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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