2023-04-16 20:30:07
FRANCE 5 – SUNDAY APRIL 16 – 10:30 PM – DOCUMENTARY
In the middle of the South Pacific, on May 5, 1988 in the early morning, the horizon above the island of Ouvéa, in New Caledonia, still glows. The calm is deceptive. To the north, in a cave located on the territory of the Gossanah tribe, Kanak separatists have been detaining twenty-three people, mainly gendarmes, for two weeks. In three days, the second round of a stormy presidential election will take place, opposing the outgoing socialist head of state, François Mitterrand, and his right-wing Prime Minister, Jacques Chirac. This crisis, which has already cost the lives of four gendarmes, has become one of the keys to the ballot. It will end in bloodshed. At the end of the assault given, the same day, by the army, there are twenty-five dead, 19 Kanaks and six soldiers.
On this troubled episode in the history of the Republic, Marion Guégan’s documentary does a useful job by not stopping at the sole use of force. She opts for a broad perspective and dwells convincingly on the historical, political and cultural roots of this drama. If specialists on the subject may regret not discovering new elements and a limited number of witnesses, the pedagogical virtue of this work and its clarity deserve attention.
Unfortunately, Ouvéa was hostage to a very tight national electoral calendar in total contradiction with the time for negotiation and the taking into account of local considerations. The metropolis was so far from Caledonian land, the information that had leaked out was so fragmented, the most eccentric fantasies about the abuses of the Melanesians having been relayed complacently, that Paris was able to easily put aside a political response that some, on the spot , thought possible and favored the only military solution. A real human waste.
Succession of unforeseen events
One of the hostage takers recounts how what was supposed to be a symbolic act turned into carnage following a series of unforeseen events. On April 22, 1988, the Kanaks just wanted to occupy the Fayaoué gendarmerie for a few hours and raise their flag, a frequent action of separatists in the territory. Moreover, it was not a villainous exaction. The anger of Alphonse Dianou, the leader of the group, and his comrades entrenched in the cave was born almost a century and a half ago in the history of our country.
It was not until 1945 that the right to vote was granted to the first Melanesians, 1,144 of them exactly, veterans, tribal chiefs and pastors. A year later, the Kanaks obtain the freedom of residence and work on the island and can finally circulate as they please, day and night. Forced labor was abolished and the native code was abolished on April 5, 1946. Before the war, “the natives”as they were then called, had to leave Nouméa before 5 p.m. and not return until 5 a.m.
You have 53.57% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.
#unnecessary #bloodshed #start #dialogue