Sarkozy proposes referendum on Martinique Autonomy.

international | eu | other press

Friday June 26, 2009 17:21

by Susan Boyle PopQueen

The island of Martinique is in the Carribean sea where reggae, voodoo, rum & hurricanes come from. It is also an integral part of France and as such its map appears on Euro bank notes at the bottom in a little insert. Four months ago the people of Martinique and neighbouring Gaudelope paralysed their local economies with strike actions, civil unrest, general un-mellowness and all round anti-Sarkozy attitude. This was in no small part due to their extraordinarily high levels of unemployment compared to the rest of France. Today Sarkozy has started a tour of "overseas France" and has proposed a referendum on autonomy but not independence.

This is the second time in his career that Sarkozy will have backed a referendum on autonomy for an island part of the highly centralised French state, his 2003 Corsican measure proposed whilst he was still minister of the interior was narrowly defeated.

So far reaction to the Sarkozy proposals have been muted with the leftwing in mainland French media mostly concurring that he's being a bollox & just seeking a chance to pit people against each other for some wicked end or other which comes naturally to him as he actually is in league with satan.

Here is a French language blog from Martinique, in which a Martinican open letter to Sarkozy has just appeared. The concerns of the people of the French Indies go beyond unemployment through maniupalation of oil and fuel prices by the TOTAL oil co. & though it might seem hard to believe the riots of February actually saw local Martinican soldiers take on local gendarmerie as french cops are known when they're at hom which of course maybe they aren't.

http://www.chien-creole.blogspot.com/

This local news service actually has the temerity to report the visit of nice Mr Sarkozy, he who offers extra freedom, the trip of fear and wonders in a way which doesn't seem to trickle back to the centre of France, if the rule of law and human rights will be returned any day soon to the French Indies.

It appears they lost them. Aye - indeed - it might seem they have more in common with the periphery of Paris than they think.

All they need to do to stay in the news is wear burkas.

http://www.liberation.fr/politiques/0101576439-sarkozy-...nique
http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2009/06/26/sark...0229-[NL_Titresdujour]-20090626-[zonea]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martinique

The outermost regions of the EU not all of which get on your Euro note :-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outermost_regions

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Comments (5 of 5)

Martinique

by Charlie

Wed Nov 18, 2009 03:56

Reggae music doesn't come from Martinique, but from Jamaica. The majority of people in Martinique doesn't practice voodoo. These are stereotypes which don't correspond to the reality. Thanks for correcting.

Point of order, there, chief

by Corrections are my business, and business is good - Department of Rectitude

Wed Nov 18, 2009 11:32

The article states that reggae and voodoo are from the Caribbean, not Martinique specifically.

Voodoo comes from West Africa...

by W.D.M.

Wed Jan 27, 2010 10:47

Good morning/evening,

I am particularly astounded by this article which quotes aberrant facts without checking the originality of it... Voodoo (from the Beninian etymology "Vodun") is a SYNCRETIC RELIGION originating from the ancient Dahomey empire and part of the Yoruba empire (today it would vaguely correspond to Benin, Togo, Nigeria and several parts of Ghana...). It was brought about the Caribean (Puerto Rico, Cuba, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Domingue, Jamaica etc.) and several other countries (United States (mainly New Orleans and Florida), Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Honduras, Surinam, Guyana etc.) as African slaves were brought to America (referring to the continent and not to the United States which appropriate the term to fulfill their seizure...) in the 16th century. The crossing with imported occidental (and sometimes native american beliefs) religious streams imposed to slaves gave birth to different terms in order to refer to the practices/rituals to which it could be assimilated: this includes the Louisiana Voodoo, the brazilian Candomblé and/or Umbanda, the Santería and/or Arará in Cuba etc.

Far from the Hollywood yokes and the xenophobe images of some old-fashioned cartoons depicting coloured primitives in fright, Voodoo is a growing religion practised by millions of individuals. Nowadays it celebrates cultural interbreeding and is subject to major studies.

W.D.M

Vodun is distinct from the syncretic religious systems known as Voodoo in the Carribean

by gurggle - (iosaf)

Thu Jan 28, 2010 18:20

They share undoubted roots which of course resulted from the african diasporia reducing from the slave trade. But they are now as distinct as Shia and Druze Islam or Mormonism and Roman Catholicism. If you don't believe me read wikipedia & take your arguments there. & stop returning here and adding pretty much the same comment to my article every few months.

martinique the birthplace of Franz Fanon

by kevin murphy - 32 csm

Sun Jan 31, 2010 19:52

Twas from that fair isle he was forced to flee as a teenager after singing the praises of General De Gaulle and the Free French Movement , the island being the preserve of the Vichy Free staters , along with most of france and the bits accross the world they call integrally french . Young Fanon who fully regarded himself as a French citizen signed up in the Free french army , helped liberate the mother country , got wounded and upon the liberation of paris decided he'd go for a stroll in the capital bedecked in his uniform , medals and scars . And found to his horror and surprise he was not a hero of the liberation but instead no more than a "n****r "who couldnt get served a glass of water in a Paris restaurant . This outright racism and hypocrisy formed a major basis of his later anti colonial theories and philosophy,a philosophy itself which played a major role in the downfall of old style colonialism accross the third world . Particularly the bits the french had . Hailed as a genius and prophet by Sarte and others yet his teachings largely ignored and indeed suppressed on the island he was forced to flee from by French collaborators .
Ironic that the island from which this philosopher hailed is among the last surviving colonial outposts in the world . But better late than never .

Fanon

Caption: Video Id: VfUdOREnsDo Type: Youtube Video
Brief Fanon documenatary

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Sarkozy proposes referendum on Martinique Autonomy.

Comments (5 of 5)