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.

Chers lecteurs
Comme je l’ai déjà mentionné, je lis beaucoup de livres d’auto-apprentissage, pourquoi ? Parce que la vie est un chemin d’apprentissage et d’amélioration et je m’efforce d’être la meilleure possible personnellement et professionnellement. L’un des livres que je suis actuellement en train de lire est: Les Hommes viennent de Mars et les Femmes de Venus » par John Gray, un classique que l’on m’a conseillée de lire pendant des années car apparemment il consiste à améliorer  et à comprendre les relations de communication en couple ainsi j’ai décidé de me lancer le défi de lire et de voir s’il va réellement améliorer  ma relation ! Le deuxième livre que je suis en train de lire est « The Sell : les secrets de vendre quoique ce soit à quiconque » par Frederik Eklund, le titre est assez descriptif! La vente est une partie cruciale de mon travail actuel et, à mon avis, tout le monde devrait aspirer à être un excellent or excellente vendeuse  parce que nous vendons consciemment et inconsciemment tous les jours lors d’entrevues d’embauche, lorsque nous rencontrons quelqu’un lors du premier rendez-vous, lorsque nous négocions avec nos enfants pour terminer une tâche qu’ils n’aiment pas particulièrement, etc. … Tout compte fait, c’est une compétence fondamentale à acquérir et à maîtriser !
Bien que je lise beaucoup et que je continuerai à lire, je suis arrivée à la conclusion que les livres d’auto-apprentissage doivent être pris avec une pincée de sel, n’est-ce pas paradoxal? Ils sont un outil incroyable pour réveiller votre esprit, pour révéler votre pouvoir intérieur, pour vous aider à trouver votre chemin ou alors pour vous aider à vous comprendre et à comprendre les autres, mais la plupart d’entre eux sont écrits par des vendeurs professionnels dont le but est de vous accrocher pour que vous reveniez en acheter d’autres et de continuer à vous en vendre. Pour avoir lu beaucoup de livres au cours des quatre dernières années, je suis en mesure de vous certifier qu’ils transmettent tous le même message à savoir le bonheur et la richesse viennent de l’intérieur, votre esprit peut être votre meilleur atout ou votre pire ennemi s’il n’est pas géré efficacement. En outre, la majorité d’entre eux prétendent tenir la vérité biblique sur la vie, le travail et les relations et ils proposent des méthodes vagues mais apparemment mises à l’épreuve par les écrivains eux-mêmes ou leurs partisans qui les considèrent comme des gourous. Ces méthodes dites testées visent à nous aider à atteindre nos objectifs personnels et professionnels, ce qui est totalement faut !!!! Ces livres sont écrits par des êtres humains ordinaires et imparfaits comme vous et moi, par conséquent, ils ne détiennent pas la vérité ultime et absolue sur quoi que ce soit. Leur méthode peut ou non fonctionner parce que nous sommes des individus uniques issus d’environnement différent, de différente orientation sexuelle, de religions, de statut social, de sorte qu’il est dangereux de mettre en œuvre la méthode dite « imparable » contrairement à ce qui est décrit dans ces livres. En tant que responsable de vente, je peux comprendre pourquoi ils nous charment ou même nous harcèlent pour nous faire croire que ce que tenons entre nos mains résoudra tous nos problèmes car personne n’achèterait ce genre de livres s’ils savaient que ce qu’ils s’apprêtent à lire est la méthode avérée d’une seule personne qui n’est pas la leure. Pour être claire, les livres ne nous donneront que des outils pour mettre en évidence un problème et nous forcer à savoir qui nous sommes et les leçons à tirer de la vie. Si nous ne savons pas à l’avance que ce sont des cadeaux empoisonnés facilement accessibles, nous nous mettons en risque d’ échec car nous nous sentirons malheureux, frustrés, en colère, désillusionnés et nous nous reprocherons de ne pas atteindre nos objectifs, ce qui détruit complètement la mission d’un livre d’auto-apprentissage.
Cependant, je recommande les livres suivants qui ont véritablement contribué à transformer ma vie, m’ont aidé à être moins perfectionniste, à m’aimer, à me sentir reconnaissante et compatissante tout en restant déterminée comme jamais à atteindre mes objectifs de vie :
Ceci est un petit aperçu de mon étagère.

• Le projet du Bonheur de Gretchen Rubin, qui m’a vraiment inspirée à comprendre que le bonheur diffère d’un être humain à l’autre.
• Lean In par la directrice des opérations de Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg, qui souligne combien il nous reste à faire pour que les femmes obtiennent une parfaite parité avec les hommes. Je suis d’accord avec elle pour dire que le monde serait un endroit bien meilleur si nous avions plus de femmes leaders !
• Think and Grow Rich par Napoleon Hill – s’il y a un livre et un seul livre que vous devriez lire, c’est celui-ci car c’est un témoignage de l’ouverture d’esprit tout en précisant pourquoi il faut amasser des richesses pour améliorer l’humanité.
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad par Robert Kyoasaki qui révèle comment les riches deviennent riches et comment ils apprenent à leurs enfants à suivre leurs démarches. Aussi scandaleux et dégoûtant que cela puisse paraitre, Paris Hilton ou Kim Kardashians ne valent pas des millions par hasard! Elles n’ont pas de talent réel autre que de savoir comment créer de la richesse.

  Sur cette note, commencez à lire et à vous améliorer, mais gardez à l’esprit que vous êtes uniques, de sorte que votre méthode d’amélioration devra être adaptée.

Dear Readers

As I mentioned before, I read a lot of self-help books, why? Because life is a self learning and improving journey and I strive to be the be the best I can be in my personal and professional. The current books I am reading now are Men are from Mars and Women from Venus » » by John Gray, a classic that I have been advised to read for years as it apparently helps improve communication and love relationship so I decided to take challenge to see whether this will truly improve my relationship! The second book I am in the middle of reading is « The Sell: the secrets of selling anything to anyone »by Frederik Eklund, self explanatory! Selling is a crucial part of my current job and in my opinion everybody should aspire to be a good sales person because we consciously and unconsciously sell every day in job interviews, when we first meet someone on a date, when negotiating with children to complete a task they don’t particularly like etc….. All in all it is a fundamental skill to acquire and master!

