The weekend edition of France Antilles had a two-page spread featuring high-profile politicians, administrators, and others, who had been asked to share their thoughts about the past year, and their hopes for Guadeloupe for 2009. Every single person mentioned the election of Barack Obama to the presidency. That his victory in the presidential elections marked their impressions of 2008 is not surprising. What is surprising is the importance that they all ascribed to his election to Guadeloupe.
Victorin Lurel
President of the Regional Council
"The election of Barack Obama is an event in the history of the world. Obama is in the process of taking down a very old curse. Its an event with historic impact. That the strongest power in the world is led by an African descendant, it's exceptional..." (1)
Jeanny Marc
Deputy and Mayor of Deshaies
"The happy event occurred on the world scale with the election of Barack Obama: the first Black president of the United States, the most powerful country in the world. This election carries strong a symbol: solidarity, fraternity, engagement. It foreshadows the world as a panetary village. As a supporter of world peace, this election gave rise in me much hope. (2)
Jacques Gillot
Senator and President of the General Council
"Hope, all the same, with the emergence of unifying symbols showing that work, courage, and competence allow you to overcome all obstacles, from the historic victory of Barack Obama..." (3)
Eric Jalton
Deputy and Mayor of Abymes
"The election of Barack Obama is also a great victory for humanity. I admit that I would not have bet on a mixed-race president in the United States in 2008. Its a huge event and therefore we should not lose hope in the ability of one another to transcend obstacles, divides, racial prejudices. Its a strong sign for all racial, social, cultural, religious minorities. We can, from now on, reach very high level positions." (4)
Jalton's comments really exemplify the optimism that Guadeloupeans have about the future of French politics. As I wrote in my previous post about Barack Obama in Guadeloupe, most - if not all - French people would readily admit that the election of a minority to the highest office of power in France is an impossibility. But, as I also noted, attitudes between Guadeloupeans and French in the métropole, differ. Whereas in Guadeloupe, Obama's victory brought hope, in France métropole, the French seemed to be reminded far more of the challenges still to be overcome.
In 2007, at the beginning of the presidential primaries, Francois Durpaire, a researcher at the Center for Research of North American History (Centre de recherches d'histoire nord-américaine), published a book about Barack Obama, titled l'Amérique de Barack Obama (5). Durpaire entitles his conclusion as 'Obama, symbol for visible minorities in France' writing, "This enthousiasm translates as much into a infatuation for Obama the candidate, as the frustration of a section of the French population who do not recognize themselves in its political system" (6). Durpaire interviews Rama Yade, the Secretary of State for Human Rights, to reflect on Obama's election (7). She is far less hopeful than Guadeloupeans:
"Barack Obama is for me the American dream, this American dream that regularly appears from no where and makes what America what it is...Its beautiful. But its also sad because I cannot help but think of France. Many people say that my nomination to the government as Secretary of State is historic. A such a slow pace, how much time will it take for France to have a Black person at the doors of the presidency?"(8)
Perhaps it is because in Guadeloupe, the people live in close proximity to its history of slavery. One can only be hopeful, ever optimistic, with such a past.
(1) "L'élection de Barack Obama est aussi une grande victoire pour l'humanité. J'avoue que je n'aurais jamais parié, en 2008, sur un président métis aux États-Unis. C'est un grand événement et donc on ne doit pas désespérer de la capacité des uns et des autres à transcender des obstacles, clivages, préjugés raciaux. C'est un signal fort pour toutes les minorités raciales, sociales, culturelles, religieuses. On peut désormais accéder à des postes très élèvés."
(2) "L'événement heureux s'est déroulé sur le plan mondial avec l'élection de Barack Obama : le premier président noir des États-Unis, le pays le plus puissant du monde. Cette élection est porteuse de symbole très forts : la solidarité, la fraternité, l'engagement. Elle préfigure le monde comme un village planétaire. En tant que militante de la paix dans le monde, cette élection a fait naître chez moi beaucoup d'espoir."
(3) "Espérance, tout de même, avec l'émergence de symboles fédérateurs démontrant que le travail, le courage, et la compétence permettent de surmonter tous les obstacles, au travers de la victoire historique de Barack Obama ..."
(4) "L'élection de Barack Obama est un événement dans l'histoire du monde. Obama est en train de faire tomber une très vielle malédiction. C'est un événement de portée historique. Que la première puissance du monde soit dirigée par un desendent d'Africain, c'est exceptionnel..."
(5)
Durpaire, François and Olivier Richomme. L'Amérique de Barack Obama. Paris: Demopolis, 2007.
ISBN 978-2-35457-040-8
(6) "Cet enthousiasme traduit autant l'engouement que suscite le candidat Obama que la frustration d'une partie de la population française qui ne se reconnaît pas dans son système politique." 184
(7) Rade, a French citizen of Senegalese origins, is one of the few minorities who holds a position in the French government. She was appointed by Nicolas Sarkozy.
(8) "Barack Obama est pour moi un rêve américain, ce rêve américain qui régulièrement surgit de nulle part et fait que l'Amérique est ce qu'elle est...C'est beau. Mais c'est triste aussi car je ne peux m'empêcher de penser à la France. Beaucoup disent que ma nomination au Gouvernement comme secrétaire d'État est historique. À ce rhythme si lent, combien de temps faudra-t-il pour que la France ait un Noir aux portes d'Élysée ?"182
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