France is like an abusive ex - never gone from your memory.
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Reading through Daniel's interview, one thing that struck me was the idea of submission and being submissive to the colonizer. Daniel grew up in an independent Ivory Coast, but even though Ivorians were "free" from French rule there was still a sense of reverence to their ideals and peoples. Daniel said that "everyone listened, everyone was quiet, because this was a French person speaking" (Martin 154). He continues saying that Ivorians felt they should be "submissive" to French individuals in order to "receive things" (154). This relationship between the colonizer (the French) and the colonized (the Ivorians) was transactional - through submission to the French they would, in return, receive blessings and potentially status.
Throughout the interviews, there is a theme of internalization of colonialism. Many, if not all, of the interviewees describe a feeling of inferiority to French individuals, specifically white individuals. Karim, an immigrant from Morocco, describes the feelings of foreignness, even though, in his own words, is "more French than the French" (150). This feeling of foreignness stems from being a person of color, Karim goes on to say that it is "impossible" to be French if you are not white (151). Tsiory reinforces this idea saying "when I see a French person, I consider him superior to me" (153). Many of the interviewees believed that French people "brought what Africans didn't know" further placing them on a pedestal (153). Djibril (in my opinion) correctly believes "that the colonial experience also resulted in people having 'an inferiority complex' toward the French... 'French was the language of those who dominated us,' so people who spoke it well had 'an air of superiority'" (154). Through the exploitation of French colonies, individuals under French colonialism began feeling a sense of mediocrity. For many people of color, to obtain a sense of worthiness they need the acceptance of a white French person - Fanon states, "By loving me she proves that I am worthy of white love. I am loved like a white man" (Martin 155 via Fanon 63).
Not being French enough stems from colonialism and the idea of othering. Like an abusive ex, the effects of French colonialism are negative and (in this case) long lasting.
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title goes hard