The French government has officially opened a national debate on cultural identity of France, in the hope of a better definition of what it means to be French. While most experts and 64% of the population knows that it is a political ploy to win votes away from the extreme right anti-immigration National Front of Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2010, before parliamentary elections in March. Critics warned that it is a dangerous thing to do, because a climate of xenophobia and bring some non-white French.French President Nicolas Sarkozy has defended the national debate, and argues that "Debating national identity is not dangerous, it is necessary." 60% of French people agree that it is necessary, but I doubt that they agree on the dangerous part.
This debate is neither French nor the result that seeks answers he had hoped. What will, however, is to confirm the death of the good old "douce France", and to legitimize the face of New France.
When in 1998 France won the footballWorld Cup, at home with a strong team made up of immigrants, was the team Blanc, Black, Beur (white, black, brown) called and it was all a symbol of hope, inclusion, equality, liberty and fraternity. 1998 for the French was the climax of his Republican ideals: the rejection of the U.S. model of the "melting pot" of British manners and tolerance of ethnic minorities, France officially dismisses as any consideration of race color, religion or skin, for could undermine national unity. In fact, ethnicMinority is not a recognized concept in which theoretically is not color-blind state does not distinguish between categories of citizens.
For Jean-Marie Le Pen, but the team was not French enough, because it had too many non-whites. So much for the color blind, that's where the debate should have taken place.
Otherwise, use the euphoria of 1998, and a return to business as usual, France harvest the first fruits of its policy in 2001, during the friendly football match betweenFrance and Algeria. Once the Marseillaise (French national anthem) is started, the fans began to boo loudly. During the action has caused outrage, and most were quick to say that the whistling is not justified by Algerian fans, whose historical resentment against France, but from the French origin of the immigrants of the second and third with French nationality. Strike 1
During the 2002 presidential elections, Jean-Marie Le Pen was able to make the second round, increasing the growing national interestRacism and anti-Semitism in France. This election is not only show the willingness of the government towards social issues, but the hidden face of French society. Strike 2
In 2005, the already frustrated with their living conditions, and their constant harassment by the police, the young man entered the banlieues (ghettos project) on a spree of rioting that international headlines, which lasted 4 weeks, which was about 200 € damage. Strike 3
The malaise that existsin the banlieues is real, and affects mostly French with a French national born minorities, immigrants of French nationality and the legal and illegal immigrants struggle to earn a living. Most of them are of African origin, and usually referred to as the blacks and Arabs. They are marginalized by society, regardless of their legal status or citizenship. You will be responsible for social ills in France, and apart from some sports stars, the rest of the minority is not really FrenchWhite in the general population.
Then Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, in response to the riots was the sense of guilt "heroes" and the cleanliness of the suburbs with a Karcher (a high pressure cleaner in Germany). Many have attributed the riots on polygamy, since many African immigrants from West Africa, Muslims and Arabs. In fact, Sarkozy on a part of his campaign promise of strict laws on immigration, to confirm the French national identity, andgreater authority to the police. After becoming president, Sarkozy appointed Minister Eric Besson, a newly formed Immigration, Integration and National Identity, Solidarity and Development Ministry.
Today Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant, and Besson, born in Morocco of a Lebanese mother, where he lived until the age of 17, setting a national debate with the undertone that immigrants have difficulty integrating French society because they do not understand whatmeans to be French. They also try to remember that this will be sold to national unity and to facilitate the assimilation of immigrants. In fact, when they say the immigrants, in fact, what it implies is of African immigrants, especially Arabs and blacks. How can you not remember to wear the national debate on allowing women to veil in schools? During a recent speech, Sarkozy has targeted to cover the new face, all-encompassing Islamic garment worn by a very small minorityMuslim women say that "there is no place for the subjugation of women" in France. "Yes, it's all a matter of presentation, such as Canada has in its immigration policy recently announced will not tolerate" foreign barbaric practices "in Canada. Riecently said Sarkozy's backing for the Swiss government about their decision to build the minaret in their to prohibit land.
Of course, it is clear that Sarkozy, who has a keen understanding of Islam, may make such statements,Of course the appearance of half-naked women in shelters and billboards is not subject, or perhaps the flourishing porn industry, which is far from being a taboo in France, is a call to a woman's glory.
Among the issues proposed for discussion Besson: If France "integration contracts" that small amounts of linguistic and cultural citizenship could implement together, and students should be required to sing the national anthem "La Marseillaise" at leastonce a year?
Some fear that this kind of problems - even the debate itself - are hypotheses that generations of immigrants already undermined the identity of France, and can cause feelings invite nationalists have long argued by Le Pen "When you insert the hand and immigration ' national identity by side, is the idea that immigration is a threat to national identity creates - that can inspire racism ", Mouloud AoUnit, president of the Movement against Racism and for Friendship amongPeoples told the newspaper L'Humanité, November 2. "But this debate also shows an identity crisis of the French company ... and the failure of his model of integration that allows people to do just that."
