1957 Reorganising West Africa

11. French West Africa (FF8) French-West-Africa was a federation of eight French colonies in West Africa, including French Mauretania, Senegal, French-Sudan (now Mali), Guinea, Ivory Coast, Niger, Upper-Volta (now Burkina Faso) and dahomey (no Benin) French West-Afica was big, about 4.689.000 km². Most of this land was desert, the Sahara Desert. At the start of the federation, the area was home for com 10 Milion people. When de federation felt apart, there lived some 25 Milion people. French West-Africa was created in 1895 with a union which had only Senegal, French Sudan, Guinea en Ivory Coast as members. The Federation became permanent in 1904, governed from Saint Louis and later in 1902 from Dakar, both lying in the Senegal of today. In those days the economy was based on an exchange trade economy. In the thirties only 2 percent of the people got a payed job. This changed a bit when the federation got railways. The railway from dakar in Senegal to Bamaku in French Sudan was finished in 1923. The allied forces failed to go ashore in Senegal in September 1940 in the Battle of Dakar (Operation Menace). Pierre Boisson, the governor-general of the federation did in 1942 support admiral Darian, who took over the power in Algiers, after the landing of the french in French North-Africa. At last French West-Africa became a supporter of general de Gaulle. The federation felt apart after a referenda in September 1958. The partisipants wanted all to be autonomous republic. Guinea wante immidiately to be an independent country. The others, Ivory Coats, Niger, Upper-Volta and Dahomey went on as the sahel-Benin Union, but this union had only a short existance. F3AT Ivan Passtre During those days after World War Two, you could easily make a QSO with someone in French West-Africa. Amanong those early day operators you could work Ivan Pastre. Ivan Pastre was first licensed in France as F3AU in 1931. He became F3AT in 1933. After WWII, he went to Africa in the Air Force. He was licensed in French Equatorial Africa as FQ3AT and FQ3AT/FE in 1947. He was licensed in Cameroon where he signed FE8AB in 1948. He was licensed in French West Africa where he signed FF8AG in 1951. Ivan became a SK on November 8, 2016 at age 102!