Although I read a lot and I will carry on reading,  I came to the conclusion that self-help books are to be taken with a pinch of salt, paradoxical right? They are an incredible tool to awaken your mind, to reveal your inner power, to help you find your path, to help understand ourselves and others but most of them are written by professional sales people whose aim is to get you hooked so that you come back for more and they can keep selling. For having read a lot of them over the past 4 years, I am in the position to ascertain that they all convey the same message such as happiness and richness come from within, your mind can be your best asset or your worst enemy if not managed effectively. Moreover, the majority of them pretend to hold the holly truth about life, work and relationships and they put forward some vague but seemingly bullet proof methods to help you reach your personal and professional goals, bulls*!!!! Those books are written by ordinary and imperfect human beings like you and I  therefore they don’t hold the ultimate and holly truth on anything. What they sell is a method tested by themselves and/or people who considered them as « gurus ». Their method may or may not work because we are different individuals from different background, sexual orientation, religions, social status so it is dangerous to implement the so-called bullet proof method the way it is outlined in their books. As a sales trainer, I can understand why they charm or even bully us into thinking that what we have in our hands will solve all our problems for no one will buy those types of books if they knew that what they are about to read is someone’s method not theirs.  To be crystal clear, the books will only give us tools to highlight a problem and to force us to know who we are and what we want to get out of life. If we don’t know that they are easily accessible poisoned gifts,we are setting ourselves up for failure as we will feel unhappy, frustrated, angry, disillusioned and we will blame ourselves for not achieving our goals,which completely defeats the purpose of a self-help book.

However, I recommend the following books who have truly contributed to transform my life, helped me be less perfectionist, love myself, feel grateful and compassionate and be determined as ever to achieve my life goals:

A tiny sample of my book shelf.

• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, who truly inspired me to understand that happiness differs from one human being to another.
• Lean In by the Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg who points out how much work it is left for us to do as women to gain full parity with men. I agree with her that the world would be a much better place if we had more female leaders!
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill –  if there is one book and one book only you should read is this one as it opens up your mind and clarifies why one should amass wealth to improve humanity.
• Rich Dad,Poor Dad by Robert Kyoasaki who reveals how rich people get rich and how they teach their kids to follow their steps. I mean look around, as outrageous and disgusting as it is, Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashians are not worth millions by accident!!! They don’t have real talent other than know how to create wealth.

On that note, start reading and improving yourselves but bear in mind that you are unique so your method of improvement will have to be adapted.

Dear readers
How can I possibly describe my arrival in France?  Although I am from tiny part of the world in the Indian Ocean, I always felt French, part of a nation, a history, a revolution but unfortunately the welcome in France Metropolis on 6th September 2002 was very cold. I felt lost, disoriented to the point that I felt that I lost my identity, my passion and my vocation of speaking several languages and my goal to travel around the world.

When I fell in love with someone from my island soon after arriving, I thought I was somehow blessed because he had lived in France for 3 years because he would understand and help me to adapt. Big, huge mistake, one the biggest mistakes I have ever made in my entire life!

I never understood before why people say love is blind and stupid, Lord I learned the hard way that it is. Although I can say now that what I am about to share with you has forged my character and strengthened my will to change people’s perception about a woman from Mayotte. I am very grateful to have experienced what I have experienced so far because it allows me to speak my mind using my own knowledge on the topic of polygamy, to sympathize and understand women married to polygamists.

I must admit that from the beginning of that relationship, I had some convincing signs to predict that it was doomed to failure or would face some serious challenges. I do not want to dwell on that relationship but it is worth drawing evidence from something to illustrate my arguments.

I met my ex, let’s call him B through a childhood friend who had only positive things to say about him. It should be noted that B was the president of the association of mahorais students in Montpellier, known as the AEMM. B had supported and helped hundreds of students and was idolized and worshiped by many people. It was love at first sight and we became inseparable. He took me everywhere. Having said that, here is a piece of evidence that the alarm bells should have rung as B never introduced me as his girlfriend. He was saying exactly who I was, where I came from in Mayotte, the type of studies undertaken, but not once during that euphoric period did he mention that there was a love relationship. Being very shy at the time and not wanting to draw attention to me, it suited me a little so I closed my eyes.
October 2002, first meeting to welcome new Mahorais students. As a member, I could see the president in action first hand. He presided the meeting with tact, controlled the crowd with dexterity. It is worth pointing out that one needs to have nerves of steel to control a mahorais crowd. I admired him, I imagined spending the rest of my life with such a courageous, valiant man who shares the same ambitions as me to make a difference within our community.
The relationship was so fusional that I decided to introduce B to one of my best friends who we will call W.  They say that if you want to know if your love relationship is going to last, you need to ask a friend’s opinion. W knew B as president of AEMM but not as a friend’s boyfriend. W liked him a lot because she thought that we were made for each intellectually and she saw how happy I was  as a result W approved the relationship.
I shared my joy, my happiness with the people I knew in Montpellier including a girl who W and I knew from high school in Mamoudzou . It turns out that that girl that we will call C , was also new in Montpellier, already knew B via the AEMM and had become very close with my friend W. Although we were not friends, C also approved my relationship with B, she approved it to such an extent that she often made remarks like « I do not understand the critics towards B, how can anyone hate someone like B? He is generous, kind and very open-minded.  » At the time, I completely agreed with her comments but I can now say with confidence and conviction that my ex never does anything by accident.  He calculates and manipulates everyone around him to achieve his professional or personal goals . If he must be kind, generous, attentive, or if he must be dominating, ruthless to get what he wants, he will do it without any hesitation or scruples.  In retrospect, I understood  his « opponents » comments were totally justified and grounded.
The adoration and adulation of C towards B grew every day and they spent more and more time together. It turns out that they had one thing in common namely the Mahorais culture. They knew the same songs or artists such as Tama Music or Viking and were both in favour of polygamy.
Ladies and gentlemen I say loud and clear polygamy is a pure man’s invention to dominate women and we will have the opportunity on this blog to deal with this stupid and incoherent invention. I cannot believe that nowadays in 21st century that they dare justify such system and they dare justify it invoking the shortage of men on the island.
Let’s continue my own experience with a polygamist man. C and B initiated a « secret » relationship in parallel with mine and B. C had at some point some remorse and decided to confess she was in love with B and that she did not know what to do with her feelings for him. The worst revelation was when she confessed that the feelings were reciprocated. I will remember all my life that evening of confession. At first, I applauded her courage and reassured her that we would find a solution. Then the next day, I rushed to the phone booth (and yes, I did not have a mobile phone) to call B who was on holiday with his brothers in the north of France. I asked him one and only question: is it reciprocal? B’s answer was very convincing. Silly me, I had forgotten that my dear ex was studying media and communication so of course that his answer was going to be convincing. This was the answer: Zaina, I love you and I do not know what she is talking about. You sincerely think that I will be with you if my feelings for her were reciprocal? Do not worry I’ll talk to her and everything will work out, trust me ». With such a convincing answer, I unfortunately trusted him. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and gave him permission to destroy me for a year and a half.

