The CFA franc is one of Africa’s most baffling and misunderstood currencies. Introduced in 1945 to keep France’s African colonies under control, it has withstood decolonisation. Today, the CFA franc operates in 14 African countries and remains managed by France. Its existence remains controversial, with the currency described as ‘one of the straitjackets that keeps the African countries dependent on France.’ In this episode, we unravel the history of the CFA franc and its potential future.Follow us on IG: itsacontinentpod and Twitter: itsacontinent. It's a Continent (published by Coronet) is available to purchase: itsacontinent.com/book  We're on Buy me a Coffee too: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/itsacontinentVisit our website: itsacontinent.comArtwork by Margo Designs: https://margosdesigns.myportfolio.comMusic provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTgWarm Nights by Lakey Inspired: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/...Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...Sources for further reading:Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices