A few years ago, I was invited by the literature professor, Dr. Maurice Belrosse, to give a lecture at the University of the Antilles in Fort de France, the capital of the island of Martinique.
The conference I attended focused on two Afro Martinican leaders: Frantz Fanon (1925-1961) and Aimé Césaire (1913-2008). Both Fanon and Césaire were considered extraordinary militants against colonialism. Fanon, who was more radical than Césaire, chose armed struggle and fought against French colonialism in Algeria where he served with the National Liberation Front as a psychiatrist and at the same time as an editor of a newspaper called El Moudjahid.
In his 1961 book, “The Wretched of the Earth,” Fanon wrote about the true purpose of colonialism: “Colonialism is not a thinking machine, nor a body endowed with reasoning faculties. It is violence in its natural state…”
When Césaire wrote about colonialism in his extraordinary text, “Discourse on colonialism,” he said, “I am talking about millions of men torn from their gods, their land, their habits, their life –– from life, from the dance, from wisdom.”
But despite Césaire and Fanon, and so many other fighters against colonialism, the island of Martinique still maintains a neo-colonial French status. It was first known as an Overseas Department and now as an Island Region.
Martinique: the price of neocolonialism
Large protests broke out in Martinique recently in response to the rise in inflation and costs for services, most of which have to be brought from France to the island which demonstrates Martinique’s continuing colonial dependence. A curfew was imposed on the island, more than 30 people were arrested, many detained, and cars were set on fire. France has increased taxes on Martinicans, even as islanders are in the streets protesting…the spirit of Fanon is in the streets.
Jean N’Sonde, a Congolese activist based in both Guadeloupe and Martinique, tells us:
“Martinique and Guadeloupe have, under the French law of 1946 (La loi de départementalisation), the same rights and duties as the French in Europe. But the recent protests tell another reality.”
Nsonde says that Fanon’s ideas are well known but not very much in evidence these days because the concept of an independent Martinique is no longer strong. Some believe that independence would come at a very high cost, others want to continue to fight for ultimate freedom.
Those who do not want full independence do not want to lose their basic living standards, which are higher than those of other Caribbean countries. Instead, they aspire to a more gradual autonomy.
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Publish date : 2024-10-24 00:48:00
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