B had found the ideal life balance: he had 2 women with different character traits. A traditional woman, submissive and ready to accept everything including his infidelities (C) and a rebellious, ambitious woman and tolerant of any infidelity i.e me. B liked the fact that I was ambitious and used it to his advantage. B now journalist in Mayotte had grammatical difficulties with the language of Moliere and with my A levels specialised in French literature, I was the perfect candidate to correct his mistakes. When B began a second master’s degree to specialize in journalism, English was not his forte and the woman suitable for this mission was again me because I studied a degree specialised in foreign languages. Depending on the mission, he would favour one of us to serve his interests. The ideal candidate to promote Mahorais culture and traditions in general was C because she loved to show the whole world how much she knew how to cook typical meals. He loved to praise her talents as a good dancer of mbiwi or any other traditional dances. B was entirely right not to count on me for that side because I didn’t  even know how to wear the traditional garment, or dance because I dedicated my spare time as a teenager reading  books and I had never worn traditional clothing. On the other hand, I knew how to cook some dishes but I couldn’t never show that I could because would not allow anyone to cook. If I am not sure about a traditional dish or unfamiliar with the recipe, I always ask my mum, my current partner can testify!

B hated my rebellious side and did everything in power to shut it up. Public criticism eg: « I cannot believe you are a mahoraise, you do not know how to wear traditional clothing, only white people suffer from stress not someone who lived and grew up in Mayotte ». Private Critic: What are you going to do when you are graduate in foreign applied languages? How can you possibly complain about painful period after you have had them for years? You should be used it by now ».
He almost became violent with me when I disagreed with him, but he never acted on it because he knew that it might tarnish his image as president and, above all, he knew that my friends, my cousin and my family, living an hour and a half from Montpellier, would find out and fight back.
This infernal situation lasted more than a year. The longest year of my life. I had put on 10 kilos, I felt very lonely, fragile and very weak although my friends supported me during that period. A rumor circulated throughout Montpellier that I was preventing B and C from living their relationship openly, that literally killed me. Not only did I have to live with a humiliation of accepting that I was involved in a triangular relationship but knowing that that rumour ciriculated and I chose to stay regardless. The worst part is that I knew deep down that it was happening but my ex never ceased telling me that I had to be strong and fight for him. He told me that he loved me and that all these rumors about his secret relationship were unfounded. I blamed myself for feeling weak and not finding the power within me to leave. It hurt to see my friend C’s  disappointment of W. She kept using those terms to « wake up, you are not submissive person, the Zaina that I know will never accept a triangular relationship, you are a lot stronger than you think, don’t worry there will be a time when you will know what to do”. I felt guilty to disappoint W who despite all the rumors, had consciously chosen to stay by my side and paid the consequences with me. Unfortunately, the process of recovery was very long. Another person played a fundamental role in my recovery, another very faithful friend who will be called N and who often used this expression to encourage me « whatever happens, tomorrow the sun will always rise ». N had lived a similar relationship in Mayotte and had told me how she had survived and had deviated from the traditions but I don’t think that at a time she realised that she challenged the whole society when she ended her relationship. Even though I had the unconditional support of two friends, we faced a community of about fifty people who criticized and marginalized us. I was angry with seeing W and N isolated but they were not afraid of not being part of this community. According to them, that community was not theirs because it was unable to change or adapt in France. My girls gave me confidence me  but I was still ashamed to assume my choices so much so that I marginalised myself for months and only went out to buy food and especially to buy some Dannettes, good god I ate so much junk!  Today I still cannot eat Dannettes or any mousse desert like because it reminds me of this very painful period of my life. A period symbolizing abandonment of  my dreams, my ambitions as I stopped going to university for a month. B knew that I was not going to the university buthe never encouraged or motivated me to go because it suited him for me to be weak and vulnerable. One morning, I found the energy and the courage to get ready and dressed, it was a struggle to find anything that could fit me because with 10 kilos, all my clothes were too small. I managed to find a pair of trousers that was about my size even though I had some trouble breathing in it. Uncomfortable physically and psychologically, I decided to walk to the campus to attend a microeconomics course. On the way, I met my dearest ex and his best friend and he made the following comment: « Ah, you have not forgotten the way to go to college”. I continue walking but instead of going to my microeconomics course that day, I went to the Shoppi supermarket to buy more Danettes and sparkling desserts. By not attending my courses and not fulfilling  the minimum required at college, it was obvious that I was not going to  successful pass y my second year in Applied Foreign Languages. Devastated, depressed, humiliated, tired of fighting every day to keep a man who mistreated me and disappointed with my own actions, I had touched the bottom and wanted only one thing: to disappear from the surface of the earth.

What does one usually do when they touch the very bottom? Of course, call mum and dad for rescue. I called my poor mother crying and my poor mum who is 10 thousand miles away from France was extremely worried. I felt even more guilty and didn’t have the heart to tell her the real reason I was crying. My father being polygamist, my poor mother knew exactly how I was feeling, and I know how much she had suffered from it and is still suffering from the legal infidelities of my father.  I kept crying but I lied to her and told her that  real reason I was in such terrible state was because I had  failed my exams. As a reassuring and devoted mother, here is what is said: « Darling, it’s normal; you live in a foreign country so you need a little bit more time to adapt but I am sure that you have done your very best. Moreover, your academic career is impressive but you are only human and you have the right to have some moments of weaknesses. I know that you will recover, you will see it with god’s help.  » My wonderful mum was right, my “rebellions” side   started to resurface. I decided to break up with B and devote myself to my studies. The minute I “woke up” I multiplied the visits to the university’s library. Bearing in mind that I missed one month worth of courses, I had a lot of catch up to do to be at the same level as my colleagues in less than 2 months before taking my final exams. Thank God, I « woke up » at the right time to apply for the European student exchange in Spain knowing as Erasmus. My application was accepted and 6 months later, I was ready to move in the Canary Islands more precisely in Tenerife. I was about to realize one of my dreams to live and study in Spain, I was on top of the world!
Even though I had put an end to my relationship with B, our relationship remained civilized and I continued to help him with his studies, I must admit that I still had feelings for him when we broke up until one sweet day and beautiful day in summer day 2004, a real turning point!
On the eve of that beautiful day I was in the process of revising for a management exam and B unexpectedly came knocking at my door asking me to go over to his place because he needed help. Not completely convinced of his intentions, we went to his flat prepare for our respective exams. I must confess that even if B had done lot of harm, I still believed in his success and encouraged him to get his dream job, namely journalist. In my opinion, the more qualified people are, the better chances the island will have move in the right direction so I put « our differences » aside and helped him as much I could ie I corrected his articles or translated the ones writing in English. That night, we only devoted ourselves to our studies and in the space of one night, I thought that B had perhaps changed. My God no! The next day was a totally different story. 11 am the following morning, someone rang the doorbell.  I was in front of the computer reading and correcting his article, B in front of his American kitchen doing the dishes, scene never seen before! B being near the door, I asked him to answer the door but he refused, which I found extremely strange! I insisted and B finally went down to see who rang the doorbell. He came upstairs and said that it was F, the neighbor next door and a compatriot from Mayotte. But B’s mood had suddenly changed and he looked very tense. Seeing him in that state of mind, I asked him innocently what was wrong and what F wanted. He became angry and broke a plate on the floor, seeing him in that state and not being technically in relationship, I packed my books and decided to leave to continue my revisions at home. B became even angrier and prevented me from leaving and during our altercation, I saw who was at the door a few minutes before, it was obviously C! That’s why B was in a bad mood. The poor man double booked himself as he had forgotten that he had an appointment with C to take her shopping. I was speechless, shocked and I felt once again manipulated but the difference this time is that I knew that he would never the opportunity to manipulate to do it again. That day I promised myself to set myself free from that unhealthy and toxic relationship but before saying farewell to him forever I need to get a few of things off my chest such as: I cannot believe that a man as intelligent as you can be weak enough to give in an archaic and obsolete tradition.