The question is, how is that to bring a change in the pattern of what already exists? France can really answer these questions? If France is going through an identity crisis, it's probably because he could see the look in hisImmigrants, that the French should look modern humans. Guilt generations of immigrants as a threat to French culture as it is the fault to your attention the changes you have made yourself. When France decided to colonize Africa, has taken upon himself to spread the French language and French culture. He did his best to make people work in Africa, on the road there in order to increase their "empire" to serve you better. France was proud of his loyal subjects to imitate all that he was French. WhenAfricans began to emigrate to France, it was important to be able to speak French to understand the French system and develop in a French community. France set up schools in Africa, where they spoke French, French Culture, French values, and yes, even "La Marseillaise" would teach. The only property that has been left out is that despite everything that is not French.
Amilcar Cabral said that "the ideal for the foreign domination, whether imperialist or not, it wouldchoose to 1) or liquidated virtually the entire population of the country dominates, making the possibility of cultural resistance or
2) to impose the shape without damaging the culture of the people of harmonizing the economic and political domination of these people with their cultural personality has happened.
France certainly used both methods at a given time and to some extent, but if they are successful in enforcing the AfricanCulture and enjoy a moment in which too many Africans, was France that what Israel is the Jewish people, have things changed. Immigrants across the border to reject the second and third full French patriotism, have the advantage of their culture back. France may claim their homeland, many French people of immigrant origin has just arrived in identification with the brothers and sisters retreat. It is therefore not surprising that whistling the Marseillaisewas not an isolated case.
The same with a France-Morocco game in 2007 happened, and again in 2009 during the France-Tunisia, show that in fact, that learning French is not nothing like the singer boasted of Tunisian origin called Laam sang the anthem French national. Laam was booed loudly as Amina, who is from Tunisia welcomed to sing the national anthem was Tunisian. In 1998, when France won the World Cup, there was dancing in the streets of Brazzaville, Congo, to my horrorSure, but that's not the point. On November 18, 2009, France finally qualified for the World Cup in South Africa. People, mostly Arab-decent took to the streets, danced on top of cars and partied all night. It can be assumed that they were happy for France to ... the abundance of the flag of Algeria, has shown that in fact the Algeria celebrates qualifying for the World Cup in the hands of Egypt, on the same day.
Puzzle of France is easy to judge on aHand, there is an aging population, difficult to replace the low birth rate, has, however, has a number of young people mainly from immigration, which have a strong attachment to the homeland of their ancestors, and, finally, the young are coupé décalé second most like Francis Cabrel. The national debate has more to light with the new French patriotism, or implanted in a generation that has finally returned to his roots to do. This debate is hidden by the fear that what has generated Francebe done for others, finally rid of them. The debate has nothing to do with national unity, integration or assimilation. The justification for debate, Sarkozy said some outrageous things as they are ignorant:
The peoples of Europe are friendly and tolerant: it is in their nature and their culture. But they do not want their way of life, distorts their thinking and their social relations.
I assume that Sarkozy has said that the people were in Africa sointolerant and rude, he has seen on the eve of colonization, come to them. One might think that the people of Africa do not talk about their lifestyle and way of thinking, because it is in Dakar, which do not claim to modernity does not matter. Of course, we like to think that you should learn French, embrace a culture that values the family refuses to desecrate marriage, and has everything in writing, because you can not trust their word, they were asked to lie to win, torture other human beingsBeings, and has no problem with disturbing the social structure of the other for the sake of a few liters of oil. Yes, Sarko, we do not mind distorting our way of life, relationships, and social attitudes, but it happened and still does, and you're a player, so if you are willing to repair the damage, do not complain, it is fair game.
"France is a nation of tolerance and respect, but that needs to be respected," Sarkozy told farmers in the south east of FranceAt the beginning of this month. You can not take advantage of living in France "without regard to its laws, all its values, one of his principles."
I assume that Mr Sarkozy said that France respects the people in Africa, when he founded Françafrique, I take it tolerates them, when he instituted the mass deportations, where the planes were a modern version of slave boats. I think they respected the Africans never asked why he had no problem of interference in our affairs,corrupt our leaders who abuse our natural resources, forcing our people into an intolerable state while living on earth when our lives like Emperor. Maybe it's OK to bend to French politicians and soldiers, national rules in order to reap the benefits of our natural resources without regard for our laws. I agree with you on behalf of so many perverse people, who are principled and value of sexual abuse, and the road to find our young people, promoting prostitution andSpread of the disease, with the knowledge that medical care are not always available. Perhaps this is what is called benefits.
