There foundation of Francebased in Chantillylaunched a call for donations this Monday, December 16 after the passage of Cyclone Chido on the archipelago of Mayottea former colony that entered the fold of France in 1841.
The territory is part of the confetti of theEmpire which make France the second nation internationally in terms of exclusive economic zone area.
The Mayotte archipelago, which became the 101st French department on March 31, 2011, has just suffered a deadly cyclone, the number of victims of which we do not yet know, which razed the majority of its homes. This overseas community, located in the Indian Ocean nearly 9,000 km from Parisaccumulates records. It is home to the largest slum in France and has the highest rate of immigration in the country. Its capital, Mamoudzou, has the largest maternity hospital in France with more than 8,000 births per year and has a delirious rate of poverty and illiteracy.
Sheet metal huts made of odds and ends
The hill in the Kawéni district, located north of Mamouzou, has not seen a tree for a long time. Instead, over time, bangas were built, sheet metal huts made of odds and ends which were just waiting to fly away at the slightest gust of wind. It was unfortunately predictable and has been happening since last week and the gale was a cyclone which swept away everything in its path with winds of more than 200 km/h. It’s the same disaster across the 374 km² of the territory.
For years, INSEE has been trying to estimate the number of inhabitants of this land isolated from maritime circuits. The figure, 320,000, is probably far from reality, given the massive immigration from neighboring Comoros. The island of Anjouan is located 50 km away and the kwassas-kwassas, makeshift boats, dump immigration candidates and future mothers who have come to give birth so that their children can benefit from nationality every week on the beaches of Mayotte. French by the law of the soil. The overloaded boats used by unscrupulous smugglers do not all arrive safely and the lagoon has become a vast cemetery.
Tourism is suffering the consequences
The economy of this piece of land located in the Mozambique Channel has never taken off, nor have certain planes leaving from Petite Terre airport whose runway is too short for large aircraft. Tourism suffers the consequences and has never developed despite undeniable assets, Mayotte, despite its handicaps, is a paradise island.
As if that were not enough, in recent years, insecurity has increased exponentially. Young people abandoned by families in an illegal situation, sent back to Comoroshave organized themselves into gangs and do not hesitate to play highway robbers and burglarize properties at all costs.
The traditions of this department, which is more than 95% Muslim, were based on religious judges, the cadis. Departmentalization happened there, with little or no preparation. The cadis are losing more and more influence. It is this archipelago made up of two islands that will now have to be reconstructed. On ruins.
Fondation de France – solidarity Mayotte / 60509 Chantilly Cedex