How could you hurt me? Your father is polygamist and you have seen how he treated your own mother.  He was never present for you, your younger brother and sister because of that, how is this possible? B had no answer but his anger increased even more and he did something incredible and very coward. He went down to ask C to come up to settle things as we do in Mayotte with the rivals. I’m ashamed of it today, but I did settle things down the way we do it in my island. For my defense, I had an opportunity to “ empty my bag’ as we say in French then I could move on once and for all. I have moved on but I will never forget what they did to me for a year and a half. I do not want to play the victim because I was playing a game I did not know the rules. They never had the guts to assume their relationship in public or in front of me, and if they had a little bit of dignity, they would not have had to « hide » their feelings because they knew they were doing something wrong. They dared to accuse me during the confrontation they had told me, liars! C had confessed her feelings but B denied his feelings towards her.

That experience taught me a lot about our Mahorais society. There are some educated Mahorais who live abroad and reproduce a « mini mahorais society » with old, archaic and obsolete customs and traditions. Some educated and intelligent men use traditions to perpetuate their power, to dominate women and make them that they have no choice other accepting traditions.

I am now aware that I had a lucky escape by breaking with B, then managed to follow my dreams whereas poor C was convinced that she had hit the Jackpot with B, who according to her, was a man of high calibre.  Soon after our break up, B also broke up with C because she was no longer needed, the right balance was no longer there.  After the horrible rejection, C was desperate enough to come in my student accommodation to “make up” because he hurt us both therefore there was no need for us to continue fighting.  C paid the ultimate humiliation price as B married her next door neighbour in Mayotte, ouch!

Such long story shared to reinforce the need to break free from obsolete rules and traditions. Believe me, it is hard to be hated, despised by people from the same community as me but I refused and I still refuse to live according to other people’s rules.

Dear Readers

At the age of 6, I thought that writing was my my vocation but during my teenage years, when boybands and renowned singers such as Mariah Careh or Whitney Houston were incredibly popular, I foolish thought that singing would be my new vocation then that vocation rapidly vanished when I realized that I could hardly sing. In high school, I thought I was destined for a career that was deemed « serious » in my eyes and respected by all so I chose to become a lawyer. However, during an intervention by a lawyer in my high school who stated any lawyers in France can be assigned any cases within their areas of expertise and they were only allowed to refuse cases 3 times in their whole career, which means they must defend any client to their best of their abilities regardless of the crimes or whether they are guilty or not. Alarm bells rang that day, law was not for me as I know myself too well to know I would not able to defend a client knowing they are guilty of having committed atrocities. Despite the opinion changes concerning my career choices, there is one passion that has never left me. Whatever the career, the vocation of the time, there was this little voice telling me constantly that I have got to participate actively in the development of my island Mayotte and to ensure that all citizens, men and women are treated with respect and dignity.
During a recent and brief stay in Mayotte, I noticed the changes that occurred in Mayotte in few years. Some of them were positive, such as the modernization of the island’s infrastructure, visible and appreciated cleanliness, modern roads, a high percentage of people with access to education, and increased household incomes. However, the status and image of the woman had hardly changed in my opinion. Women are still second-class citizens, even though they are the ones who succeeds at school the most in the island. In spite of that, they still live in the shadow of men for fear of being isolated. The oppression of women in the society is rather sadistic and discouraging for all women who would be tempted to claim a little bit freedom and respect. The weapons used to prevent women from being emancipated are rather terrifying i.e very little or no social life. Bearing in mind that Mayotte is still a very community based society,  people will make a point of not inviting anyone who goes against the culture therefore those people will not be invited to any social or religious manifestations such as weddings, celebration of any religious activities and Ramadan being the biggest one.

The island is full of contradictions, Why? Because it is a society dominated by women (matriarchal society), who are responsible for the entire education of children, who dominate election campaigns to elect any politicians but who isolate other women for defying traditions.

I am not pointing the finger at Mayotte necessary because whatever the society modern or traditional, parity between men and women is non-existent but the only difference is that in  Europe for instance the gap is starting to be reduced. It seems that in European societies there is an understanding and acceptance that there is a problem and that it must be remedied, that is the main difference! The aim of my blog is not to stigmatize people, but to understand and to start a debate on how we as citizens of the world can help build better societies and communities.
I must admit that I have an unheard-of opportunity to have unconditional support from my parents to receive an education that would allow me to choose my path, my career and above all not to depend on a man. I hope that by sharing my story, my experience, my misadventures, it will inspire men and women to move things in the right direction to achieve equality of opportunity for all.

I have been waiting this moment all my life. The moment when I will be able to express myself without fear of retaliation and I can finally say loud and clear: I am a woman from Mayotte and I managed to fulfill some of my ambitions, I am saying some because there are more ambitions to achieve and challenges to be overcome every day.

My life is far from perfect, it is normal because I am only a human being but I have achieved things that were way beyond my expectations. I am multilingual, I have a master in Negotiation of International Projects, I have successfully passed my driving license in England (where people drive in the opposite direction of most countries) then I bought my very first car with my own money.  I have a very fulfilling professional career as I get to travel and meet extraordinary people and I am blessed to have found the most extraordinary man of my life and I am surrounded by loyal friends and family, which helps tremendously to have the drive to surpass my current and future goals.

Très Chers lecteurs

Dans mon rôle précédent et actuel, je fais passer beaucoup d’entretiens d’emploi et beaucoup de mes candidats m’affirment souvent être des perfectionnistes, ce que j’aime entendre en tant qu’employeur parce que je suis confiante que ces personnes ne me laisseront presque jamais tomber jusqu’à ce que le travail soit accompli. Cependant en tant qu’être humain bien constitué, je m’inquiète pour ces personnes car elles risquent de mettre leur santé mentale en danger pour atteindre les objectifs que je leur ai fixés, pourquoi ? Parce que je connais pertinemment le prix à payer pour être un perfectionniste connu sous le nom de burn-out et dépression.

