Dear Readers

I am extremely proud to be French from an overseas department as I feel complete, lucky and rich to have a multicultural background. Although I have reasons not to be proud or grateful because during my 5 year time in France Metropolis as a student and during my recent stay in French Guyana, I keep being reminded that I am different, that I am black, from Mayotte as if I am not truly French because of that. Last time I checked on my passport, it doesn’t state nationality: half French due to being born in an overseas department. I could be wrong as I often am but it feels like being French from a minority ethnic background bothers the typical white Caucasians and threatens them in their superiority hence the sudden rise of extreme right wing support. As slavery has been abolished for centuries and all kind of discrimination is illegal in France, some white Caucasians invented a subtle way to belittle and oppress us. They ask us to fully integrate and to embrace the French values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity and when we do and ask to be treated with respect and dignity, they tell us we are being unfair and unreasonable. The obvious example is the current general strike in French Guyana in which the French Guyanese are only asking for what the French Republic promises its citizens i.e security, protection, prosperity, good health system and durable and sustainable economic development. Moreover, they ask us to actively participate into social and economic matters in order to contribute to France’s success but when we do, it barely gets noticed or worse our success gets labelled as luck and  because they’d rather  label us as gangsters or failures.

This year, I was planning to move back to France because I felt that I owed it to my country  for having received education paid by the French taxpayers. However, after careful consideration I do not think I will ever be able to live in France, why I hear you say if you are so proud? Because I have been living in London for almost 9 years and I have never felt different or judged based on my colour, my nationality, my religion or my origins. Actually, here they value and embrace my differences for it broadens my solving problems skills and enhances my ability to adapt in a lot of difficult situations. Besides, I will be not able to work in a very hierarchical labour system in which people are put in one box and are not allowed to change career path that doesn’t match their degree or experience. You will see in my next publications that my professional was not well choreographed but I was successful in all the jobs that I have had despite not having the degree or experience related to those jobs. All I had and I still have is a drive to learn, to adapt and enjoy the ride!

Believe it or not but I sometimes forget that I am black, I know it is strange because I can see myself in the mirror every day!!!! It is when I am in a small village in England that I remember because some inhabitants have never seen someone like me before! Other times people think that I am South African or Cuban because not only do I have a strange French, Australian and South London accent but also I am apparently not the typical French girl. It appears French people are known to feel superior, better, to be arrogant and cold towards other nations and to complain about everything all the time so I agree I am not the typical French person as if I can say so myself, I am bubbly, tolerant, open-minded, fun person who loves and respects others regardless their origins, colour, religions, sexual orientation in other words I am humanist and a citizen of the world.

Whilst preparing for my next publication regarding good mobility, I remembered what one of my housemates in Tenerife now friend said before he flew back to the US: « Zaina, don’t ever change because you are great just the way you are ». Bless you Nate for saying that as I often hang onto that sentence in moments of doubts like the recent 3 weeks when I was reminded that I was different by a person who has known me for 20 years!

One of my heroes Oprah Winfrey once said that success comes by helping other people be more successful than you. This is exactly what I am planning to do with the Mayotte Festival in August and the Erasmus Plus Program in July by awakening people to reclaim their inner power and beauty, to embrace their differences in order to make the world a better place to live.