December, a month synonymous with celebrations, Christmas logs, fireside warmth and chalets over-decorated with all kinds of twinkling lights… Yet, nearly 5,000 kilometers from Paris, the last month of the year begins in blood and desolation.
It is December 1, 1944. 1,600 Senegalese riflemen – gathered in Thiaroye in the military camps on the outskirts of Dakar – demand the payment of their wages. The salary they received was not really what they had expected. They were all massacred by the French army with machine guns. Why? For having thought, pardon, dared, to naturally ask for what was owed to them after the war before being taken prisoner by the Nazis. A demand that would turn into tragedy… A dark page of colonial History for which France must answer for its actions. The Thiaroye massacre still remains deeply buried in memory nearly half a century later. According to the official version, it was a mutiny (by UNARMED men) led by survivors arbitrarily designated as ringleaders of the movement and who would be sentenced to several years in prison. This unjustified uprising would lead the French to defend themselves, causing (only?) 35 deaths.
Armelle Mabon: her knowledge in the service of truth
The “official” version of events from the French troops has been contested for several years by historians. The French historian Armelle Mabon, from the University of Southern Brittany, is among those who have tried to uncover the truth about this bloody story, many pieces of which are still missing. Considered one of the greatest specialists on the subject, she conducted her own investigation into the tragic Thiaroye massacre over 15 years. Digging deep into military archives, confronting different documents, her painstaking work eventually bore fruit. She demonstrated that beyond the official toll of 35 deaths, at least 335 soldiers disappeared. Still based on her research, it was discovered that the so-called mutiny was a complete fabrication designed to “set an example and definitively resolve the problem.” The historian’s task was far from easy. “Understanding of this event accelerated with the intervention of the Minister of Defense, Jean-Yves Le Drian, who allowed me access to the files of five victims in the military archives,” she stated.
Cultural works to denounce injustice
In cases of injustice like this, the work of remembrance is very important. On the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of the Thiaroye massacre, several events were organized, in France as well as in Senegal, so that the countless number of victims would never fall into oblivion. This was the case of the Representative Council of Black Associations for the Defense Against Racism (CRAN), which organized a press conference on the morning of Friday, November 28 in the Paris region, together with the son of one of the victims, to demand reparations from the French state, also launching legal proceedings. Local personalities paid tribute to the victims of that dark day through various media. The Senegalese artist Ouza, author of a song on the subject, was even imprisoned at the time for having denounced this slaughter. The Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène also drew inspiration from it in his feature film Camp de Thiaroye, a film that had international resonance. Seventy years later, after a long and arduous effort, the truth finally comes out; sooner or later, even if it takes time, everything ends up being known.
NOFI wishes to express its respect to these Senegalese riflemen and their families; we do not forget you.
Source : afrik.com, jeuneafrique.com