Personne et je répète personne n’est parfait et personne ne devrait aspirer à l’être. Cela dit, nous devrions tous aspirer à être le meilleur de nous-même, faire de notre mieux pour faire de nos rêves une réalité, c’est largement suffisant. Selon le professeur Steve Peters, l’auteur du modèle d’esprit révolutionnaire « Le paradoxe du Chimp », notre chimpanzé (la partie héritée de notre cerveau) devient agité et perturbateur chaque fois que l’on lui fixe un objectif impossible à atteindre. Je suis consciente de cela maintenant pour en avoir payé le prix ultime deux fois d’affilé.

La première fois fut quand je travaillais chez RB entre Novembre 2013 et Octobre 2014. RB est le fabricant de Nurofen, Durex, Gaviscon, Strepsils, Veet, Clearasil parmi d’autres marques et ma mission consistait à mettre en place un service à la clientèle concernant les médicaments en vente libre, les dispositifs médicaux ainsi que les cosmétiques. On m’avait fixée un budget précis pour embaucher 4 personnes dans le but d’offrir un excellent service à la clientèle sur plus d’un millier de produits et d’aider les consommateurs par courriel, téléphone ou lettre. En outre, un tout nouveau système pour enregistrer et gérer tous les contacts client fut mis en place en même temps que la création du nouveau département. Pouvez-vous repérer l’erreur ? Un nouveau système, une toute nouvelle équipe et une seule personne expérimentée dans l’équipe  dont l’objectif était à la fois de  former et de motiver le personnel, de respecter les délais pour répondre à tous les appels, de répondre à tous les courriels et lettres dans les 48 heures et de veiller à ce que toutes les informations saisies dans le système d’enregistrement et de gestion soit 100% exactes puisque l’industrie pharmaceutique est fortement réglementée et les managers des marque et de marketing utilisent ces  informations pour mieux adapter leurs campagnes publicitaires. Inutile de dire qu’en tant que perfectionniste en récupération j’ai travaillé très dur pendant 11 mois pour mettre en place ce que je crois être mon équipe de service à la clientèle de rêve qui a réussi à passer une inspection interne visant à s’assurer que toutes les procédures standard opérationnelles ont été suivies à la lettre en sachant que les consommateurs mettent leur vie dans les mains des fabricants chaque fois qu’ils utilisent un produit cosmétique, un dispositif médical ou alors prennent des médicaments en vente libre. Je n’avais pas de vie pendant des mois en raison du manque de soutien et du manque de ressources. Je ne pouvais compter que sur moi-même et sur deux autres collègues qui m’ont permis de rester concentrée sur mes atouts c’est-à-dire motiver le personnel et d’en tirer le meilleur, de ne jamais dévier des procédures opérationnelles approuvées. Avec des ressources limitées, j’ai dû inventer un mécanisme de survie pour construire mon service idéal à la clientèle à savoir m’adapter dans n’importe quelle situation, être plus résistante, être extrêmement organisée, penser de manière créative, rester calme dans des situations difficiles et choisir les combats qui valent la peine de se battre pour, n’est-ce pas génial ? Je crains que non parce que j’ai mis mon bien-être et ma santé mentale en danger en raison du manque de sommeil et du stress permanent. Figurez-vous que je n’ai pas bien dormi pendant 4 mois ce qui fait j’étais constamment épuisé du fait des longues heures de conduite et de longues heures de travail 60 heures par semaine, ce qui dépasse le seuil légal des 48 heures. J’ai également fait face à un chantage émotionnel de la part de ma supérieur hiérarchique qui ne cessait de faire référence au nombre d’années qu’ elle a travaillé Chez RB et à quel point ils l’ont bien traitée et le pire était le  semblant de soutien de mon « partenaire d’affaires » au sein des ressources humaines qui au départ accommodé mes heures, a augmenté mon salaire pour être à la moyenne nationale, m’a payée les hôtels pour me permettre de me reposer des longues heures de conduite puis dès que l’équipe est devenue efficace et a passé l’inspection interne très difficile, je suis devenued dispensable . Tous mes prétendus privilèges, c’est-à-dire les horaires de travail flexibles et une nuit à l’hôtel pour me reposer de longues heures de conduite ont immédiatement été retirés invoquant des réductions de coûts. Avant de démissionner, je me suis battue pour que mon équipe obtiennent une augmentation de salaire de 2% parce que j’ai découvert que mon équipe et moi-même avions été dupés en termes de salaire pour être l’un des départements les moins payés, mais nous avions une mission de haute fonction étant les ambassadeurs de RB et ayant pour objectif de protéger leur image et leur réputation. Bien plus, je me suis assurée que toute la direction supérieure sache que j’ai bâti un service client superbe seule malgré toutes les difficultés, le manque de soutien et l’incompétence totale des managers régionaux du service à la clientèle. Curieusement il y a eu une redistribution de ces managers le jour de mon départ, mince j’aurais dû rester !!! Je plaisante, je suis heureuse dans mon rôle actuel vu le pouvoir que j’ai de faire une réelle différence à mon personnel et à nos clients. En outre, je n’adhère point à certaines des valeurs de mon ancien employeur, c’est-à-dire étendre la capacité de leur personnel a la limite du possible parce qu’ils croient que l’instinct de survie va se déclencher pour les aider à résoudre tous les problèmes, ce qui est vrai mais illégal ! C’est pourquoi les RH ne communiquent pas officiellement au personnel qu’ils embauchent délibérément moins de personnel qu’ils en ont besoin afin de les rendre plus résistants et de les forcer à trouver différentes méthodes de survie pour économiser de l’argent, c’est donc aux employés de connaître leurs limites et de s’arrêter quand ils ne peuvent plus suivre, c’est pourquoi j’ai déposé ma démission. J’ai toujours eu du mal à comprendre pourquoi les gens travaillent chez eux depuis si longtemps en connaissant cette méthode si horrible pour pousser leurs employés à se tuer au travail, mais après avoir pris une certaine distance et j’ai eu moment Eureka … La meilleure méthode pour obtenir la loyauté de leur personnel est totalement psychologique. Cette méthode est très efficace tellement que je la recommande à toutes les entreprises et managers en raison du principe suivant: les gens travaillent pour les gens, pas pour de l’argent! Ce n’est pas par hasard que RB propose gratuitement des boissons froides et chaudes, des fruits frais toutes les semaines, des gâteaux et du champagne pour célébrer toute occasion que ce soit des anniversaires ou alors des bons classements  de leurs site web. Ils organisent des fêtes de Noël impressionnantes dans des endroits glorieux et la cerise sur le gâteau est le congrès annuel ayant lieu dans des endroits reconnus comme destinations de fête toutes dépenses incluses. J’ai utilisé cette méthode pour créer le tout premier système de prime dans mon rôle actuel afin de récompenser l’employé du mois sur une base mensuelle en tenant compte tous les aspects de la performance, c’est-à-dire le retard, l’absence, les ventes, la contribution au sein de l’équipe et la présentation vestimentaire. L’employé du mois a l’occasion de profiter d’une journée spa ou une nuit dans un hôtel 5 étoiles, des billets de cinéma VIP enfin tout dépend d’à quel point je veux être créative !
Ma deuxième chute et dépression se sont produites quand j’ai rejoint CDK juste après mes 11 mois mouvementés chez RB. J’étais épuisée, mais c’était un nouveau départ et comme une perfectionniste en récupération mon esprit voulait tout donner à mon nouvel employeur  mais mon corps se paralysa deux fois en aout 2015 et autre fois en Juin 2016. Travailler au sein d’ une petite entreprise me donne beaucoup de  liberté d’être impliquée dans différents domaines de l’entreprise tels que les RH (embauche, formation et licenciement), la gestion de tous les aspects des ventes, je n’aime même pas la  vente en général , mais apparemment je suis assez bonne dans ce domaine! Je suis également impliquée dans le marketing traditionnel et numérique, la logistique, le soutien à la clientèle, le soutien informatique, les comptes, la budgétisation pour le profit enfin bon je suis certaine que vous avez compris ! Mon métier est génial, extrêmement gratifiant, enrichissant et stimulant, mais mon Dieu qu’est-ce que c’est épuisant mentalement et physiquement ! Je me suis mise sous beaucoup de pression pour prendre soin de tous ces domaines et pour accomplir toutes les tâches qui leur sont attachées parfaitement même quand je n’ai pas l’expérience dans beaucoup d’entre eux. Tout être humain « normal » se serait reposé avant de prendre un tel rôle et aurait su qu’il était impossible de batir une équipe de vente performante et cohérente ainsi que créer une fonction RH, d’aider à l’exportation de nos marques tout en étant la parfaite épouse qui nettoie, cuisine et a l’air superbe tous les jours. J’ai encore du mal à l’assimiler et l’accepter que j’ai souffert d’une grave dépression.

