The new overseas minister, Yaël Braun-Pivet, visiting Guadeloupe on Friday May 27, called for “look in the face” the history of slavery, during a ceremony to commemorate its definitive abolition on the island.
“Slavery is a crime against humanity perpetrated for centuries”she declared, in front of an audience of Guadeloupean personalities gathered at Fort Delgrès, erected as a place of memory of the Guadeloupe revolution of 1802.
Louis Delgrès, West Indian officer of the French army, had rebelled with hundreds of men against the reestablishment of slavery in the colonies, desired by the first consul, Napoleon Bonaparte. On May 28, 1802, they had chosen suicide rather than surrender and a return to irons. Decades later, on May 27, 1848, slavery was once again abolished in Guadeloupe, this time definitively.
In a statement, the LKP (Liyannaj Cont Profitation, “Collective against excessive exploitation”) castigated the choice of this location for what he called a “colonial commemoration” outfit “under the high authority of a slaver”the fort housing the tomb of General Richepanse, who came to restore slavery in Guadeloupe.
“Shared Memory”
Listing the “wounds” endured by Africans deported in slave ships, the minister said: “the memory of their martyrdom obliges us” et “We must look these wounds in the face, in full awareness of their sad memory”.
The “shared memory” is a ” remedy “ against discrimination or racism, “This remedy has a name, reconciliation”she insisted, renewing the promise of the installation in Paris of a memorial dedicated to the victims of slavery.
In a press release, the Guadeloupean Socialist Party stressed that this visit took place “in the middle of a reserve period imposed on ministers” because of the legislative campaign and was not possible “only in connection with this memorial time”. It cannot “to make people forget that the minister also supports the candidates of the presidential majority”he noted.
Respond to the “Call of Fort-de-France”
Yaël Braun-Pivet held a meeting with the representatives of the communities, such as the president of the regional council, Ary Chalus, concerning in particular “the Call of Fort-de-France”. On May 17, the presidents of the regions of Guadeloupe, Réunion, Mayotte, Martinique, Saint-Martin and Guyana launched this solemn appeal to “a profound change in policy” of the state in their territories.
All had requested a meeting with Emmanuel Macron which, according to Mr. Chalus, should be held ” in September “on a date “not fixed” encore.
In Guadeloupe, local elected officials have often expressed their disagreement with President Macron’s policy, going so far as to boycott the visit of the former overseas minister, Sébastien Lecornu, rushed to the scene during the urban riots that had rocked the island in November 2021.
“We have to work in good cooperationcommented the new minister. It will be a question of taking into account the singularity of each territory and the priority will be to restore full republican equality. »