French Caribbean Contribution to World War Two
During World War Two, 4000-5000 men and women from the French Caribbean islands played a significant role in the liberation of Occupied France, a contribution often overlooked in official narratives. This historical context sheds light on the struggles and resilience of the dissidents who escaped to British islands, joining the Forces françaises libres to fight against the Vichy regime's oppressive measures. The story of these brave individuals reveals a hidden chapter of courage and sacrifice in the face of adversity.
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La Dissidence: French Caribbean Contribution to World War Two Dr Antonia Wimbush University of Birmingham Translating Cultures: French Caribbean History, Literature and Migration Photo Caftan Guadeloupe
La La Dissidence Dissidence 1940-1943: 4000-5000 men and women from French Caribbean islands assisted in liberation of Occupied France Contribution to war effort hidden from official French narratives Lefigaro.fr
Dissidents Dissidents or or R sistants R sistants? ? Dissidents black French Caribbean population who left the islands to join the Forces fran aises libres R sistants white B k s who did not fight Which term?
Historical Context Historical Context July 1940 fall of France to Nazi Germany French Caribbean controlled by Vichy regime Admiral Georges Robert (High Commissioner for Antilles), Constant Sorin (Governor Bressoles/Yves Nicol (Governor of Martinique) Violence 2 May 1943, Basse-Terre Island, Guadeloupe An tan Sorin & an tan Rob of Guadeloupe) & Henri
Hunger & starvation Blockades against Robert s troops prevented food imports Self-sufficient resourcefulness and ingenuity Made shoes out of old tyres, used alcohol for fuel, cooked with coconut oil & made bread out of manioc (Stromberg Childers 2016: 44)
Vichy regime perceived as return to slavery October 1940 Universal male suffrage abolished Guiana appalling conditions in bagne (50 % mortality rate in 1942) 24 November 2017 Robert Badinter, former French Minister of Justice, denounced treatment as crime against humanity in Le Monde Lemonde.fr
What Happened? What Happened? Dissidents escaped to British islands of Dominica and Saint Lucia Precarious fishing boats and dinghies Joined Forces fran aises libres Worldatlas.com
Military training in USA & Canada Crossed Atlantic to fight in Europe Frantz Fanon a Dissident Rapha l Confiant, L Insurrection de l me (2017) Lib ration.fr
June 2009 Nicolas Sarkozy granted Lgion dhonneurto thirty-six former Dissidents Lefigaro.fr 23 June 2009 Martinique.franceantilles.fr 25 June 2009
Why No Commemoration? Why No Commemoration? No official memorial 2010 small stele in Les Trois- lets, Martinique 2 June 2014 plaque in Les Invalides inaugurated by Hollande Outremer- radio.com Les Invalides Martinique.france antilles.com Les Trois- lets
Until 1980s no mention in school curriculum/historical accounts (Toureille 2013: 71) Eclipsed by stories of colonisation and slavery Colonized then, but not part of an independent nation now, there is no national government to represent [the islands ] specific history, for they are part of a French Republic which promotes universalism, and a dominant metropolitan narrative (Wardleworth 2018: 375)
La Dissidence La Dissidence in Literature and Film in Literature and Film Rapha l Confiant, Le N gre et l Amiral (1988) & La Dissidence (2002) Daniel Maximin, Dissidences (2008) MALE AUTHORS & MALE CHARACTERS
Alice Delpech, La Dissidence: roman antillais (1991) Gis le Pineau, Paroles de terre en larmes (1988), La Grande Drive des esprits (1993) & Mes quatre femmes (2007) FEMALE AUTHORS & FEMALE CHARACTERS
Euzhan Palcy, Parcours de dissidents (2006) Screened at official commemoration at Elys e Palace in June 2014 Set of teaching resources by Acad mie de Paris
Conclusion Conclusion Dissidence specifically Caribbean form of resistance in WWII Literature & film crucial in calling for official commemoration of the Dissidents bravery and sacrifice
References References Childers, Kristen Stromberg, Seeking Imperialism s Embrace: National Identity, Decolonization, and Assimilation in the French Caribbean (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016) Toureille, Julien, La Dissidence dans les Antilles fran aises: une m moire pr server (1945 2011) , Revue historique des arm es 270, (2013), 68 78 Wardleworth, Nina, The documentary as a site of commemoration: filming the Free French Dissidents from the French Antilles ,European Review of History: Revue europ enne d histoire 25.2 (2018), 374 91
