      | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Estimates vary from 1.5 - 5 million; it is illegal for the French State to collect data on ethnicity and race. | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes, Strasbourg, Overseas departments and territories of France | |
| Languages | |
| Common French with various native languages such as African languages, French Creoles and others. Those from Cape Verde speak Portuguese and Kriolu. | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, Islam, irreligious |
French Afrikans, French Blacks or Blacks in France (Noirs en France) are French citizens or residents who are of Black Afrikan or Caribbean ancestry.
Population statistics
Although it is illegal for the French state to collect data on ethnicity and race, a law with its origins in the 1789 revolution and reaffirmed in the constitution of 1958,[1] various population estimates exist. One source states that there are 1.5 million black people in France,[2] while another states 1.865 million, equivalent to just under 4 per cent of the population.[3] An article in the New York Times stated that estimates vary between 3 million and 5 million.[4] It is estimated that four out of five black people in France are of African immigrant origin, with the remainder being chiefly of Caribbean ancestry.[5][6]
Some organizations, such as the Representative Council of France's Black Associations (French: [Conseil représentatif des associations noires de France] error: {{lang}}: text has italic markup (help), CRAN), have argued in favour of the introduction of data collection on minority groups but this has been resisted by other organizations and ruling politicians,[7][8] often on the grounds that collecting such statistics goes against France's secular principles and harks back to Vichy-era identity documents.[9] During the 2007 presidential election, however, Nicolas Sarkozy was polled on the issue and stated that he favoured the collection of data on ethnicity.[10] Part of a parliamentary bill which would have permitted the collection of data for the purpose of measuring discrimination was rejected by the Conseil Constitutionnel in November 2007.[1]
Notable people
In French politics
Afro-French members of the French Parliament or Government from Overseas France
There have been dozens of Afro-Caribbean or Afro-French MPs representing overseas electoral districts at the French National Assembly or at the French Senate, and several government members.
Jean-Baptiste Belley (1746-1805) was the first French Black deputy during the French revolution. He represented the Northern department of the French colony of Saint-Domingue at the National Convention (1792-1795), then at the Council of Five Hundred (1795-1799).
Blaise Diagne became in 1914 the first Black African member of the French national Assembly, and in 1931 the first Black undersecretary in a French government.
Christiane Taubira, deputy from French Guyana, was the first Black candidate to a French presidential election, in 2002. In 2012, she became the Justice Minister.
Afro-French people elected in Metropolitan France
- Élie Bloncourt (fr) (1896-1978), first Black metropolitan deputy (1936-1940, 1945-1947), first Black metropolitan general councillor (1934-1940, 1945-1951)[11]
- Ernest Chénière (fr)(1945-), former deputy for Oise (1993-1997)
- Raphaël Élizé (fr)(1891-1945), first Black metropolitan mayor (1929-1940)[12]
- Gaston Monnerville (1897-1991), first Black metropolitan senator (1946-1974), president of the French Senate (1947-1968), mayor, president of Lot's general council
- George Pau-Langevin, Paris deputy (2007-2012), junior minister (2012-)
- Arthur Richards (fr)(1890-1972), general councillor in Bordeaux (1951-1964), deputy for Gironde (1958-1967)
- Rama Yade, former minister
- Kofi Yamgnane, former minister, former MP, former mayor, former general councillor in Brittany
In sport
- Christine Arron, track and field sprint athlete
- Marcel Desailly, footballer
- Laura Flessel, fencer
- Thierry Henry, footballer
- Steve Mandanda, footballer
- Gaël Monfils, tennis player
- Yannick Noah, tennis player
- Tony Parker, basketball player
- Mickaël Piétrus, basketball player
- Teddy Riner, judoka
- Lilian Thuram, footballer
- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, tennis player
- Patrick Vieira, footballer
In Entertainment and Media
- Mouss Diouf, actor
- Miss Dominique, singer
- Fabe, rapper
- Hélène and Célia Faussart (Les Nubians), singing duo
- Hubert Kounde, actor
- Noémie Lenoir, model
- Lord Kossity, Dancehall musician
- Chloé Mortaud, Miss France 2009
- Fab Morvan, model and singer, half of Milli Vanilli
- Audrey Pulvar, newscaster and journalist
- Firmine Richard, actress
- Sonia Rolland, actress, Miss France 2000
- Harry Roselmack, newscaster
- Omar Sy, actor
- Imany, singer
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Oppenheimer, David B. (2008). "Why France needs to collect data on racial identity...in a French way". Hastings International and Comparative Law Review. 31 (2): 735–752.
- ↑ Tagliabue, John (2005-09-21). "French blacks skeptical of race neutrality". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ↑ "First French racism poll released". BBC News. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ↑ Kimmelman, Michael (2008-06-17). "For blacks in France, Obama's rise is reason to rejoice, and to hope". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ↑ Bennhold, Katrin (2006-08-03). "Black anchor fills top spot on French TV". International Herald Tribune. p. 2. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ↑ "Franceblack". Retrieved 2010-04-06.
- ↑ Louis-Georges, Tin (2008). "Who is afraid of Blacks in France? The Black question: The name taboo, the number taboo". French Politics, Culture & Society. 26 (1): 32–44. doi:10.3167/fpcs.2008.260103.
- ↑ "Black residents of France say they are discriminated against". International Herald Tribune. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ↑ "France's ethnic minorities: To count or not to count". The Economist. 390 (8624): 62. 2009-03-28.
- ↑ Chrisafis, Angelique (2007-02-24). "French presidential candidates divided over race census". The Guardian. p. 25. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ↑ Pierre-Yves Lambert, “Conseillers généraux d'origine non-européenne”, Suffrage Universel
- ↑ Pierre-Yves Lambert, “Maires métropolitains d'origine non-européenne”, Suffrage Universel