A West African activist who burned a bank note to demonstrate his hatred of the regional CFA franc has reignited a decades-old debate and prompted thousands of supporters in former French coloniesto turn to social media and demand that the currency be scrapped.

The French-Beninese national, Kemi Seba, appeared in court in Senegal in connection with a video that showed him setting a bank note of 5,000 CFA francs ($9) alight. He was arrested on Aug. 25after the Central Bank of West African States lodged a complaint for destruction of money.

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.

Seba 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 colonialruler. The CFA franc, which is pegged to the euro and backed by reserves held in France, was established after World War II to help France import goods from its colonies.

Seba's call for the end of the franc has sparked a rare outpouring of support from people across the region that demonstrates the reach of social media activism in West and Central Africa.

To read the complete article, see:
Cash-Burning Activist Sets West Africa's Social Media on Fire(https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-29/cash-burning-activist-sets-west-africa-s-social-media-alight)

To read the complete article, see:
Senegal acquits activist for burning cash in anti-colonial protest(http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-4835976/Senegal-acquits-activist-burning-cash-anti-colonial-protest.html)

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