Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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Baku will host an international thematic conference titled “Towards the Decolonization of Guadeloupe: Challenges and Perspectives” dedicated to Guadeloupe, a French overseas department long subjected to colonial policies, Azernews reports, citing the information provided by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG).

BIG noted that the conference will take place on June 25 and is jointly organized by BIG, the Union of the People for Guadeloupe’s Liberation (UPLG), the Guadeloupe International Reparations Movement (MIR-Guadeloupe), the International Committee of Black Peoples (CIPN), and the Movement for the Power of the Guadeloupe Nation (FKNG).

The event will bring together leaders of political parties fighting for Guadeloupe’s independence, heads of movements, NGOs, academics, and other representatives. With support from the Baku Initiative Group, the Secretary of the International Decolonization Front, founded in Baku in July 2024, will also deliver presentations.

The conference agenda will address key issues such as Guadeloupe’s retention as a French overseas department, which restricts the people’s right to freely determine their political future. Discussions will include colonial crimes, historical injustices, the destruction of the indigenous Kalinago people, exploitation of workers, persistent inequality, and the administrative and economic structures that perpetuate dependence.

The ongoing colonial status of the department will be linked to social and economic problems in Guadeloupe, including unemployment, mass youth migration, social inequality, economic dependence, violence, environmental pollution, and the devastating effects of the toxic chemical pesticide chlordecone.

Another focus will be the international recognition of Guadeloupe’s right to self-determination, the United Nations’ legal mechanisms for decolonization, and the failure of France to comply with relevant UN resolutions and declarations granting independence to colonized peoples.

In a cultural highlight of the day, for the first time in Azerbaijan, the Baku Initiative Group will host a concert titled “Rhythms and Dances of Guadeloupe and Azerbaijan” on June 25 at 7 p.m. at the “Green Theater.” This event will feature cultural and artistic figures from both Azerbaijan and Guadeloupe.

The program will showcase the harmony between Guadeloupean and Azerbaijani music, with the famous Guadeloupean Lakou Veranda Group captivating audiences with their unique rhythms and sounds.

France’s policy of systematically suppressing the cultures of colonized peoples by “Frenchifying” them aims to weaken their national identities. Against this backdrop, the initiative to unite Guadeloupe’s cultural heritage with Azerbaijani traditions in Baku carries significant importance for strengthening cultural solidarity and continuing the anti-colonial struggle on a cultural platform.