The attack in the coastal city of Nice happened as a driver ran into a large crowd with his truck. The crowd had gathered to witness the colourful annual Bastille Day fireworks showcase. Over 80 people including children have died and many more sustained varying degrees of injury.
Related: Identity of Nice attacker confirmed
The attacks
This is the third major terror attack on French soil in the last 19 months.
The first attack happened in January 2015 at the offices of Charlie Hebdo and at a Jewish supermarket; then another at various locations in Paris including the Bataclan concert venue where over 120 died in November.
The Islamic State group claims responsibility for masterminding or inspiring disgruntled French youths to carry out these horrific incidents.
Related: Mahama condemns Paris attacks
Feeling of hopelessness
In an interview with Pulse News, Kwame Sarpong Dumorine, a Ghanaian who has lived in France for 20 years, expressed hopelessness about the security system in the country.
"Last year we had two attacks and the French government tightened security so even though we were afraid, because of the fact that we see soldiers and policemen all over, it made us feel secure.
[However, looking at what has happened now] we have sort of lost hope in all the security men we see around. What the government has to do to make us safe, I don’t know. We are just praying to God that we don’t go to the wrong places at the wrong time.”
The Vigipirate
Following the recent terror attacks, the French government instituted a wide range of security measures including a state of emergency and what is locally known as the Vigipirate. This gave the government wide ranging powers to effect arrests and also saw a boost in the number of uniformed and plain clothed security officials on French streets. Armed policemen and soldiers have since become a regular feature of French life in a bid to reassure citizens of their security.
We are staying at home
According to Sarpong, who is the president of an association of Ghanaians and runs the Miss Ghana France beauty pageant, the Ghanaian diaspora in France is very concerned about these attacks and their response is to avoid places of large convergence.
“…We have several events and meetings in the course of the year and most of the time when you are promoting your event, people tell you because of [these attacks] I cannot come.
What happened in Nice, that same thing happens here in Paris where when it is 14th July, we take our kids to go and see the fireworks but because of what we know, we didn’t go yesterday. [My family] stayed at home. So of course if I didn’t go, it means some other parents will also decide not to go.”
Living in fear?
However, the father of two insists he does not live in fear although he is very selective about the places he and his family go to.
“I am very careful wherever I go. I don’t go to places where I know there will be a lot of people like occasions like [the fireworks] and when they played the Euro championships recently, we had big screens set up in a lot of places.
But I chose not to go there with my family. Before these attacks, I used to go to places like that, but this time around, I wouldn’t say I live in fear but I take precautions.”
Size of Ghanaian Diaspora
According to Dumorine, the Ghanaian diaspora has significantly grown over the past three years with many moving to France from neighbouring countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy who have been hit by the Eurozone financial crisis. There are over 18,000 Ghanaians living in the Paris region alone. There are significantly large populations also in Nantes, Bordeaux, Marseille, Toulouse and Lyon.
Coming back home?
“That is the wish of most Ghanaians in the diaspora. But then, it becomes a little bit complicated when you have children here like myself. I have two kids here. I would love to come and live in Ghana but I don’t think the time is now. It will be in the future.”
Kwame is a web developer and works with the Ghana In France website that serves as a source of news for the Ghanaian community. He lives in Villiers le bel; a town 15 minutes away from the capital, Paris. Born in Tema, Dumorine traces his heritage to Asante Akyem Agogo in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
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