National day of memories of the slave trade, slavery and their abolition: how to teach history to middle school students?

In Rivière Pilote (Martinique) as in Niort (Deux-Sèvres), two classes, 4th and 3rd, study the same period of history: the slave trade and slavery, which affected both territories. In Martinique, work is essential for the younger generations. The story is that of their ancestors, and therefore theirs. “There is a difference between what we teach them, and the reality of their daily life. They forget that we are lands of memories, and that these are things that really happened”explains Laury Belrose, professor of history and geography.

France, like other European countries, exchanged fabrics, weapons or alcohol for African slaves, and brought back sugar, tobacco and coffee from the West Indies. In three centuries, 13 million blacks have been deported. In Niort, college students have chosen to explore the era through a radio broadcast, a play or poetry. “I think it should be a common thread since the 6th, on the construction of citizenship”says Nathalie Bucero, professor of history and geography.