Victor Arthein: 'Slavery in Guadeloupe has not disappeared, it has only changed form'

Despite the official abolition of slavery, Guadeloupe continues to exist today under neocolonialism, maintaining economic and political dependence on France, Victor Arthein, a member of the board of the Communist Party of Guadeloupe and a member of the municipal council of Port Louis, said at the international conference "Towards the Decolonization of Guadeloupe: Challenges and Perspectives" in Baku, Report informs.

"Slavery in Guadeloupe has not disappeared - it has only changed form. We are still economically and politically dependent on France. The entire system of import and export is controlled from the outside. We do not have true independence - neither politically nor economically," he noted.

According to Arthein, the idea of ​​dependence on the metropolis is presented to the local population as "protection", but in reality, it only consolidates colonial subordination.

"We are being told that we cannot survive without France. But freedom that depends on others is not freedom. It is a false illusion," Arthein stressed.

He added that the people of Guadeloupe are striving for real decolonization - for complete and unconditional independence.

"Decolonization is complete liberation. Guadeloupe continues to fight for its independence - with its own strength, with its own will. We must put an end to this for the future of our youth. Living conditions are so unbearable that young people are forced to migrate en masse from Guadeloupe," said the Communist Party representative.