After a 10-hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean from Paris, we arrived in Cayenne, the capital of French Guyana.

After a long journey, the sky god’s welcome show is crazy rain. The show continues to get stronger and doesn’t seem to stop. An unexpectedly beautiful dinner with the pleasure of the sound of rain.

We are in the southern hemisphere, December is the time when the first spring rains start. There were heavy rain passes all night long. The rain in tropical regions is not very similar to the heavy rains we call in the Black Sea, it comes down from above like bullets, it seems to pass through our skin and mix with our blood!

Guyana has a total population of 295,000, 160,000 of which live in the capital Cayenne and the majority of this lives on the coast of the city. This is the southern part of the Amazon region.

The Amazon forest is the region with the largest number of indigenous tribes in the world. Almost all of these tribes live in the inland areas of the forests, in areas that are difficult to reach. It is not easy to reach these tribes, and it is not very safe either.

This place is considered to be exactly French territory, although there are some differences in the rules and conditions, the laws are the same and it has the status of the European Union. In other words, the people living here also vote in the elections of the Prime Minister or President of France. A French Guyanese citizen has the same rights as a French citizen and can enter France or any European country with an ID at any time.

The Guyana region is a place far from our geography and is not very well known. First, let’s see where we are and where this is.

The northern part of South America, the region where the American native people lived until European colonialism, was rapidly colonized from the end of the 15th century and slaves were transported from other colonies, especially Africa, and slaves were sold to nearby geographies from here. Due to the slaves brought from the colonies, the Creole race, a hybrid race consisting of white and African races, was formed and the demographic structure changed in this direction in the process.

As a result of the colonial period, there are five different Guianas in the northern part of South America, namely Spanish Guiana within the borders of Venezuela, British Guiana known as Guyana, Dutch Guiana, which is today Suriname, Amapa belonging to Portugal within the borders of Brazil and French Guiana. It is known that Christopher Columbus first reached French Guiana from Europe in 1493. The first colonial administrations here were established in the early 17th century; during the struggle for dominance between France, the Netherlands and Portugal, the indigenous people also fought against the colonial administrations. In 1667, England, which took over the region, ceded it to France with the Treaty of Breda, and although the region was briefly occupied by the Netherlands again from 1676 onwards, it eventually remained under French rule. The region was considered an ominous and frightening place due to reasons such as its dense forest structure, tropical climate conditions and the epidemic diseases caused by these conditions, and the negative experiences of the French who were sent to the region with gold mine dreams. Apart from the short-term Portuguese rule between 1809 and 1817, France’s influence in the region continued, and in the second half of the 19th century, immigrants from China, India and the Malay geography carried out agricultural and maritime activities here. During the same period, the region began to be used by France as a place of exile and prison.

In 1930, France assigned an administration to itself in an area covering a large part of the interior of the region, but this administration was interrupted after a while, and in 1946, after the Second World War, it was reunited with France and became French Guiana, and today the region is considered an overseas territory of France.

French Guiana is the largest overseas territory of France, located between Suriname and Brazil in the north of South America.

Agricultural activities are extremely limited due to the low soil fertility of the region. Fishing activities, especially shrimp fishing, are widespread. Larivot Port has the distinction of being the ninth largest fishing port in France.

According to 2016 data, the foreign trade volume of the region is around 1.5 billion dollars, with 1.37 million dollars of exports and 133 million dollars of imports. French Guiana carries out a significant portion of its trade with France, of which it is a part.

French Guiana, with an area of ​​83,534 km2 and a population of 295,000, is considered an overseas province of France on the south of the American continent, on the northeast coast. Brazil is located to the east and south, Suriname to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the north. Almost half of the country’s population lives in the capital, Cayenne. French Guiana, whose currency is the Euro, is accepted within the borders of the European Union. In other words, this is French territory and its people are also considered French citizens,

96.65% of French Guiana is covered by rainforest, and some primitive tribes still live in these forests, and some areas are inaccessible to humans, and it has one of the largest untouched rainforests. The largest national park in the European Union, the Guyana Amazon Park, covers 41% of French Guiana’s territory.

Since December 2015, the region is governed by the French Guiana Regional Collective Assembly, under French control. There is a university established in 2014.

The national income per capita is around $17,100, the unemployment rate is 22%, and the inflation rate is 0.8%. The ethnic distribution of the population in French Guiana is 66% black, 12% Creole mestizos, 12% white, 12% Chinese, 10% Indian and indigenous, and others. The official language is French, and the most spoken languages ​​are Creole and local languages. The common religions are 84% Christian, 3.5% Chinese local beliefs, 1.5% Hindu, 1% Muslim, and 10% others.

Export Products are shrimp, timber, rum, gold, satellite, rosewood, textiles, Import Products are basic food products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum oils.

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Today will be exciting, the rain continues, We are prepared, raincoats are on, let’s get to know the capital Cayenne first.

We go to Fort Cépérou, a fortress built in 1643 on a high hill overlooking the sea and the surroundings overlooking the mouth of the Cayenne River, protecting the city of Cayenne. We climb up to the fortress with a slight climb. We watch the beautiful view of the city from the top. The old lighthouse, which can be considered historic, is still in operation and guides sailors. The square where the bronze statue of Victor Schœlcher, one of the symbols of Cayenne and who played a leading role in the abolition of slavery in 1848, is located with a freed slave.

