Baku to host international conference on Guadeloupe’s decolonization struggle

An international conference titled “Towards the Decolonization of Guadeloupe: Challenges and Perspectives” will be held in Baku on June 25, highlighting the island's long-standing struggle against colonial rule.

The event is organized by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) in collaboration with Guadeloupean independence movements including the Union of the People for Guadeloupe’s Liberation (UPLG), the Guadeloupe International Reparations Movement (MIR-Guadeloupe), the International Committee of Black Peoples (CIPN), and the Movement for the Power of the Guadeloupe Nation (FKNG).

The conference will address topics such as:

• Guadeloupe’s political status as a French overseas department
• Colonial legacies, including exploitation, inequality, and the destruction of the indigenous Kalinago people
• The health and environmental impact of chlordecone pesticide
• International legal mechanisms for decolonization and France’s non-compliance with UN resolutions
   

The event will feature political figures, academics, and NGO leaders, including a presentation by the Secretary of the International Decolonization Front, established in Baku in 2024.

As part of the conference, a concert titled “Rhythms and Dances of Guadeloupe and Azerbaijan” will be held at the Green Theater in Baku at 7 p.m., celebrating the cultural solidarity between the two nations with performances by the Lakou Veranda Group and Azerbaijani artists.

Organizers say the cultural collaboration underscores resistance to cultural assimilation and affirms Guadeloupe’s identity in its broader fight for self-determination.

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