French? African? Reunionese? Cultural identity issues in Reunion
Reunion is a department and region of France mainland, located in the Indian ocean, 200 km from Mauritius Island.
French overseas regions and territories were intially belonging to the French colonial empire. From 1960s, they became French overseas regions and territories.
Reunion has around 860 000 inhabitants, composed of around 9 group ethnics.
Cafres : African descent
Sinwa: Chinese descent
Gros Blancs: European descent from high class
Karane: Indo-Pakistani Muslim descent
Malbars: Indian descent
Petits Blancs des Hauts: European descent from low-middle classes
Zarabes: Indian Muslim descent
Zoreilles: French from France mainland
Créole: Multiracial
As a post-slavery and post-colonial society, it can be difficult to identify oneself culturally, as the despise of French mainland regarding these overseas regions and territories.
Mathilde, feminist, decolonial, queer activist explains in the video the cultural identity issues as being in a multiracial society, a French region and near to the African continent.