Black France
A three-part series
looking at the history of France's black community and their long struggle for
recognition.
14 Jul 2014 14:11 GMT |
Politics, US & Canada, France, United States
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Editor's note: This
series is no longer available online.
In May 2013, France's
National Assembly successfully voted on a bill to remove the words 'race' and
'racial' from the country’s penal code.
French President
Francois Hollande ran on a platform promising to eliminate the word 'race' from
France’s constitution. But critics were quick to point out the disparity
between constitutional reform and actual practice.
Between one and five
million French citizens claim African or Caribbean heritage. These numbers are,
however, estimates, as population censuses do not recognise race.
For over a century,
black immigrants, though never officially identified as different, were treated
as 'others'.
Even today, of France’s
577 members of parliament, only five are black.
This three-part series
tells the story of blacks in France - a long history of segregation, racism,
protest, violence, culture and community building - from the turn of the 20th
century until the present day.
Episode 1: Conflicting
identities
The first episode of
this three-part series looks back on what it meant to be both black and French
in the decades before France’s African colonies achieved independence.
The colonial empire is
in black and white. It’s an empire where the slaves, subjects or natives are
black, and the master is white.
Christiane Taubira,
French Justice Minister
The first generations
of African immigrants pioneered the fight for rights in France during the
latter part of the 18th century. They were mocked with racist caricatures and
campaigns depicting them as savages in need of civilising.
Black people became
quite a spectacle in white France. They were paraded around the country in
shows for whites to marvel at. And 'Chocolate the black clown', who was kicked
when he misbehaved, became a popular symbol of colonialism.
For some, France meant
freedom. African-American athletes, like cyclist Major Taylor and boxer Jack
Johnson, competed in Paris because segregation in the US prevented them from
doing so at home.
But for others, it was
a death sentence.
When World War I broke
out, France needed the support of African soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of
black men joined France’s war efforts by working in factories and on the
frontlines - thousands died after being promised French citizenship.
But when the war ended,
blacks were excluded from peace negotiations. And black people living in France
fought for decades to be both black and French.
Episode 2: The battle
for social justice
The second episode of
this series reveals the ongoing struggles of immigrants from Africa and the
Caribbean to achieve rights, form communities and have their contributions to
French society recognised.
When you leave the
Caribbean, there’s no doubt in your mind that you’re French. But when you
arrive in Paris you’re not French anymore; you’re black.
Lilian Thuram, former
professional football player
During World War II,
Africa once again answered France’s call to battle, but this time the
motivation was different. Black soldiers were not just fighting for France;
they were combating the racist ideologies of Nazi Germany.
But while France and
the allies defeated the Axis with the help of black soldiers, the war for
social justice was only gearing up across the French colonial empire.
In 1945, during
France’s post-war elections, blacks saw their first major victory. More than 60
overseas deputies were sworn into France's National Assembly. One year later,
Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion and French Guiana became French departments
following 300 years of colonial rule.
Departmentalisation,
and then President Georges Pompidou’s decision to establish the Office for the
Promotion of Migration in the early 1960s, opened a door between France and its
departments. Almost 200,000 blacks immigrated to French cities in search of
education and work.
But they faced poverty,
racism and segregation. And they struggled to gain acceptance in cultural,
academic and social realms of French society.
Episode 3: The
immigration problem
The last episode of
this series focuses on the extreme racism and discrimination black immigrants
faced during times of economic hardship and through political shifts in
post-World War II France.
There's the reality of
people who have a hard time imagining that blacks and Arabs are citizens in
their own right.
Rokhaya Diallo, writer
and campaigner
The 1973 oil crisis
quadrupled the price of oil. The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OAPEC) embargoed oil exports to countries that supported Israel in
the War of Yom Kippur. France, like many other western nations, was hit hard by
the price increase and plummeted into a recession.
Immigrants became the
band-aid solution to France’s economic problems. The government set a goal to
encourage 500,000 foreigners to return to their countries. African immigrants
who stayed were forced from slums into hostels where they were further
segregated and ghettoised.
Opposition to
immigrants festered and, by 1977, more than half of France’s citizens said they
wanted to see immigration numbers decrease.
But Africans joined
workers of other nationalities in protest. A four-year rent strike spread
across the country’s hostels. And then in 1981, the newly elected President
Francois Mitterrand promised to regularise 130,000 undocumented workers. The
government shifted its focus from mass migration of unskilled labour to skills
training in the former colonies.
But many questioned
France’s paternalistic attitude towards the independent African nations. And
despite some change, racism and hate crimes against black people escalated.
From protests and
marches to music and dance, this is the story of how black people born in
France fought for equality in the face of discrimination and how they used
culture as a tool to empower generations.
Source: Al Jazeera
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