BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 29. The colonial policy
of France led to the destruction of the religious and national
identity of peoples, depriving them not only of freedom but also of
their very essence, member of the Movement for Decolonization and
Social Freedom (French Guiana) Dominique Montet said, Trend reports.
The activist made the remark during the international conference
on “Colonialism: the destruction of religious and national
identity” organized by the Baku Initiative Group.
“The colonial system not only stole the wealth of the peoples
but also deprived them of their culture, traditions, and languages.
We were losing not only our freedom, but also our identity. We were
deprived of names, culture, and traditions. We were imposed with
alien values, and we became part of the society that imposed its
history and culture on us,” she said.
Montet emphasized that after departmentalization in 1946, the
Western way of life was introduced, and the French began to promote
a model of life alien to the indigenous peoples. Schools began to
teach the history of France, its culture, which led to a complete
assimilation process.
“However, now many residents of French Guiana are looking for
their African identity, returning to their roots. We have more
conferences dedicated to faith, ancestral history, traditions. Many
call themselves Afro-diasporic, and this is an important step
towards restoring their own identity,” she added.
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