PARIS – A French magazine has caught fire after publishing a fictional story and picture depicting a French legislator as an African slave in the 18th century.
The legislator, Daniel Obono, an anti-apartheid activist who is black and was born in the former French colony of Gabon, calls and describes it as “an insult to my history, the history of my family and ancestors, the history of slavery.” It is described as a “political and racist attack.”
The seven-page fantasy story, published this week in the magazine Waller’s Actuels, featured chained images of one of Mrs. Obono’s neck. By Saturday, French politicians of political divisions had criticized the magazine for its aggressive portrayal of Ms Obono.
“This anti-publication calls for clear condemnation,” wrote Prime Minister Jean Kastex. Twitter. President Emanuel Macron to Ms. Sent a message of support to Obono.
Top officials of the National Rally Party of Marine Le Pen, on the right, Le Lerand de Saint-Just, Wrote on Twitter What the magazine did was unworthy. “Political fighting does not justify such an insulting and damaging representation of an elected representative of the Republic,” he wrote.
Yves de Cadrele, the magazine’s managing editor until 2018, said the story was “explosive” and contributed to “normalizing racism”. The magazine’s current editors, considering the weekly, right-wing and far-right readers, denied the story was racist, but issued an apology.
“I’m sorry people thought we were racist,” Tugduel Denis, the magazine’s deputy editor, told French channel BFMTV on Saturday. “We are non-conformists, we are politically wrong. That is the DNA of this paper. ”
The story was part of a summer short narrative series depicting contemporary political figures in earlier historical periods and was written by an anonymous author using the nickname Harplus.
In it, Ms. Obono dates back to the 18th century and finds himself in a small village in present-day Chad. Initially, she enjoys “reconnecting with her roots”. But he is soon captivated by the “patriarchal order” of the village and enters the inter-African slave trade.
The story then follows how Mrs. Obono is taken to markets where enslaved Africans are sold, but no buyers are found. The story goes: “Daniel did not find a buyer, without knowing whether he should rejoice or mourn. Should, and without realizing, absurdly, a small tweak to his pride. “
The story ends when Ms. Obonos are bought by a French cleric, freed and taken to a monastery in France to recover from the experience.
In a phone interview, Ms. Obono said she refused to read the whole story and told him, “A representation of the degradation and depreciation of myself and 18th century Africa.” The magazine’s editors said their goal was to remind readers that slavery in Africa was given not only by Europeans, but also by Africans.
Ms. Obono, 40, is an experienced leftist activist who has long been involved in anti-racism organizations. Critics have accused him of exaggerating the stains left by colonization, as well as France’s involvement in the slave trade, which remains sensitive in the country.
In a statement, the magazine’s editors said they chose to describe Mrs. Obono in the description because she contributed to the “ideological adventure of falsifying history.”
Ms. Obono said the magazine’s story is “part of a reformist strategy known far and wide, aimed at reducing responsibility for the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its political, economic and social consequences.”
Valor’s Actuels, a small, general news magazine founded in 1966, has been accused of having frequent offensive coverage.
In recent years, he has portrayed American business magnate George Soros as “a billionaire’s conspiracy against France” as part of an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. The anti-apartheid activist, Essa Trace, is also described as “ready to bring France to its knees”.
Last year, Mr. Macron raised an eyebrow when giving an exclusive interview to the magazine and described the publication as “very good paper.”
France has struggled to cope with its colonial heritage and has often been accused of failing to successfully integrate immigrants from its former colonies. Critics say the country’s commitment to globalization – the belief that no group should be preferred – silenced the debate and saved France from facing its colonial past.
But some have said thousands gathered in France to protest racism and police violence after the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by police officers in Minnesota. Earlier this year.
Ms. Obono said the decision by Valers Actuels to publish the picture was a sign that a line had been crossed, and that the French people had begun to confront the country’s “systemic, structural racism”.