Place de Palmistes, a palm grove, a large park with many well-maintained palm trees that were planted with care in the past.

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The rain has eased, the sun has started to warm up. We are going to the city of Kourbu. It is an important place where France has a space center in Guyana. We walk around the city, a clean and well-maintained coastal city. After spending some time around the lighthouse, we have a coffee break. The city where the researchers, military police and employees working at the space center live.

The Guyana Space Center, which started operating in 1968, is one of the modern and touristic places as well as having an important position in terms of France’s activities and experiments in this field. The facility, which has been Europe’s spaceport since the 1960s, has been sending satellites into space for commercial, scientific, telecommunication and exploration purposes. We will visit to get information about the science and engineering studies behind space research.

After the necessary registration and control procedures, security check, we take a bus to the hall where the satellite control center is in one of the main buildings and after detailed explanations, we visit the places open to visitors.

This is where France manages its space activities and launches spacecraft. Today, a section of it is open to visitors as a museum. Previously located in Algeria, it was moved here in 1964 after Algeria declared independence. The space center where the TÜRKSAT satellite for telecommunications purposes was also launched on behalf of Turkey. The launch pads where the satellites were launched are an interesting place with previously used satellites. It would be a great chance to be here on the day the satellite was launched into space.

The space center tries to take all necessary precautions to prevent the disruption of the regional ecology and the damage caused by rocket launches to the surrounding natural areas. The fact that high-tech space efforts are in the same environment side by side with rainforests creates a different meaning.

Whether you are a science enthusiast or just curious, visiting the Guiana Space Center is an interesting experience. In addition, the existence of the space center contributes greatly to the economy of French Guiana and to the creation of employment.

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After breakfast, we go to Kourou and from there by boat to the small rocky islands called Iles du Salut. These islands, also known as the Isles of Health, were named after missionaries who went to these islands, which they found to be safer in terms of health, when plague was rampant on the mainland. This group of three islands, later known as Ilet la Mere, Les Iles du Salut and Devil’s Island, was used as a prison for prisoners for many years. We visit the other two islands except for Devil’s Island, the places where the prisoners were kept, the cells, were really primitive and difficult conditions. In 1852, the government of Emperor Napoleon III established the islands and part of French Guiana as a penal colony. In 1854, France instituted a policy that required prisoners who received sentences of less than eight years to stay on the island for a period equal to their sentences. Those who received longer sentences and those sentenced to life imprisonment were exiled here. However, the rule did not matter much because most did not live long enough to leave. Approximately forty percent of the prisoners who arrived died within a year. Most of the prisoners were first sent to St-Laurent-du-Maroni on the coast, where they were assigned to work clearing forests and building roads. Political, dangerous and incorrigible prisoners were sent to the Îles du Salut. When you look at the prisons and solitary cells, they are inhumane and filthy in a very small scale. Devil’s Island in particular is the smallest island where political and severely sentenced criminals are kept, and where conditions are harsher. This was a place notorious for its torture and harsh conditions compared to the others, and no one has escaped from here.

Henri Charriere’e wrote his work Papillon (Butterfly) which was also made into a movie, inspired by the experiences here.

It takes a full day to go to the islands and back, because there is only one boat that goes there in the morning and returns in the evening.

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Today, we will first take a tour of the surroundings, see who is there, where they came from, what they eat and drink.

The majority of the population is black people called Creoles who mixed with the white race in the past. They speak their own language, Creole, and are considered the oldest tribal people here. There are six different tribes that continue their traditions as natives of this place. The Kalina, Lokono Arawaka, Wayapi, Wayana, Teko, Paykweneh tribes and there are a total of 9000 people left in these tribes.

There is not much production in areas such as industry or agriculture, so the majority of the people work as public servants.

The trade of daily living needs is largely under the control of the Chinese, and there are also those who come from places like Lebanon, Syria and Palestine and do trade. As such, almost all of the necessities come from abroad, primarily France. Everything is expensive compared to Europe. 1.5 liters of water is 85 liras in the market.

Those who come here from France as employees are paid 40% more than local workers. This creates discomfort in society as discrimination. The population is low compared to the area, there are 4 people per square kilometer. The settlement is generally established where the river meets the sea.

Even here, which is the tropical Amazon region, it has not rained properly for a long time, everywhere, all the greenery has turned yellow. With the crazy rain that has been falling for the last week, nature has come back to life and everywhere is green. In other words, people are very happy with the rain we complain about.

A pleasant conversation accompanied by local music at a cafe bar in the city center of Akçam,

Today is evening. In my observations so far, I am honestly a little surprised, I have encountered more than I expected, the restaurants are very nice and clean.

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We are on the road in the morning, we wander around Cayenne for a while and go to the town of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni. Today is Sunday, interestingly, many places, including restaurants, are closed on Sundays outside of large settlements. We have lunch at a nice restaurant on the river bank that was previously opened for us after being discussed, then it’s time to enjoy ourselves.

Time is up, we head to Albina on the opposite bank of the river in small canoe-like boats, in Suriname, which used to be a Dutch colony.

 

Kind regards

Hayrettin Kağnıcı

December 2024