Martinique is the latest nation to begin breaking free from its French colonizer. The Caribbean island, which sits in the Lesser Antilles and is an overseas region of France, has joined the likes of other countries ruled by the French to begin the process of breaking away from the European country.
Now, Martinique is embarking on a revolution of its own. While it isn’t entirely free from the French reign, it is denouncing the French flag and cutting as many ties as possible to the country.
“So the country of Martinique has seen all that’s been going on with the other French colonies and has decided to jump on board,” a clip shared on social media reveals. “As of this moment, there’s no talk of revolution, they’re not saying anything about cutting ties with France, but one thing they’re doing is they’re changing their flag. They’re saying that the flag that they have was given to them by France, and they do not recognize it because it’s a colonial flag, and they are now changing their flag.”
The man in the video then recounts all the countries that have departed from their French influence.
“So far France has lost Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Chad, New Caledonia is rioting right now, they’re having a revolution, Martinique looks like they’re going to move… By the way, France makes its former colonies pay taxes, which amounts to over $5 billion a year.”
Following news of a military coup in the West African country of Mali in January 2024 , The Wall Street Journal reports the growing tension between the French and its former colonies like Senegal, as well as former French-owned businesses like TotalEnergies gas stations and Auchan supermarkets, have come under attack during anti-government protests.
In 2017, France’s first head of state born after the end of the colonial era, Emmanuel Macron, began his presidency “with a pledge to reset his country’s relationship with its former African colonies.”
Macron expressed his desire to deepen ties with African civil society and countries that weren’t a part of the French empire following decades of policies that “upheld corrupt, but Francophile autocrats—a practice that came to be known as la Françafrique.”
“I am from a generation that does not come and tell Africa what to do,” he told a cheering crowd of students at a university in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, just months after taking office. “The proposal with which I come before you is…that we invent a friendship together.”
Today’s backlash against France across Africa has been referred to as “one of the biggest anti-Western rebellions since the end of the Cold War” by the WSJ.
“We are fed up with France. We are fed up with the contempt that they show us,” said Yaou Sangaré Bakary, the junta-appointed foreign minister of Niger, during an October 2023 rally outside what was then France’s main base in the capital Niamey. “Go ahead, leave us alone. We’ll be just fine.”
Martinique’s culture includes a distinct blend of West Indian and French influences. Its largest town features steep hills and narrow streets, as well as a garden, La Savane, surrounded by shops and cafes. Amid the garden sits a statue of Joséphine de Beauharnais, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, the former French emperor whose claim to fame began during the French Revolution after leading successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars.
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