Martinique for the Martiniquans, The Ojam Affair

La Martinique aux Martiniquais, l’affaire de l'O.J.A.M. — Martinique, a former colony incorporated as part of France in 1946, is mired in its "unfailing attachment to France" while the winds of change fill the sails of independence struggles all over the world. The Algerian war, raging on French soil, forces people to choose sides, to engage. December 23, 1962. At dawn, a bright, colorful poster is plastered across the walls of all public buildings, schools, police stations, town halls and churches all over Martinique. The poster, massively distributed under cover of darkness, bears a simple slogan in capital letters: MARTINIQUE FOR THE MARTINIQUANS! It is the work of OJAM (Martiniquan Anti-colonial Youth Organization), which thereby declares its nationalist aspirations. This youth organization is said to be run by students and Caribbean intellectuals settled in Paris—untouchable separatists preparing the national liberation struggle with the logistical support of the recently triumphant Algerian FLN. February 1963. Eighteen young Martiniquan "OJAM-ists" including five members of the Martiniquan Communist Party are charged with plotting to undermine national territory. In other words, separatism. And so, a movement that raised the specter of events in Algeria was nipped in the bud, preventing the growth of anti-colonialist feeling in French Caribbean territories.

Channel: IMDb Video Length: 0s Date Found: Sat, Jul 16 2011 9:48 AM Category: Movies Date Produced: View Count: 0