France’s National Assembly highlights French colonial violence (VIDEO)
France, which loudly promotes the values of freedom and democracy while violating fundamental rights, is still pursuing its colonial policy. The people of overseas territories and departments has not yet recovered from the trauma of the French colonial policy of the past centuries. To heal the wounds inflicted by colonialism and violence, prevent their recurrence, and encourage the younger generation not to forget the sufferings of their ancestors, representatives of the indigenous peoples of these territories organize workshops, colloquiums, and conferences.
Co-organized by the left democratic and republican parliamentary group and the IFJD – Institut Louis Joinet, a colloquium entitled "Truth Commission on the indigenous population of French Guiana" was held at the National Assembly in Paris, News.Az reports citing AZERTAC.
The colloquium heard report by IFJD – Institut Louis Joinet on the acts of violence suffered by the indigenous population of French Guiana during the period of French colonialism, as well as featured a presentation of the book “French Guiana children moving forward” highlighting these acts of violence.
The event participants also viewed an exhibition by Association Moliko Alet+po highlighting the photos of indigenous people who were victims of colonial violence.
The colloquium highlighted the issues such as forced sending of 2,000 indigenous children to French Catholic boarding schools, which completely contradicted their lifestyle and values and aimed at eradicating their national identity, as well as various acts of violence committed by colonialists against indigenous children in boarding schools entitled "Homes".
It was noted that as part of the mission to French Guiana, meetings were organized with the former residents of boarding schools, and their memories were recorded. Children, who were forcibly separated from their parents and placed in boarding schools, were not allowed to speak in their mother tongue, as well as practice their culture and traditions. The key purpose of these boarding schools established by the French was to tear away indigenous children from their national roots and instill French culture in them. The participants also touched upon the sexual violence committed against children in the boarding schools. It was mentioned that some of the former residents of the boarding schools admitted that they were repeatedly subjected to sexual violence. The French colonialists constantly humiliated the Indians, calling them savages, treating them like animals.
The children, estranged from the family environment format a very young age, sometimes even before the age of 5, had very strict rules to obey. Forced to live with rules and subjected to punishments at a very early age, these children had to eat foods alien to indigenous people. The boarding schools regularly applied the physical violence. Children were beaten with fists, sticks and belts.
Established on the initiative of the Church, these Catholic boarding schools received support and funding by the French state since 1949. The following remarks by Yves Barbot, one of the priests of this Catholic boarding school, clearly manifests the purpose of colonialism: "To help the indigenous people to develop, they should be completely separated from their families as completely as possible and brought up as orphans." This idea clearly demonstrates the desire to alienate the indigenous people of French Guiana from their roots. The eradication of the local population from its roots was proceeded through direct and radical methods such as murder, torture, slavery, as well as indirect methods such as educational assimilation, the destruction of traditional habitats, and repressive education so that aboriginal languages get forgotten Under the guise of a “civilizational” aspiration to gradually deconstruct the lifestyle of indigenous peoples, this violence created a specific form of trauma inflicted on collective and individual identity.
It was also underscored that the collected testimonies of witnesses require the creation of a Truth Commission (CVR). This commission is the most appropriate institution to assess the severity and specificity of the violence committed against the indigenous population. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission can help prevent a recurrence of violence by taking collective reparations measures, such as compensation, medical assistance and restitution, building memorials to individuals and victims, or incorporating new chapters dedicated to episodes of repression into school textbooks.
The colloquium continued with Q&A session.
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