DIJON: Ceremony in memory of the slave trade, slavery and their abolition
At the Paul Doumer stadium this Tuesday, May 10, a commemoration took place in order to respect the duty of memory regarding slavery and its abolition. Back to pictures.
In France since 2006, May 10 marks the national day of memories of the slave trade, slavery and their abolition. This day comes from the Taubira law of May 21, 2001. The date of May 10 was chosen by Jacques Chirac, then President of the Republic, on the proposal of the National Committee for the Memory and History of Slavery.
Every year in Dijon, a ceremony is held at the Paul Doumer stadium. This was carried out on Tuesday by Frédéric Carré, secretary general of the Côte-d’Or prefecture and ordered by Bruno Dupuis, director of the departmental service of the National Office for Veterans and War Victims.
At the forefront of the civil authorities, we noted the presence of Frédéric Carré, Antoine Hoareau, deputy mayor of the city of Dijon, François-Xavier Dugourd, vice-president of the Departmental Council of the Côte-d’Or, and Denis Hameau, regional councilor for Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
Among the military authorities, Colonel Pierre Egret, second in command of the Dijon gendarmerie school, and Lieutenant-Colonel Gilles Drovin, representing the deputy departmental military delegate, were present.
The ceremony was characterized by several readings and songs, alternating between the words of the authorities and words carried with pride by about sixty students from the Champollion college.
It was Hyacinthe Diouf, in his capacity as president of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, who gave the reading of the text “Africa” by David Diop. “And this country cried”, excerpt from Cahier d’un retour au pays natal by Aimé Césaire, was read by Antoine Hoareau.
He finally returned to Frédéric Carré reading an excerpt from Emmanuel Macron’s speech delivered on May 10, 2020.
The singers of the day interpreted three songs: “Lightning Long John”, “Everybody sings liberty” and “This little light of mine”.
The last song preceded the laying of white roses. 50 roses delivered by the prefecture and the city of Dijon, for 50 times of meditation in front of the commemorative stele. This before hearing the Marseillaise punctuate the ceremony in which several elected municipal officials took part, Dieynaba Baldé, president of the SOS Racisme 21 committee, flag bearers as well as representatives of associations and several parents of students.
Alix Berthier
Photos: Alix Berthier