French Guiana

French Guiana. Brought to you by: France. A “department” of France, French Guiana celebrates Fête Nationale along with the best of the baguette-eaters. It’s the only region of the South American continent that isn’t an independent nation these days. As with the other northern regions of South America, it's also got a distinctly Caribbean feeling - especially as one of the non Spanish/Portuguese speaking territories. It’s another one of those places that Christopher Columbus bumped up against in his travels. Hey—where Columbus went aren’t pirates supposed to follow? Haven’t come across piratical stories in my brief sojourn through all things French Guianian. Flags? Well, obviously the French flag is the only official flag. There’s the local flag with the country’s name and logo. There’s also the flag advocated by the French Guiana Liberation Movement. The latter (the green, gold and red) has no official status.

The French first tried to settle in the area in the early 17th century, but the Portuguese weren’t happy with that—they left the area for a while, but returned by mid-century to set up shop. After attacks by Amerindians they abandoned their settlement again, returning 20 years later, in 1663. A few years later the country was taken by the British—but only for a matter of months. Later the Dutch also briefly occupied the region, but also left quickly.

When Robespierre was executed in 1794, the French thought that French Guiana might be a good place to send some of his followers—193 were subsequently dispatched. Dispatched is right: within three years only 54 of that 193 were left, most having died of fancy tropical diseases.

So we know about slaves and plantations. Cayenne pepper was popular, as were sugar, spices and hardwood. All things nice… Like in Guyana, escaped slaves set up Maroons, or Maroon colonies. With no slave labour, plantations quickly became overgrown and the planters that had prospered not long before found themselves in financial ruin.

And then there came convicts. Coming from what was once the largest prison on earth, so to speak, I like to hear about other nations used as penal colonies. France didn’t want their criminals—especially the reoffenders. Anyone with more than three sentences of more than three months each was sent to French Guiana—there they would spend 6 months in jail, and then become free to settle in the colony. Unfortunately, the prisoners had a problem making a living off the land, and we back to their criminal ways.

The penal colonies were only phased out in the 20th century—they closed in 1951. Unfortunately for those doing time in French Guiana, they could only return to France if they had the money to get back—basically a forced separation from homeland occurred.

In the past decade there have been protests—protesters demand greater autonomy in their territory, though most don’t want complete independence due to the economic support France provides.

And that all brings us to the poem. This one’s by Léon-Gontran Damas, and comes from The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse. As ever, our thanks and blessings go to the translator. Thankyou E. Anthony Hurley!



So often my feeling of race
strikes the same fear
as the nighttime howling of a dog

at some approaching death
I always feel
about to foam with rage
against what surrounds me
against what prevents me
ever
from being
a man

And nothing
nothing would so calm my hate
as a great
pool
of blood
made
by those long sharp knives
that strip the hills of cane
for rum.


—Léon-Gontran Damas
from The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse
translated from the French by E. Anthony Hurley