PARIS // On board French ships with names that hinted at friendship and freedom, some three million Africans crossed the Atlantic between the 17th and 19th centuries as part of the European slave trade.
Louis XIV regulated the trade, and the father of François-René de Chateaubriand, the founder of French romanticism, was among those who later became heavily involved in it.
For the 18 French ports most closely implicated in the trade, this traffic of human beings is a part of history they would probably prefer to forget. But a campaign run by DiversCités, a group bringing together people of different backgrounds intent on persuading France to recognise more fully its role in Europe's slave trade, is trying to ensure that they do not.
Today, the group will stage the last in a series of demonstrations aimed at persuading some of those ports to change the names of streets that commemorate the shipowners who profited during an ignoble period of French history.
Having already taken their campaign to Bordeaux, La Rochelle and Nantes - the French port most active in the trade - supporters of DiversCités are in Le Havre to raise public awareness and collect signatures for a petition. Next stop will be Paris, where the group plans to lobby politicians and opinion-makers.
Three years after Jacques Chirac, then president, declared May 10 a national day of remembrance for the victims of slavery, and eight years after the country passed a law declaring the practice to be a crime against humanity, Karfa Diallo, the president of DiversCités, contends the French establishment still has more to do.
Some 90,000 slaves crossed the Atlantic in ships that picked them up on the African coast after sailing from Le Havre. A glance at the Wikipedia internet entry for the bustling Normandy port reveals an impressive list of writers, artists, composers and poets born there, but makes no mention of the slaves whose contributions to the city's past were somewhat murkier.
Shipowners such as the Eyriés, Lestorey de Boulongne and Begouen families are among those remembered in Le Havre street names that Mr Diallo describes as an affront to the memory of the victims of slavery, their descendants and Africans in general.
"We do not hold present day residents of these ports culpable for what happened in the past," said Mr Diallo, who comes from Senegal and has lived in France for about 20 years.
"But it is shocking that streets should continue to honour people deeply involved in what is now recognised as a crime against humanity. That crime was committed, no matter what period, and it is a scandal, and quite inexcusable, to commemorate the perpetrators."
Mr Diallo, 38, is urging decision-makers, from the president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to city mayors, to accept that if France is serious about the integration of its large population of African immigrants, it must make gestures of the sort demanded by DiversCités, also known as the European Slave Trade Memorial Foundation. The group is pressing for monuments to be erected in key ports in acknowledgement of their slave-trading histories.
No city has so far agreed to change a single name. In Bordeaux, which has the greatest number of streets named after slave traders, the campaign has encountered stiff opposition from civic leaders headed by Alain Juppé, the major and a former French prime minister.
They maintain that the families remembered in such locations as rue Saige made many contributions to the city that had nothing to do with human trafficking, and that the cost of a memorial would not be justified given that the city already has a museum dedicated to this aspect of its past.
But Mr Diallo says France has sought glory in its definitive abolition of slavery in 1848 without adequately recognising its role in activities that continued for more than half a century after the French Revolution.
He claims French repentance compares unfavourably with that shown in other European countries, including Britain and the Netherlands, though Tony Blair, then British prime minister, faced criticism in 2007 when he called slavery a "profoundly shameful occurrence -" but stopped short of formally apologising for Britain's role.
An American historian, Douglas Harper, has noted that as late as 1820, many Europeans were horrified by reports of a chase by a British cruiser that prompted the crew of a French slave ship, La Jeune Estele, to throw overboard barrels that each contained girls aged 12 to 14. French public opinion "blamed the British", he wrote.
The DiversCités campaign has had a mixed reception in Le Havre. A local newspaper, Havre Dimanche, gave prominence to the issue with extensive coverage across two pages and a montage of front-page images of what the headline called the "streets of shame".
Perhaps embarrassingly for the town hall, one of the offending streets names in Le Havre honours a former mayor, Jules Masurier, whose fleet of ships used for slave trafficking included one called Philanthropist.
But the mayor, Antoine Rufenacht, a member of France's ruling centre-right UMP party, has made clear his opposition to the demands presented by DiversCités.
He told the Havre Dimanche that the city had resolved 14 years ago to reject all moves to rename streets, a practice that created "huge inconvenience" for residents.
"I have no intention of raking over the ashes of our city's past," he said. "I have little taste for self-examination and repentance."
@Email:crandall@thenational.ae
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Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Scoreline
Ireland 16 (Tries: Stockdale Cons: Sexton Pens: Sexton 3)
New Zealand 9 (Pens: Barrett 2 Drop Goal: Barrett)
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
Thursday Beat Sydney 2-0 in Sydney
Saturday v Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney
Wednesday v Bayern Munich in Shanghai
July 22 v Chelsea in Beijing
July 29 v Benfica in London
July 30 v Sevilla in London
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
SQUADS
UAE
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice-captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Nepal
Paras Khadka (captain), Gyanendra Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Pradeep Airee, Binod Bhandari, Avinash Bohara, Sundeep Jora, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Rohit Paudel, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Basant Regmi, Pawan Sarraf, Bhim Sharki, Aarif Sheikh
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
'The Predator'
Dir: Shane Black
Starring: Olivia Munn, Boyd Holbrook, Keegan-Michael Key
Two and a half stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
