On Tuesday, Niger's authorities in the capital Niamey renamed several historical sites whose names were reminiscent of France, the former colonial power from which they have moved away.
Residents of Niamey welcomed the authorities' initiative and shared their opinions with Sputnik Africa.
"If we could rename all the boulevards and all the roads as an authority in the name of the great African, Nigerien figures, that would be interesting in any case. Personally, I find that it is an initiative to be praised," one of the residents told Sputnik Africa.
Citizens are sure that the decision is salutary and will have a positive impact on the nation's understanding of the importance of decolonization.
"I believe that Africans in general and Nigeriens in particular, are becoming aware that the Whites have not done us any good. They have exploited us for a long time," another one argued.
Most of the Nigerien avenues, boulevards, and streets bear names that recall the sufferings and harassment of the Nigerien people during the ordeal of colonization, the Minister of Youth and spokesperson of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, Amadou Abdramane, said at the ceremony.
"This avenue, which bore the name of General Charles de Gaulle, has now been christened 'Avenue Djibo Bakary'," he noted, speaking about a supporter of the Nigerien independence achieved in 1960.
Moreover, the monument dedicated to the dead of the two world wars became "Bubandey Batama" (which means "to our dead" in the Djerma language) and now pays "homage to all civilian and military victims from colonization to the present day," Abdramane added.