François Tombalbaye was a trade union leader, a teacher, and the first President of Chad. Born on June 15, 1918, François Tombalbaye started his journey in politics in 1946 and played a major role in the formation of the Chad Progressive Party.
He was the first President of the Chad union and was elected into the French National Assembly in 1952, where he served as the Vice President of the Grand Council of French Equatorial Africa and the Prime Minister of Chad.
Tombalbaye became the first president of Chad after Chad gained its independence on August 11, 1960, and was killed during a military coup On April 13, 1975.
Here are Top 5 Memorable Quotes of François Tombalbaye
Top 5 Memorable Quotes of François Tombalbaye
1. Although our countries have gained their political independence, mental decolonization remains to be won. We are convinced that the mental decolonization of our people will enable us to resolve some of the difficulties which oppose us to each other.
2. There is no much sense in building Africa in sovereign States, independent of each other for we know that it is from our union and from it alone, that we shall draw sufficient strength to assert ourselves in the world.
3. The great majority of our people have remained very African, very original, with none of the varnish of French, English, or any other culture. Whether they come from French or English areas of influence they are characterized only by poverty, destitution, ignorance, and misery and, hence by the unanimous desire for learning or education, the desire to open themselves to the outside world.
“The foundations of African Unity must be laid at Addis Ababa. On this occasion, in coming to the Ethiopian capital, we are happy, and we intend, to make our modest contribution to the search for a possible solution”
4. In the opinion of the people of Chad and its Government, the society capable of withstanding the tests of time can only be built on foundations of friendship and fraternity. In Chad and generally in Africa the word “brother” is not ‘limitative’.
5. The work to be done with respect to the economic development of our continent is even greater and more arduous than the political work. The reconversion of present economic structures into horizontal inter-African structures is the sine qua non of our self-assertion in the world. The establishment of a free trade area, development bank of a single currency all contain very varied and complex aspects which we hope will starting from our conference find elements for a permanent and effective solution
6. African Unity means all the forces of the continent united for the total liberation of the continent; African Unity means the pooling of all our economic resources for our material well-being; African Unity is also the restitution of all moral and cultural values