BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 21. French colonial policy was designed to wipe out the ethnic identity of the Reunion people, member of the Ka Ubuntu Independence Movement Benjamin Clement said, Trend reports.
Clement made the remark at an international conference titled "Independence of Réunion: A Look at France's Colonial Legacy and the Path to Sovereignty" today, with the organizational support of the Baku Initiative Group.
He observed that certain offenses perpetrated by France in Réunion remain obscure to the general populace.
"We want to restore justice and regain our independence as compensation for these crimes. Unemployment in Réunion has risen due to colonial policies. Consequently, colonial policies force young people to migrate to France in search of work. At the same time, they try to make the people forget their language. They think that if the people forget their language, they will also forget their colonial policies," he added.
Notably, the island of Réunion was discovered by Portuguese explorers in the early 1500s. It was captured by the French during the reign of Louis XIV in 1642 and was initially named Bourbon Island. The French established the first permanent colony three years later.
On Réunion Island, the legacy of colonialism continues to impact the economic, political, and social spheres. France's dominant position on the island and its powerful mechanisms of influence create significant obstacles for the local population's efforts to achieve political and economic independence.
Economically, this is reflected in the island's high dependence on France in terms of foreign trade and investment, the weakening of local production, and a high unemployment rate. Politically, France's models of governance and institutional mechanisms limit the right of the people of Réunion to self-determination and minimize their participation in the decision-making process.
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