French Caribbean Contribution to WWII: Hidden Heroes and Untold Stories

 
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
 
L
a
 
D
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s
s
i
d
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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
 
D
i
s
s
i
d
e
n
t
s
 
o
r
 
R
é
s
i
s
t
a
n
t
s
?
 
Dissidents
→ black French Caribbean population who left the
islands to join the Forces françaises libres
Résistants
→ white 
Békés
 who did not fight
 
Which term?
 
H
i
s
t
o
r
i
c
a
l
 
C
o
n
t
e
x
t
 
July 1940→ fall of France to Nazi Germany
French Caribbean controlled by Vichy regime
Admiral Georges Robert (High Commissioner for Antilles),
Constant Sorin (Governor of Guadeloupe) & Henri
Bressoles/Yves Nicol (Governor of Martinique)
Violence→ 2 May 1943, Basse-Terre Island, Guadeloupe
‘An tan Sorin’ & ‘an tan Robè’
 
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
 
W
h
a
t
 
H
a
p
p
e
n
e
d
?
 
Dissidents
 escaped to British islands of Dominica and Saint
Lucia
Precarious fishing boats and dinghies
Joined 
Forces françaises libres
 
Worldatlas.com
 
Military training in USA & Canada
Crossed Atlantic to fight in Europe
Frantz Fanon a 
Dissident
 
Libération.fr
 
Raphaël Confiant,
L’Insurrection de l’âme
(2017)
 
June 2009→ Nicolas Sarkozy granted 
Légion d’honneur 
to
thirty-six former 
Dissidents
 
Martinique.franceantilles.fr 25 June 2009
 
Lefigaro.fr 23 June 2009
 
W
h
y
 
N
o
 
C
o
m
m
e
m
o
r
a
t
i
o
n
?
 
No official memorial
2010→ small stele in Les Trois-Îlets, Martinique
2 June 2014→ plaque in Les Invalides inaugurated by
Hollande
 
Martinique.france
antilles.com
 
Les Trois-Îlets
 
Outremer-
radio.com
 
Les Invalides
 
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)
 
L
a
 
D
i
s
s
i
d
e
n
c
e
 
i
n
 
L
i
t
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
 
a
n
d
 
F
i
l
m
 
Raphaël Confiant, 
Le Nègre et l’Amiral 
(1988) & 
La Dissidence
(2002)
Daniel Maximin, ‘Dissidences’ (2008)
 
 
MALE AUTHORS & MALE CHARACTERS
 
Alice Delpech, 
La Dissidence: roman antillais 
(1991)
Gisèle 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 Elysée Palace in June
2014
Set of teaching resources by Académie de Paris
 
C
o
n
c
l
u
s
i
o
n
 
Dissidence
→ specifically Caribbean form of resistance in
WWII
Literature & film crucial in calling for official commemoration
of the 
Dissidents
’ bravery and sacrifice
 
R
e
f
e
r
e
n
c
e
s
 
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 françaises: une
mémoire à préserver (1945–2011)’, 
Revue historique des armées
 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 européenne d’histoire
 25.2 (2018), 374–91
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Explore the untold stories of 4000-5000 men and women from French Caribbean islands who played a crucial role in the liberation of Occupied France during World War II. Learn about the challenges they faced, their resourcefulness in the face of hunger and starvation, and their escape to British islands to join the Forces françaises libres.


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  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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?

  4. 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

  5. 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)

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. June 2009 Nicolas Sarkozy granted Lgion dhonneurto thirty-six former Dissidents Lefigaro.fr 23 June 2009 Martinique.franceantilles.fr 25 June 2009

  10. 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

  11. 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)

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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

  15. Conclusion Conclusion Dissidence specifically Caribbean form of resistance in WWII Literature & film crucial in calling for official commemoration of the Dissidents bravery and sacrifice

  16. 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

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