‘This is a tile in the CA RAF BOOKS series THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF VIRGINIA Le Discours Antillas Copyright © Les Editions du Sea 1981 “This transarion and edinon Copyright © 1989 by he Rector and Visors of che University of Virginia First published 1989 First paperback edition 1992 ‘Third poperback printing 1999 Libeary of Congress Cataloging in-Publictuon Dat Caribbean discourse: selected essays by Edouard Glissant translated and with an sntroducuon by J. Michael Dash em. (CARAF books) (rench)—History and cic. 6, Wert Indies, French—Relations— France. 7, France—Relations—West Indies, French. 1, Dash J 59.5469 cr Pnted in the United States of Amenca 1.5313 1992 sant, Edouard, 1928-2011 bbean discourse : selected essays “To describe is to transform, ‘Then Chaka shouted co them: ‘You murder me in the Between Europe and America I see only specks of dust. Attributed to Charles de Gaulle fon a visit o Martinique Jean-Jacques Rousseau Essay on the Origin of Language ‘Acoma fall down, everybody say the wood rotten, ‘Martinican proverb A black man is a century. ‘Martnican saying us task, to make an inventory of reality. We Black Skin, White Masks36 Caribbean Discourse whatever you feel about religious alienation or fanticism, you cannot ignore the energy, the fraternal organizations, the tivity in poor districts (more or less outside of the tradi scope of political activity) of the churches introduce Martinique—Adventists, Protestants, Jehovah's Witness etc.—even if you fear the fire-and-brimstone, escapis sage of these sects and even if you know that the esta ‘ment of most of these churches is finance from the United States.* ‘The encouragement of delegation, of representation with- out power. “The folksingers “screnading” the prefect, in the luxury hotels or on passing ships. ‘The uninterrupted flow of visitors: ministers, delegations, commissions of inquiry, chairmen, executives, union secre: taries, political leaders (to each his own), ad infinitum. “cannot stay any longer, T must return to Paris to act on what I managed to see and learn here. But I will not abandon you. In my own capacity I will continue to work for you’ (minister’s speech). ‘The expansive pronouncement: tomorrow things will be better. “The understanding black. ck, black, The visitors marvel. the examples of derision are present embry- text. are the strategic places of alienation: the town hall, the Social Security office, school ration offices, assistance, parking garages, supermarkets, associations, political and administrative meetings, sports arenas, ctedit organizations. As can be seen, there is social 4. Some Amencan univensite, for example, the University of (Bloomington), have created courses in Creole language in which sionanes to Hatt and the other francophone Caribbean lands en Andeé-imeé Parise, makes a mila procamato 37 ‘The Known, the Uncertain ogress. The plantation greathouse and the foreman’ screed by boards, fe, agencies. eee fo put the final touch to the quality of “histori 7 iment in M. Hussor’s text the poster was dbplayed ina "gual form. In French on the left and in Creole on the right. ation. How not to be amazed? Some- c the treaty dividing the Carolingian imagine that the Creole text was of Martinique, who were no mot erate in that language than in French, then imagine as some civil servant commissioned vo do the Creole “ransla- i this extra, absolutely absurd task, and setting to crazy black pidgin der, M. Husson’s text oni It fixes such an undoubtedly speech that one is ed to believe tha form of patois. That is the ultimate historical effect of the _Hlocument. which makes this nerfect deformation of form the asia) DRY Ree Milstein the mos pro- 2 been studied in M: . : fartinican eat et, ienmaodie ae rucbingly contempo- vay from derision by staring Dispossession i ‘Community would tolerate the notion of “dispossession,” 4nd that is a discouraging point with which to begin a scru- 5. On 15 July 1848, the general commissines ih Guiana, M. text utes the eae38 39 Caribbean Discourse ‘The Known, the Uncertain tiny of the real, But not to do so is becoming dangerous, when tlispossession is camouflaged and no one is aware ofits cor- rosive presence.! Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Latin America) erupted in those places | where the planters could escape the barter economy, by con- a fleet, a market. The war of independence jegory: the concentration of African Ie all begins naturally with the first African snatched from the Gold Coast. Our new world was the trader's ocean. The and on the other side (our land) thus became for us an intol- ‘erable experience. But the traded population became a people oon this land, Then came the real dispossession, with the first Saucepan or the first plowshare, paid for by a planter with spices, with indigo, or with tobacco. In this barter the country ‘went astray “The Martinican planter, unlike his counterpart in the plan- jon of Louisiana or the Northeast of Brazil, cannot claim bimsel ‘the means of production that would favor dependence from the commercial system whose local “representative” he is. fe is dependent on the slave ship for supplies of ebony flesh, He is not the one who fixes the price or the quanti | He does not have liquid cash (the principle o barter is based on the value of a pound of sugar), he does not tors. These enabling conditi suadeloupe So Tax: aubing jons were absent in Guadeloup ‘The barter system is reinforced by the mechanism of state monopolies, from the time of Colbert onward. Which means artinican economy (production and consumption) ts fullest range is totally absorbed into the French econ- ‘omy, without any alternative. The organization of the planta- tion system will provide the opportunity for a mild reaction, _ uickly suppressed by the policy of French beet-sugar pro ducers ever since the middle of the “barter economy will change subtly ‘own a merchant feet, he does not aff juctuations of the the: . Jefe for him? Plunder. No pos serves, technology. He exploits on a day-to-day basis. “The wars of independence in the New World (United States, approach” to them. iécle (The fourth century), between an And it is true that, given this novel's i 7 novel’ perspective, the two characters are marginalized in relation to the day today tion of the country. The over ing ofthis scene is, however, that it is not enough to marginalize oneself in order jos" tone, more bureaueratic and es servant. He did not ected rim of hae the decisive brevity, the M. Husson. 1. The best example is the work of lucid French mutants who, soli ee, and educators, prove defeats ati ctions are purely formal, Fraternal colonization is 3 sry: ive 2s the patemals kind, The imei tapi everwhere. t been so, from such a confror social groups would have resulted an independent will40 Caribbean Discourse that would have founded, in whatever way, the nation of ‘Martinique. The colonizers were clever enough to conceal the true and total domination (invisible) under the no less real (and visible) exploitation by the békés. The principle of de- im 1946 is preci incorporation into the French nation will guarantee protection against béké ex- ploitation. But the békés, now impotent, will be, as is ex: pected, salvaged and promoted by the system to the non- dangerous, nonproductive zone of the tertiary sector, which promises bountiful benefits but prevents the emergence of the nation. Furthermore, never has a policy of production been developed or carried out by this exploitative sector. Ult: ‘mately, no responsibility has been taken by them for techni improvement. Which creates a number of inadequacies. “The “economic” status of Martinique will be fixed according to this progression: barter—psuedoproduction—exchange. ‘Technical stagnation, resulting from the impossii long-term forecasting, here overlaps with the degeneration (on the popular level) of techniques of survival. It is true that basic techniques for the processing of sugar cane have changed litde over the past two centuries. This technical entropy, re inforced by the dispossession of the lower strata, produces paralysis of cultural creativity. Technical automatism, mental automatis “The habit of collective nonresponsibility in economi production is encouraged by decisions made by the central authority that, while really preventing the appearance of production of a national nature, encourages through subven ions and intermittent aid the maintenance of what 1 all 1, The lack of solidarity between sectors of the economy. Under the pressure of equalization created by an extern: administration, indifference is the natural reaction of B ay The Known, the Uncertam Fornde-Franc