France President Emmanuel Macron has called on Nigerian youths to actively participate in politics.
Speaking at the Afrika Shrine in Ikeja on Tuesday evening, the French President said the message he had for Nigerian youths was to be engaged in politics in order to change the situation of the country, positively.
He also described the Afrika Shrine as an iconic place for the propagation of African music and culture, saying that he was immensely enriched when he first visited the place in 2012.
Macron said: “I discovered Nigeria and a lot of my friends are here. I discovered Nigeria and I discovered Lagos and I discovered the shrine. This place is an iconic place and it is a place where the best of music are given.
“I have to say my main memories about this place are friends, proud people, proud of their culture, proud of their art and music. I have a very different view of Africa than a lot of other people in Europe because I was in the Gambia.”
Speaking further, the French President said the reason African continent was being painted in negative light was because Africans were not telling their stories to the outside world.
Macron said: “I am not so sure the image of Africa is always negative. Some people say this is a tremendous continent with young people and lots of opportunities and so on and at the same time a lot of people say Africa is a place of terrorism and needs to liberate itself. The two assumptions are true at the same time because Africa is just more than that.
“It is a young continent, what we need is African people speaking about Africa. We need a new narrative, we need you people to change this narrative, what we need is young generation of artistes, entrepreneurs, civil societies, journalists and intellectuals coming from Africa and speaking about Africa in your own narrative everywhere.”