As Sarkozy would dare to compare our values when Lilian Thuram and Patrick Vieira were by Sarkozy and his colleagues to search for human enough for them to tickets for illegal immigrants who had suffered so much in their bid for a travel criticized better life; No. thinks Sarkozy is much better, Chad and some nurses were free, travelAfrican smuggling of hundreds of children outside their country of origin. I think child trafficking is one of Sarkozy wants to see skewed value.
Of course, Sarkozy is not alone, as other members of his gang are ready to follow in his indiscretions: In the future has arrived immigrants live in Germany and might want to sign an "integration contract". This is the idea of integration minister, Maria Böhmer. The contract would set out the basic knowledge of German "values", including"Freedom" and "equal rights for women." The idea behind this is the club: If you subscribe, you must accept the rules. "Who wants to live here for a long time," the minister said, "and who wants to work, you must say" yes "to our country."
The Africans have said yes, if one million of them forced to move to Europe? Africans have said yes, if you destroy their economies, forcing them to go to strange places, so they can earn a living? The Africans have said yes, relationshipwith the West, which is one-sided? Europe must say yes when we asked the same job? You said yes, if we tried to fix the prices of our products? Dumping, globalization, tariffs, we must say yes to everything?
For generations, France and others intervened in African affairs, to destroy the society and the values and structures. They have imposed their way of life, and the government. They laid the groundwork for a mass exodus triggered benefited created them. Haveforced migrants in Europe are still alive, nor their African culture. Now that they have the strength and determination that the culture of witnesses are afraid now that they see that the young immigrant hero are issued their own neighborhood, they are worried. Andre Valentine, the mayor of a small town in France, said during the national debate, in which he has taken what some call the Town Hall: We must be very careful and act, because if we do not, we willIngested.
The truth is that they are about to be swallowed, but it's the French culture of the old ones that are going to want to be swallowed. And 'French culture, which was eager to penetrate other cultures, and foolishly believed that it was not a counter-effect that can be ingested. As Hama Tuma said:
France one really knows. There was a time when an empire, an era that ended after Vietnam and Algeria, when someone forgot to say in France, andThen he continues to strut like a great empire of tin pot dictators of small countries in Africa or servile about him in a Françafrique which is as ridiculous as the British Commonwealth.
The syndrome is an obsession with the history of the Empire and the need to shape others in their own free will or under a single domain and dictation. In addition, France has suffered many humiliations (1870, 1940, etc.), but has refused to recognize or accept this heavy burden of history and pretend all is well inHis quest for greatness.
Well, the distance that existed between Francophone and Anglophone Africa, and was often a language barrier has been attributed to inherited equally by the petty rivalries between France and England and has been imposed on us if approved. These distances are broken every day, like the Africans understand that they have more in common with each other than with France or England.
There are only a concern of Africans, and this is when the fightfor equality generated more interest than they should in this debate by African immigrants in France. When immigrants in this debate, their last chance to see its full French title, some may jump too quickly and with both feet. If this happens, France reach their goal, and as a representative of the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine, "Forcing immigrants decide to acquire a nationality". Because of these African immigrants should resist the temptation of even more value to their French nationality, placeExpense of their African origin, because the French shores, the petty bourgeoisie, the elite African colonial protectorates to rebuild once roamed. Chinweizu recalls in his classic book "in the West and the rest of us" that the British have already played with the technical distinctions that recalls what is at stake in this national debate:
"The colonies were technically British territory, the protectorates were technically under British African territoriesProtection .(...) The people of the colonies could demand the rights of British citizens, while the people of the protectorates could not ... Obligations of British citizenship could (be imposed ...) for the colonial masters, but not against protected persons, the effects of colonization of protected areas has been forced to distinguish between African nationalist anti-colonial liberation from imperialism and the purpose of restoration of sovereignty of African protected areas and select an alternativeAnti-colonialism aim to reform the customs of despotic rule and to win foreign civil liberties for African empires of Europe would be (...) With the demand for civil liberties in the rich have to accept in silence the African forced his inclusion in them . Would be tolerated in their assimilation by the European empires, culture, history and traditions. And the more you could expect to achieve as a people of a territory or independence, sovereignty and local authorities would bethe rich, not the sovereignty beyond. Those who looked to the right of the objectives of the African anti-colonialism as the overthrow of foreign rule, the return of political sovereignty of the peoples of the continent, and a return flow from Africa to their own cultural and historical opportunities has become such a treacherous open disturbed by the liquidation of the protectorates. The legal acceptance and cultural assimilation in Europe was not a target in anti-colonial Africa. Improved, butColonization was no prospect of indefinite initiatives to select the restored sovereignty. "
If we substitute the identity of the territory and sovereignty with dignity, we have a clearer picture of what you can do this national debate, you can run into a corner as African immigrants, and need to "assimilate" them or embrace the culture French government sees fit. In this way, as they can assimilate the French under pressure to adhere to France for policy and action in Africa. Insame process, forced to choose between their new home and their roots. France wants more than anything else, refuse to see African immigrants, their culture and completely cover a French identity, which is politically logical and available, so dangerous. Hama Tuma once again reminded that:
The identity crisis that has hit France, is a contradiction in terms, that the islands, inhabited by dark-skinned men as its overseas territories and the people to throw a FrenchAt the same time feverishly yearning to know his identity remains fundamentally.