Certaines personnes vont être choquées et surprises de découvrir cela ici, mais je partage mon expérience dans le but premier de vous exhorter à prendre soin de vous et à mettre vos besoins avant les besoins de quiconque que ce soit un ami, un membre de la famille, un collègue, un employé ou même un employeur. J’étais sérieusement en danger de me faire du mal pendant 6 mois parce que je pensais que j’étais une moins que rien, que je n’étais pas assez belle, pas assez soucieuse, pas assez intelligente et j’avais l’impression d’avoir déçue tout le monde autour de moi commençant par mes parents, mes collaborateurs, mes amis, mon frère Abdou qui me met sur un pied d’éstal.  J’avais honte d’en parler à qui que ce soit d’autre autre que mon compagnon.  Le pauvre n’y pouvait rien mis à part me conseiller de voir un thérapeute, ce que j’ai fait pendant 6 semaines. J’avais honte d’être complètement honnête avec un professionnel et je me sentais coupable de dépenser beaucoup d’argent pour le voir une fois par semaine c’est pourquoi j’ai arrêté de le voir. A l’heure où je suis en train d’écrire cet article, je dois avouer que cela m’a fait du bien de partager certains de mes problèmes avec un hypno- thérapeute puisqu’ il a repéré une tendance malsaine à toujours vouloir être bonne à tout et il m’a dit de ne pas être si dure avec moi-même quand les choses ne vont pas comme prévu parce que c’est la vie. Lors d’un jeu de rôle avec lui, j’ai identifié qui mon véritable ennemi et mon meilleur ami sont … Moi-même ! J’ai aussi établi ou se trouve mon refuge à savoir l’endroit où je me sens en sécurité indépendamment de ce qui se passe, mes copines Moitsou et Chariffa. J’ai immédiatement réservé un billet pour leur rendre visite à Montpellier. J’ai passé les trois premières semaines de janvier à pleurer, à rire, à lire des livres d’auto-apprentissage, à méditer, à écrire mes pensées sur mon bloc note Carpe Diem, à danser, à manger, à faire les magasins, à me rappeler et à analyser les rêves que j’avais quand j’étais jeune. Je suis a également rendue chez médecin de 14 ans qui a diagnostiqué que mon état mental était assez inquiétant pour me prescrire des antidépresseurs, que j’ai pris religieusement pendant 3 mois. 3 mois plutard, j’ai l’impression de naitre une deuxième fois et je me sens assez bien pour partager mes moments de solitude et de douleurs en détails avec plus d’amis qui, comme des amis bienveillants m’offrent le soutien et ont quelques mots d’encouragements et motivants tels que : Tu es une femme déterminée, ambitieuse, belle, dynamique, drôle, généreuse, énergétique, consciencieuse en gros « un vrai petit bout de femme». Je le sais maintenant et j’accepte la personne que je suis car je me rends compte enfin que je suis suffisante, que je suis la seule et unique personne qui peut prendre soin de moi-même et qui va faire de mes rêves une réalité. J’ai maintenant récupéré mon pouvoir intérieur de faire de mon mieux pour faire de moi et de mes rêves une priorité.

Un de mes rêves est de vivre assez longtemps pour voir mon île prospérer et se tenir sur ses propres pieds et de rendre mes enfants à naître et mes grands-enfants fiers de m’avoir comme maman et grand-mère. Le Festival de cet été n’est qu’un début et j’espère que mes amis, ma famille et tous les citoyens du monde vont m’aider à réaliser ce rêve. Voici quelques exemples d’événements que nous allons organiser pour enseigner aux enfants un sport pour développer la discipline ou la détermination ou de leur apprendre à jouer un instrument pour développer leur côté artistique.

Dearest readers

In my previous and current role, I get to interview a lot of candidates who often state they are perfectionists, which as an employer I love to hear because I feel this person won’t let me down until the job gets done. But as a person I worry about these people because they might put their mental health at risk to meet the objectives I set them, why?  Because I know very well the price to pay to be a perfectionist: Burn out and Depression.

No one and I repeat no one is perfect and no one should aspire to be. Having said that, we should all aspire to be the best we can be, do our absolute best to make our dreams come true, that should be it. According to Professor Steve Peters, the author of the groundbreaking mind model « The Chimp Paradox », our chimp ( the inherited part of our brain) gets agitated and disruptive whenever one sets an impossible goal to reach. I am aware of that now for having paid the ultimate price twice in a row.

