Africa has witnessed a wave of protests against French oil giant TotalEnergies, with activists, civil society organizations, and frontline communities demanding the company cease its operations, pay reparations, and pave the way for a community-centered energy transition. The coordinated protest, dubbed Africa Week of Action, took place from August 18-24 and saw events in over 10 countries, including Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In South Africa, hundreds of protesters marched from Standard Bank’s headquarters to TotalEnergies’ offices in Johannesburg, highlighting the bank’s role in financing projects such as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Zaki Mamdoo, Coordinator of the StopEACOP Campaign, emphasized that banks like Standard Bank are complicit in the destruction and displacement of African communities.
In Togo, over 1,000 people participated in a football tournament aimed at raising awareness about TotalEnergies’ destructive business model. The event, organized by community groups, used football as a tool of resistance to reclaim the game and show TotalEnergies the “red card.” Similarly, in Zimbabwe, creatives and youth activists led a creative resistance teach-in, using art, poetry, and music to inspire and advance the political imagination against fossil fuels.
TotalEnergies’ operations have had devastating effects on African communities, including biodiversity loss, poisoned rivers, displacement, and deepened poverty. The company’s drilling for oil in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s oldest and most pristine national park, has created human-animal conflict, with wild animals destroying farms in neighboring villages.
The protests and events were amplified online, with an online tribunal attracting 80-140 guests and a community tribunal in Uganda drawing over 250 villagers. The week-long mobilization concluded with a prayer vigil in Nairobi, where interfaith leaders, youth, and community members called on TotalEnergies and African governments to transition towards community-owned renewable energy projects.
The Africa Week of Action demonstrates the growing resistance against fossil fuel extraction and the demand for a just and community-centered energy transition in Africa. As TotalEnergies faces increasing pressure to cease its operations, the company’s century-long presence in Africa is being reevaluated, with communities seeking reparations and a shift towards sustainable energy solutions.