DecolonizingEurope,byHouriaBouteldja,spokespersonofthePIR.
Forseveralyearsnow,consciousoftheimmenselyhighstakeswithintheEuropeanpoliticalspace,ourorganizationhasbeeninvested
inbuildingactivisttiesacrossEurope.ThankstotheeffortsofthoseactivistsfromvariousEuropeancountries,wewereableto
organizethisfirstconferenceoftheEuropeandecolonialnetwork,onMay11thand12th2012attheComplutenseUniversityof
Madrid.BelowwepublishthespeechgivenbyHouriaBouteldja,spokeswomanofthePIR,attheclosingofthefirstdayofdebates,
whichwasdedicatedtodefiningthedecolonialperspectives.
Imuststartwithaconfession:IdontknowwhatDecolonizingEuropemeans.Orrather,ImafraidIknow.Imafraiditmeans
changingourcivilizationmodel.Itisaprojectthatwehaveyettoinvent.Itisatitanicundertaking.
Itisaboveallapoliticalproject.Andyet:
ThereareonlyafewdecolonialmovementsinEurope.Thepopulationsdescendingfromthecolonialempire,currently
discriminatedinEuropeandconsequentlythemostqualifiedtoleadthisproject,arenotstronglyandautonomouslyorganized
TheEuropeanpoliticalfieldisstructuredaroundtheclassdivide.Thatmeansthatouralliesdontreallyexistyet.Somepolitical
minoritiesaresensitivetoourdiscoursebuttheyaremarginal.
Firstquestion:Whatisbeingdecolonial?
1.Aboveall,thedecolonialpersonistheonethathasdefeatedhisorherfascinationfortheWhiteMan,andfortheWestern
civilization.
Letmegiveafewexamples:
MuhammadAli.RecallhiscommentswhenAmericanjournalistsaskedhimwhyherefusestojointhearmyforthewarin
Vietnam.Heanswers:NoVietConghasevercalledmeanigger.Trytorememberalsowhenduringatelevisionshow,hewas
askedif,consideringhisgreatpopularity,hewouldaccepttobethePresidentoftheUnitedStates.Hegavethisremarkable
answer(Iquotefrommemory):ThedaytheAmericansystemgivesthepresidencytoaBlackperson,thatcouldonlymeanone
thing:thattheshipissinking.ItwouldbelikebecomingthecaptainoftheTitanic.Fortyyearslater,thatisexactlywhatis
happeningwithObama.ThegreatMuhammadAliisdecolonial.
PresidentGamalAbdelNasser'sroaringlaugh,onJuly261956,whenhenationalizedtheSuezCanal.Alaughofretribution,a
laughoftriumph,alaughofdefiance.Allthecontraryofthearrogantsarcasticlaughofthetormenter.Aburstoflife.The
jubilationoftheoppressed.Theintoxicationofaudacity.Nassersunforgettablelaughisdecolonial.
ZhouEnlai,theChineseprimeministerintheearlyseventies.WhenaFrenchjournalistaskedhimWhatdoyouthinkofthe
FrenchRevolution?Hisadmirableresponsewas:Itistoosoontotell.Thisretort,incisiveandtough,isdecolonial.
Mymother.Theotherday,IwasreadingsomearticlesontheInternet,andshewaslookingatme.Itoldher:It'stoobadthatyou
can'treadFrench,youcouldhavereadlikeme.Shesadlyanswered:No,whatIregretisthatIcan'treadArabic.Icouldhave
readtheQur'an.Mymother(andI'mmorethanabitproud)isdecolonial.
Beingdecolonialisaboveallanemancipatedstateofmind.It'sbreakingoff,changing,andbreakingfreeatthesametime.Itisthe
potentialthatwecarry,buriedsomewherewithin,hiddendeepinsideourbeinganditisonlyuptoustofreeit.
2Wemustrefusetheintegrationsystem:
Ontheideologicallevel.WemustresisttheideologyofWhiteuniversalism,humanrightsandtheEnlightenment,progress,and
thelinearvisionofhistory.
Onthepoliticallevel.Weshouldn'taccepttheclassdivideascentral,meaningthatweshouldhavethecouragetoposition
ourselvesontheracedivideandtopursuetheclassstruggleinparallelorinarticulationwiththestruggleofsocialraces.Inother
words,itistheprocessofdevelopingacriticalreflectiononMarxism.Fromnowon,thedominationrelationshipsshouldbe
analyzedataglobalscale,basedontheworkofthinkersfromtheSouth,basedonotherformsofknowledgeandpolitical
experiencesunderimperialdomination.
OntheleveloftheambivalentstateofpostcolonialpopulationslivinginEurope.Onemusttakeintoaccountthefactthatthe
SouthpeoplelivingintheNortharealsoaccomplicesoftheexploitationsystemoftheSouthbytheNorthandthattheybenefit
fromit.Ofcourse,muchlessthanthebourgeois,admittedly,andmuchlessthanthewhitepoorclasses,buttheydotake
advantageofitnevertheless.Wemustquestionourselvesandourimplicationandourownresponsibilities.Carefulhowever!
Beingconsciousofthisprivilegeshouldn'tturnusintoabstracthumanistslikeSingerswithoutborders,USAforAfricaor
theRestosducur.ThoserepresentwhatIcallWhitehumanism.Itisoneofthemostdeceitfulcreationsofimperialismin
termsofgoodconscience.Thestrugglemustbepoliticalandradical:justiceandfullcontrolofresources,yes,fullcontrolofour
destinies,yes,butforthecolonizedpeoplefirst.
Secondquestion:Howtobedecolonial,howtodecolonizeEurope?
Thereisonlyoneway,anditisthepoliticalway.
Understandingthattransformingthedominationrelationshipsmustbedonethroughpoliticalstruggle.
KeepinginmindthatthedistantgoalistobringaboutadecolonialmajoritytobreakWhitesupremacy.
ConvincingthepopulationsoftheSouthwithintheNorththattheymustcometogetheraroundadecolonialproject.Thatwon't
beeasy.AngelaDavissaid(Iquotefrommemory):IfIcouldconvincemypeoplethattheyarestillslaves,Blackpeoplewould
havebeenfreeforalongtimealready.
Convincingwhiteswhoaredecolonial,orthosewhoaretheclosesttous,toorganizethemselvessotheycancarrythedecolonial
struggleintheircircles:unions,organizations,politicalparties...Persuadingthemthatitistheconditionforanalliance:
respectingtheautonomousindigenousspaces,andgivinguptheexclusivityofthefightagainstthefarright.Inotherwords,
convincethemtotacklethedecolonisationoftheleftfirst.Againthesameproblemhere:convincingthemwillnotbeaneasy
task.BecauseWhites'haveconsiderableinterestsinstayingWhiteandtofightformaintainingtheirprivileges.It'sintheir
interest,justasitisintheinterestofthebourgeoistokeeptheirclassprivileges,anditisintheinterestofmentokeeptheir
genderprivileges.
Thequestionthatweneedtoaskourselves,andthatfallsuponusasdecolonialpeopleis:whatwouldtheWhitegetinexchangefor
Whitesupremacy?WhatcouldcompensatethelossoftheWhiteprivilege?ItisanopenquestionthatIputupfordebatebecauseIhave
noanswer.Itisaquestionthatfallsuponusindigenouspeoplemainlybecauseinthistimeofseriouseconomiccrisis,whichisa
structuralcrisisofthesystem,thestruggletopreserveWhitesupremacyisexpressedthroughthealarmingriseofnationalistand
populistrightwingmovements.Whatdowedo?
HouriaBouteldja
TranslatedbySamrTabri.
