Paris Olympics bring French neo-colonialism to forefront
From stifling pro-independence protests in New Caledonia to damaging the delicate coral reefs in Tahiti, the Paris Games lays bare the brutality of French neo-colonialism.
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The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is set to begin in a matter of days, though not all events will transpire in the French capital.
One sport in particular—surfing—will take place in Teahupo’o, a village on the southwestern coast of Tahiti, French Polynesia, almost 16,000 kilometres from Paris. Known for its heavy and challenging waves, this region has hosted world-class surfing competitions for decades, making it—theoretically—an ideal location for an Olympic surfing event.
However, the decision to host the event in Teahupo’o has sparked controversy, raising environmental concerns, prompting local demonstrations, and highlighting issues related to France’s neo-colonialism.
Tahiti is part of French Polynesia, a semi-autonomous French territory comprising 118 islands and atolls that became a French protectorate in 1842 that they called Établissements français d'Océanie (EFO) (French Establishments/Settlements of Oceania).
In 1946, the EFO became an overseas territory under the constitution of the French Fourth Republic, and Polynesians were granted the right to vote through citizenship. In 1962, France's early nuclear testing ground in Algeria was no longer usable when Algeria became independent and the Moruroa atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago in Tahiti was selected as the new testing site, emphasizing French colonial control over the region. It would take another 15 years for French Polynesia was granted partial autonomy and became a full overseas collectivity of France in 2003.
Despite improvements, French Polynesia has not yet gained full independence and was placed in the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories in 2013.
This became evidently clear in the lead-up to the 2024 Olympic Games, where preparations included the construction of new infrastructure such as roads, housing, and an aluminum judging tower to replace the existing wooden one.
The plan to construct the tower drew significant resistance from the local community, as it meant drilling into the reef to lay a concrete foundation that would have threatened the delicate coral reefs and the surrounding ecosystem.
By October 2023, more than 400 local residents and surfers gathered to protest the construction. A global petition, signed by more than 250,000 people, soon followed. The International Surfing Association, which is responsible for the regulation of amateur and Olympic surfing, also stated it would not support the construction.
Nevertheless, the construction went ahead, albeit with some modifications—a decision that continues to infuriate locals.
“The Tahitians are being offended by the lack of respect of our sacred place,” said Tahitian surfer Vahiné Fierro, who is representing France in the Olympics. “It’s our temple. It’s a spiritual belief, living incarnation of our heritage, and our ancestral land.”
Tahiti is far from the only French “territory” currently in the news ahead of the Olympic Games.
In May, riots began in New Caledonia—a French territory comprising dozens of islands in the South Pacific—after French politicians approved a constitutional amendment that allow recent arrivals to the territory to vote in provincial elections—a decision that the indigenous Kanak population feared would further diminish their chances for independence. (Kanaks make up about 40% of New Caledonia’s population).
The wide scale unrest saw France deploy thousands of troops to New Caledonia. Several pro-independence activists were arrested and exiled to France pending trial, which further stoked unrest. At least 10 people have been killed, some at the hands of French police.
While tensions have eased slightly in recent weeks, the territory continues to see renewed bouts of violence and unrest.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has long been criticized for upholding the colonial policies of some host nations. The founder of the modern Olympic Games, French educator Charles Pierre de Coubertin wrote that sport and colonialism were "natural companions", terming sport "a vigorous instrument of the disciplining" of colonized people.
“From my early days, I was a fanatical colonialist ... The races are of different value, and to the white race, of superior essence, all the others must pledge allegiance,” de Coubertin wrote in his memoirs, which are preserved in the IOC archives.
French officials and Paris 2024 organizers have attempted to distance themselves from de Coubertin, who was also a misogynist and an anti-semite. He does not feature in the official narrative of the upcoming Games, nor is he being honoured at the event. He was, however, recently celebrated by the IOC and its president, Thomas Bach.
"The Olympic Games and the sporting model it created have stood the test of time," Bach said at a conference at the Sorbonne University in Paris to mark the 130th anniversary of the IOC. "For this reason, France can be proud of Coubertin and his legacy."
Even so, France, which still maintains controls of 12 overseas territories, will need to do far more that relegate de Coubertin to the shadows if it is to escape from under it colonial legacy.
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