The first time was during my time at RB ( the manufacturers of Nurofen, Durex, Gaviscon, Strepsils, Veet, Clearasil among other brands) when I was tasked  to build a customer service department to deal with over the counter medicines, medical devices as well as cosmetics. I was given a budget to hire 4 people to deliver an excellent customer service on over a thousand products and assist consumers via email, phone or letter. Besides,  I was provided with a brand new system to record and manage all customer contacts.Can you spot the error?  A brand new system, a brand new team and one experienced staff whose mission is to train and motivate staff, meet deadlines to answer all calls, reply all emails and letters within 48 hours and who needs to ensure that all information entered in the recording and managing system is 100% accurate as the pharmaceutical industry is heavily regulated and brand and marketing managers use this information to better tailor their advertising campaigns. Needless to say that as a recovering perfectionist I worked extremely hard for 11 months to build what I believe to be my dream customer service team who sailed through an internal audit to ensure all standard operating procedures were followed to the letter, which is incredibly  important because consumers put their lives in the manufacturers’ hands  every time they use a cosmetic product, a medical device or take some medication. I didn’t have a life for months due to the lack of support and lack of esources. I could only count on myself and 2 other colleagues who kept me focused on I what I do and I know best i.e to motivate staff and get the most out of them, to never deviate from approved standard operating procedures unless someone’s life is at risk. With limited resources, I had to find a survival mechanism to build my ideal customer service department consequently I developed  some coping mechanism to be more resilient, to be extremely organised, to be a creative thinker, to stay calm in difficult situation and to pick the battles worth fighting for, isn’t that great?  I am afraid not given that I put my well-being and mental health at risk due to the lack of sleep as I didn’t sleep properly  for 4 months,  due to exhaustion caused by long hours of driving and long working hours ( doing sometimes 60 hours a week, which exceeds the legal threshold of 48 hours),  due to emotional blackmail from my line manager who kept referring to the numbers of years she has worked there and how well they treated her and the worst was the apparent support from my HR business partner who accommodated my hours, increased my salary to be at the national average, paid hotels to allow me to rest from the long driving hours then as soon as the team became self efficient and passed a very tough internal audit, I became disposable. All my so called privileges i.e flexible working hours and one night at the hotel to rest from long driving hours were immediately removed invoking cost cuts. Before resigning, I fought for my team to get a 2%  salary increase because I found out that my team and I were duped in terms of salary for being one of the lowest salary grades but required to do a very high profile job to be RB ambassadors to protect their image and reputation. Moreover, I made sure all the higher management knew that I built a superb customer service alone against all odds and senior customer service managers were incompetent. Strangely enough there was a redistribution of those managers the day of my departure, bugger I should have stayed!!! Only kidding, I am happy with my current role given the power I have to make a real difference to my staff and to our customers. Besides, I don’t adhere to some of my former employer’s values i.e stretch their staff to the absolute limits because they believe the survival instinct will kick in to help them solve any problems, which is true but illegal!!! This is why HR  never officially communicate to all staff that they purposely hire fewer staff members than they need to make them more resilient and to force them to find different methods of survival to save money as a result it is up to them to know their limits and to stop when they can’t keep up, which is why I handed my notice. I never understood why people have been working there for so long with such a horrible method to get the best out of  their employees but after taking some distance and I had Eureka moment… The best method to get emotional buying in and loyalty from their staff is to incentivise psychologically. It is very efficient and I recommend this method to all companies and managers due to this following principle: people  work for people, not for money!  It is not accidental that RB offers free cold and hot drinks, fresh fruit on a weekly basis, cakes and champagne to celebrate every occasions ( birthdays, good website ratings etc.), amazing Christmas parties in glorious locations and the cherry on the cake is the annual convention taking in places in party-like destinations all expenses included. I used this method to create the very first incentive scheme in my current role to reward the top performer on a monthly basis taking into account all aspects of performance  i.e lateness, absence, sales, team contribution and presentation. The top performer gets to enjoy a spa day or a night at a 5 star hotel, VIP cinema tickets etc. It all depends on how creative I am each month….

My second burned out and depression happened when I joined CDK straight after my  11 eventful months at RB. I was exhausted but it was a new start and as a recovering perfectionist my mind wanted to give my new employer my all but my body just stalled twice in October 2014  and second time in June 2016. Working in a small company gives me freedom to get involved in different areas of the business such as HR ( hiring, training and firing), managing all aspects of sales, I didn’t even like sales but apparently I am pretty good at it! I am also involved in traditional and digital marketing, logistics, customer support, IT support,accounts, budgeting for profit anyway you get the picture! It is fun, extremely rewarding, enriching and stimulating but god it is mentally and physically tiring. I  put myself under a lot of pressure to take  care of all of these areas and to complete all tasks attached to them perfectly even when I don’t have experience in a lot of them. Any « normal »human being would have rested before taking on such a big role and would know that it was impossible to build a top performing and consistent sales team as well as creating a HR function as well as exporting our brands as well as being the perfect wife who cleans, cooks and looks stunning every day. It still hurts me to say that I burned out and I suffered a serious depression.

Some people are going to be shock to find this out here but I am sharing my experience in order to first and foremost to urge you to look after yourselves and to put your needs before anyone’s whether it is a friend’s, a family member’s, a work colleague’s, an employee’s or even an employer’s. I was seriously in danger of harming myself for 6 months because I thought I was not good enough for anyone, not beautiful enough, not caring enough, not intelligent enough and I felt that I have let everybody around me down my parents, my partner, my staff, my friends, my brother Abdou who looks up to me so much and I was ashamed to speak to anyone other than my partner about my internal battles. Bless him, there was very little he could do other than advising me to see a therapist, which I did for 6 weeks. I was ashamed to completely be honest with a professional therefore I felt guilty to spend a lot of money to see him once a week this is why I stopped seeing him.  As I am writing this article, I admit that it did me some good to share some of my problems with a hypnotherapist as he spotted my unhealthy pattern to always want to be good at everything and told me not to be so hard on myself when things don’t go to plan because that’s life. During a role play with him,  I identified  who my real enemy and my best friend are… Myself! I also established what my refuge is  i.e the place I feel safe regardless of what is going on, my girls Moitsou and Chariffa. I immediately booked a ticket to pay  them a visit in Montpellier.  I spent the first 3 weeks of January crying, laughing, reading self help books, meditating, writing my inner thoughts in my Carpe Diem note book,  dancing,eating, shopping, remembering and analysing the dreams I had when I was young in other words healing. I went to see my 14 year GP  who diagnosed that my mental state was bad to enough to prescribe me some anti-depressants, which I took religiously for 3 months.  3 months down the line, I feel re-born and  I feel well enough to share my unsettled time in details  with more friends who as caring friends offer me support and have some thoughtful an motivating words such as : You are a determined, strong, ambitious,beautiful, dynamic, funny, generous, level-headed woman in other words ‘un vrai petit bout de femme ». I now know and accept that I am enough just the way I am and the only person who can take care of me the best and who will make my dreams come true is myself.  I have now reclaimed my inner power to do my utmost best to make myself and my dreams a priority.

