“Like Birds”: A Forgotten Colonial History

At the ages of 4 and 6, Éléonore and Alexis were separated from their family and placed in a Catholic boarding school in Guyana. The directors Alice Lefilleul and Clément Baudet have decided to highlight these two former Amerindian children to tell an unknown episode in the history of French colonization: that of a hundred Guiana children snatched from their families by the Catholic Church between 1930 and 1980 the state to be placed in Catholic educational institutions, which are responsible for instilling in them Western mores.

In this podcast, the two former boarding school residents talk about their experiences in these “Indian homes”. Whips, a ban on speaking their language, or even an obligation to go to mass. This part of the history of French colonization has gradually faded from the shadows since the book was published Let’s go, children of Guyana, last September. Since then, a collective has been formed in February to seek recognition of the violence suffered in boarding schools.

A dressing worked

The strength of this Arte Radio podcast is to let the victims have their say. For twenty-three minutes their words intertwine and react to one another. They tell anecdotes about what they experienced. Your testimonials are supported by an elaborate sound design. Soft chirping of birds accompanies their confessions behind their voices. No doubt a nod to the podcast’s title, which is inspired by that term to the bird“to tame children” is used locally.

The sounds of the drums help to delve into their memories. Marked by this painful past, it’s time for Alexis and Éléonore to rebuild. In 2023 there is still a Catholic boarding school in Saint-Georges-de-l’Oyapock. Funded by Guyana’s local authority, it hosts around sixty youth from the remote village of Trois-Sauts.