Kenyans had called Attorney General Charles Njonjo, who thought he was British and looked at his compatriots. For a while ', to Idi Amin, was a Scot. Emperor Bokassa called De Gaulle and his father were taken as the French. Some Arabs think they discriminate against whites and African blacks, while in Ethiopia, the cradle of humanity, people think they are the only people you choose.Deceptions and illusions of identity, a confusion in the discussion that the search of French want to wade in
I can empathize with France, losing the identity is not a fun experience, and seeing their culture will undermine a painful experience, but the fault of migrants, France does not have to learn from them? After all they have done the same thing with them.
If someone kills another person, we speak of murder if there is a nation that is killed, it is genocide.If a country is taken by force, plundered and abused, used as an invasion, now is the intervention. If it's abuse of half a continent, which is taken by force, and robbed, call settlement be used, is now just called Françafrique.
Things change, and France has to deal with it. This national debate has not produced fruit, because the weather is bad, his intentions are wrong, and his ambition is clearly dangerous.
France's claim that thisDebate on combating discrimination, discrimination is being fought through the exchange and understanding, not through forced integration. France also argue that the debate is to assimilate immigrants, who were, took the French culture in their backgrounds Africa, now is the time to assimilate the French to African culture in the French context. When two nations to make a cultural exchange is inevitable. France is the one that forced the meeting, now if they wantinclude the exchange, what is its history, immigrants must be controlled. A look at the contribution of immigrants in the history of France, not to understand what it means to be French, but what became France. Emmanuelle Saada, a sociologist and historian at Columbia University and the French Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, said: "I am amazed in this debate is a political event (s) do not provide deep need of the society, The National. Identitynot for us to establish a standard to match for us. The national identity for the event .... In a broad sense, is beyond our control. "And, he adds," It is not for any government to decide. "
For many French citizens who were born or naturalized in France were France, this debate is bitter sweet, because on the one hand, there is the possibility for their rights to claim the French can offer, but on the other hand, seems to punish them for part of their history they had no controlhow many of them quickly to their African ancestors and the circumstances that forces them and their descendants are to defend, both African and French are looking for a better life in France. It will be recalled that France does not ask, France, France will be resolved, came to them. France imposed their language, values and morals of the Africans.
Sometimes it was even banned for Africans to speak their mother tongue. They (France), used in their various wars in Africa (W1, WW2, Indochina ...). Parents and grandparents are dead today's immigrants "La Patrie".
France also seized the cows, chickens, eggs, rice, and not that, what they call "effort de guerre", as also some of the survivors, in the case of the second World War were also part of the French army itself fought and killed their money just to ask, after the war (CAMP Thiaroye). The survivors of the 2 nd World War II are only a quarter of their pension received than its French counterpart.President Chirac was to repair the injustice, but no, we do not know whether Sarkozy has ...
After the second World War, France is the one who called on Africans to build back in Paris ... Here's how the first large wave of Africans, both coming from the west, north and central France. Once again took the Africans used and parked in ghettos, they have "quoted" as. You never thought about the future, they would never have thought that those who have given permission toThe women bring their children would, or could remain in France would ... Everyone wants all suddenly disappeared from the land of France.
As long as people feel that they are not integrated, which means that respects and are not discriminated against, things like whistling the national anthems are nothing compared to what might happen in the coming years.
You may not for someone who is born of foreign parents or in another country of France in its entirety including the French culture and expectcompletely reject its values and cultures. Integration is a two way process and you will receive at the same time.
This is something the American people to understand why this nation is and what it is. English, Italian, Irish, Mexican, Caribbean, African, Asian, all have contributed to this campaign because they felt fully integrated. At the same time, they embraced for most of them '"American way of life."
The French ruling class has to be very careful with this kind of identityDebate, because it is very dangerous. We all know what the policy of "Ivoirite" in Côte d'Ivoire has led, for example. This is the same kind of mentality - has led to Nazism and fascism in Europe, others - when the tip-driven.
We have no choice but to live together, it would be better to take to all learning, and culture with the "other".
The fear of "flooding" of '"other" is nonsense nowadays when the world is now a small village, because we are so mixed andinterconnected.
For every country that has a strong culture, this conclusion is not difficult to understand. If France can understand what a national identity, they realize that they do not need a national debate ... au contraire.