One of my dreams is to live long enough to see my island prosper and stand on its own feet and to make my unborn children and my grand-children proud to have me as a mum and grand-mother. This summer’s Festival is just a start and I hope my friends, family and all citizens of the world will help me make that dream come true.

Here are some examples of events we will be organising to teach children a sport to develop discipline or drive or teach them how to play an instrument to develop their artistic side.

Dear readers

Currently on holiday in French Guiana, my childhood friend, her family, all the Guyanese population and I are facing an unprecedented strike with a blockage of all major road, port and airport axes. Just so you know before the beginning of the strike on Monday 20^th March, the French Minister of Environment, Energy and Sea decided to shorten her stay in French Guyana because the collective of the 500 brothers broke into the Cartagena Convention in the presence of 25 foreign representatives (Source from TV channel Guyana Premiere http://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guyane/segolene-royal-ecourte-son-sejour-ne-va-pas-inaugurer-pont-oyapock-454369. Html). Our beloved minister became frightened and departed the day before the inauguration of the Oyapock Bridge linking French Guyana to Brazil, which she was supposed to inaugurate on Saturday 18th March. None of the national and international media reported this incident until the situation deteriorated and various trade unions and a part of the Guyanese population mobilized and took to the streets, an Air France Paris Orly flight to Cayenne turn around after 4 hours of flight and that the take-off of a Rocket in Kourou is now postponed to a later date that the media began to take an interest in the problems affecting the whole Guyanese population for years. In addition, schools, colleges, high schools and some administrations are closed until further notice.

What’s more, it took three weeks of strikes and unprecedented violence in Mayotte causing the death of a father of family for the national media to react. As we speak Mayotte has been facing a water shortage for more than 3 months and only the local media inform the local population (source http://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/crise-sociale-guyane-reveil-medias-nationaux-456617 .html). On the other hand, the media rush to every comical discovery of François Fillon’s private life  one month before the French presidential election.

Would it not be normal to focus on the presidential election candidate’s programs and on how they plan to solve problems that matter to the entire French population, including the Overseas population that is to say employment, social cohesion , education, health, retirement or the media’s favourite subject insecurity?

Sometimes I wonder whether this is a strategy for the media and politics to distract us  while they continue to defend their own interests and to stay in power.
My friends citizens of the world please be committed and continue to use social networks wisely not to be the forgotten of the French Republic. Generally speaking, I am not in favor of strike movements, because in my view, paralyzing the population and the economy is counterproductive and this should be the last resort to obtain what we want and I think that each one of us is more than capable to sit around a table and solve any problem by being realistic that all problems do not settle with magic wand. However, this time I support the Guyanese population because it is the only way to attract the media’s attention and the French authorities by preventing the launch of the rocket in Kourou and restraining all means of transport giving access to French Guyana. Despite this support for my compatriots, I call on all citizens of the world to be mindful and to take an active part into social and political life of our countries before opting for radical often violent measures. This is what we plan to do through the Festival in Mayotte in August.

Chers lecteurs

Actuellement en séjour en Guyane Française, mon amie d’enfance, sa famille, toute la population guyanaise et moi faisons face une grève sans précèdent avec un blocage de tous les axes principaux routiers, portuaires at aéroportuaires. Figurez-vous qu’avant cette grève ce lundi 20 mars, la ministre de l’Environnement, de l’Energie et de la Mer a décidé d’écourter son séjour en Guyane car le collectif des 500 frères a fait irruption en pleine restitution de la convention de Carthagène en présence de 25 représentants étrangers ( source Guyane 1ere http://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guyane/segolene-royal-ecourte-son-sejour-ne-va-pas-inaugurer-pont-oyapock-454369.html). Notre chère ministre prit peur et partit la veille de l’inauguration du Pont de l’Oyapock reliant la Guyane au Brésil qu’elle était censée inaugurer. Aucuns média nationaux et internationaux ne reportèrent cet incident et il a fallu que la situation se dégrade et que les différents syndicats et une partie de la population guyanaise se mobilisent et descendent dans les rues, qu’un vol Air France Paris Orly en direction de Cayenne fasse demi-tour au bout de 4 heures de vol et que le décollage de la Fusée à Kourou soit reporté a une date ultérieure pour que les média commencent à s’intéresser aux problèmes qui touchent toute la population guyanaise depuis des années. De plus, les écoles, les collèges, les lycées et certaines administrations sont fermés jusqu’à nouvel ordre.

Par ailleurs, il a fallu 3 semaines de grève et de violences sans précèdent à Mayotte causant la mort d’un père de famille pour que les média nationaux réagissent. Actuellement, Mayotte fait face à une pénurie d’eau depuis plus de 3 mois et seuls les media locaux informent la population locale (source http://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/crise-sociale-guyane-reveil-medias-nationaux-456617.html). Par contre, les media se précipitent a la moindre découverte cocasse de la vie privée de François Fillon à un mois de l’élection présidentielle française.

Ne serait-il pas normal de se concentrer sur les programmes des candidats à la présidence et sur comment ils envisagent de résoudre les problèmes qui préoccupent toute la population française y compris celle de l’Outre-Mer plus précisément l’emploi, la cohésion sociale, l’éducation, la santé, la retraite ou encore le sujet préféré de tous l’insécurité ?

Parfois je demande si cela ne serait pas une stratégie des media et des politiques pour nous distraire ou alors nous endormir pendant qu’ils continuent à défendre leurs intérêts et surtout à rester au pouvoir.

Mes amis citoyens du monde engagez-vous et continuez à utiliser à utiliser les réseaux sociaux à bon escient pour ne pas être les oubliés de la République française. En général, je ne suis pas en faveur des mouvements de grève car à mes yeux paralyser la population et l’économie est contreproductive et devrait être le dernier recours pour obtenir gain de cause et je pense que chacun et chacune est plus que capable de s’asseoir autour d’une table et résoudre tout problème en étant réaliste que les problèmes ne se règlent pas en coup de baguette magique. Cependant, cette fois-ci je soutiens la population guyanaise parce que c’est le seul moyen d’attirer l’attention des media et des autorités françaises c’est d’empêcher le décollage de la fusée à Kourou, de bloquer tous les moyens de transport permettant l’accès à la Guyane. Malgré ce soutien à mes compatriotes, j’appelle à tous les citoyens du monde d’être bien veillés et de prendre part activement à la vie sociale et politique de nos pays avant de prendre des mesures radicales voir violentes. C’est ce que l’on prévoit de faire à travers le Festival à Mayotte en aout.