African officials inform on inhumane crimes committed during French colonialism During event in Baku

Chairman of the Senegalese Forum for African Renaissance Souleymane Ndiaye has said that inhumane crimes were committed against women on the African continent during the years of colonialism.

Ndiaye made the remarks at the event “Decolonization: Women's Empowerment and Development” in Baku on November 21, Report informs.

He said the Senegalese people are grateful to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for organizing such an important event dedicated to women's rights and decolonization issues.

He noted that the report by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) also highlighted the importance of increasing women's participation in public administration and increasing the proportion of women in leadership positions in various sectors of the economy.

“This is also reflected in the provisions of the International Labor Organization. After all, this issue is ignored in some countries,” he said.

The chairman of the forum noted that during the years of colonialism, inhumane crimes were committed against women on the African continent: “They were humiliated and raped. Women have been fighting this for many years. We are grateful to the women who gave their lives for the future of the country. They fought against colonialism. The Senegalese people honour the memory of the women who fought against the French occupiers."

According to him, today in African countries women are engaged in self-development. “They are employed in a variety of fields. This makes them free and independent. Today, increasing the participation of women in the political and economic life of the country must remain a priority,” he said.

Addressing the event, the representative of French Polynesia, Deputy Secretary General of the Tavini Party, Ella Tokorigi, said France's nuclear tests had led to a sharp increase in the number of cases of cancer among residents of French Polynesia.

“Our peoples are supporters of freedom. We thank the government and people of Azerbaijan for their attention. For a long time, we lived under French rule. We see a lot of strong women around this table. They stand on their own two feet and fight for their ideas,” he said.

According to Tokoriga, Polynesians have suffered the consequences of French nuclear testing for more than 30 years.

“French nuclear tests have led to a sharp increase in cancer. However, France continues to avoid responsibility for its actions. They should be ashamed,” she said.

Tokorigi noted that French Polynesia also suffers from other consequences of colonialism, such as economic decline and low levels of education among the population.

“Some 17.5% of Polynesian students drop out of university in their third year. Girls are deprived of the opportunity to receive an education at all. They are forced into prostitution to feed themselves and their families,” she said.

Speaking at the event, Rock Haocas, External Affairs Coordinator of the Union of Exploited and Kanak Workers, noted that New Caledonia highly appreciates the activities of the Baku Initiative Group (BIG).

“Last month a declaration was adopted in Baku, and in the coming months and years we must be faithful to these principles,” he said, praising Azerbaijan’s support for the fight against colonialism.

“We see the political will of Azerbaijan to achieve justice,” he added.

On October 20, the international conference “Neo-colonialism: violation of human rights and injustice”, organized by the Baku Initiative Group, took place in Baku. Representatives of 14 countries, as well as the overseas territories of France and Corsica, took part in it.

The Baku Initiative Group was created on July 6, 2023 in Baku by participants in the conference “Complete Elimination of Colonialism” within the framework of the ministerial meeting of the Coordination Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement chaired by Azerbaijan.

BIG supports the struggle for freedom of the peoples of various regions of the world still suffering from colonization in the 21st century.

A journalist from Nigeria, Kayode Komolafe, said that the topic of today's event, which is taking place in the capital of Azerbaijan, is very relevant in the context of modern events around the world. The issues of the struggle against new types of colonialism are discussed here.

“Events like this allow us to demonstrate to the world the consequences of colonialism. However, even more important is the fact that in the modern world, there is neo-colonialism and imperialist manipulation of world public opinion and politics,” he said.

According to Komolafe, there are also human rights violations and humanitarian problems, citing the situation around the Gaza Strip as an example.

“In light of the prolonged hostilities in Gaza, there are extremely serious human rights violations and a humanitarian crisis in the region,” the journalist said.

Then the event was continued by the speech from the leader of the French association Les Oranges, Algerian Mhamed Kaki, who said “French President Emmanuel Macron is fickle; he makes promises but then forgets about them.”

According to him, Macron is a person who changes his mind all the time.

“He is only interested in power. Where there is strength, there he is. There are 6 million French people of Algerian origin living in France. He comes to us on the eve of the elections to get our votes, makes promises, but forgets about them after his victory. We remind him that all this needs to end,” Kaki said.

After the genocide committed by France, which killed about 40,000 people, the Algerian people realized that it was necessary to free themselves from French colonialism.

He noted the importance of holding this event in the context of the continuing negative consequences of colonialism in the world:

“It is quite obvious that the Algerians contributed to the defeat of fascism. As the world celebrated victory over fascism, women and elderly people in Algeria came to the mayor's office demanding justice and equality. The French authorities, in turn, sent the military and carried out a terrible genocide against the Algerians. 40 thousand civilians were killed. After this bloody event, the Algerian people realized that it was necessary to free themselves from French colonialism,” he said.

Kaki noted that he was preparing to stage a play about the attempt of Algerian workers to free themselves from colonialism on October 17, 1961: “During this period, more than 300 Algerians were killed in Paris.”

Furthermore, the head of the Senegalese organization YDNA VITA LTD, Ibrahim Diagne, said that “We need to know our history, remember that we were victims, and fight against colonization together.”

Domination and racial discrimination must end, he said.

“We must actively work to strengthen our independence. Because the peoples of the world suffer from violence, their belonging and culture are ignored, they are not allowed to develop. The result of the colonization of Africa is that slavery has become an industry and people are not treated properly. Therefore, our main task is to know our history, remember that we were victims, and fight together against colonization. The colonial system had a negative impact on basic resources. We can say that colonization completely isolates people. Countries have lost everything they had. At this time, we must fight together against colonialism,” Diagne said.

The leader of the Martinique Freedom Party, Luc Francis Carole, said the new idea of feminism has already become an integral part of the national struggle for independence.

He lamented that many women in the world are still subjected to violence.

"After winning the elections in 2015, our party tried to ensure gender equality. Until then, the French government did not allow women to use their opportunities," Carole said.