Afro-descendants to do.
Jombelek : How can young people appropriate the legacy of Cheikh Anta Diop and other great pan-Africanist thinkers to meet today's challenges?
Mr Groubera: Young people must constantly inform and educate themselves in order to transform the Mother Continent. The works of Professor Cheikh Anta Diop need to be read and absorbed. There are other pan-African publications that can serve as a basis that should be appropriated. In fact, Professor Coovi Gomez has done broadcasts on the 500 pan-African books. If young people don't have them, they should listen to his videos.

Jombelek: Yourwriting is often incisive. Who are they primarily aimed at: Africans in search of an identity, or political decision-makers?
Mr Groubera: First of all, to African elites. Some are ignorant of African history and are alienated from it. On the other hand, some behave like enemies of Africa and Africans. The latter are in the minority, but harmful in the sense that they are put forward to propagate the paradigms of others and denigrate our values. We try to show this to "fragile" Africans, so that they too don't become alienated. Our salvation is Knowledge through Science.
Jombelek : If you were to write a manifesto for Africa in the 21st century, what would be its three founding ideas?
Mr Groubera : Africans and Afro-descendants are on their feet. And this awakening is irreversible. The awakening and reawakening of Africa in the service of a humanity reconciled with itself.
Jombelek: Your work sometimes criticizes African elites. Do you have another approach to suggest for better management and respect for the identity of each African country?
Mr Groubera: Our elites need to have the sense to believe in themselves. Many of them are alienated, in the sense that they don't believe in any African values. According to them, everything came from outside
Mother Continent. It's a paradigm extraversion. To understand this, you need to read Professor Cheikh Anta Diop and his disciples. In terms of spirituality, we need to celebrate our Ancestors as others do. For example, among the ten commandments of the Bible, after the first four devoted to God, the fifth reads "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you "1. If every Christian respects this, and his parents do too, and then his grandparents, we have by transitivity the Ancestors to honor, as African spirituality demands. We should no longer swear by the Bible or the Koran in Africa. But every leader must be initiated into the cult of the Ancestors. Open question
Jombelek : If you could share a universal message for the future of Africa, what would you like the world to take away from your ideas?
Mr Groubera: Man was born in Africa, and lived there for at least 100,000 years before seeking to conquer other parts of the world. The Melanized (or Negro) is the only one who can speak from the birth of Humanity to the present day. It's not these 6 centuries of deportation and occupation that should define his history. We must reconcile mankind by restoring its varied History. That's why I always like to write: History is the court of the Peoples.
Interview conducted by Johanne Elie Ernest Ngo Mbelek alias Jombelek
Paris (France), January 16, 2025
jombelek@gmail.com