Swept Felix

Adolphe Sylvestre Felix Swept (December 26th 1884 Cayenne (French Guiana) - May 17th 1944 Cairo (Egypt)) was a colonial administrator and politician French. He is member of SFIO until September 1939 and freemason. He was a rather complex man: on the one hand, it was a great humanistic black but at the same time, a dedicated servant of the colonial order.

Childhood

Felix Eboué was born on December 26th, 1884, grandson of slave, in Cayenne. He is the fourth of a family of five brothers. His/her father Yves Urbain Eboué was gold washer initially on the Placer “Finally” (High Mana) then director-assistant of placing “God Thank you”. His/her mother, Marie Joséphine Aurélie Leveillé, épicière originating in Roura replaced the frequent and prolonged absences of her husband to raise her children. Mrs Eboué had a pointed knowledge of the Guianese traditions in particular of the Dolos (Guianese proverbs) which enamelled its sentences.

Studies

After brilliant studies with Cayenne, it obtains in 1898 a grant for France and leaves to Bordeaux to the Lycée Montaigne. To Bordeaux, in complement of its studies, Felix Eboué devotes themselves to the sport and particularly to the Football and becomes captain of the " Muguets" college. With this team it moves with Strasbourg, in Belgium and England. These displacements enable him to study on sharp the temperament of the players and the inhabitants of the area. The reports of the regional newspapers (the Headlight of Nantes, Popular the) recorded successes of the team of Bordeaux and returned with details, the spirit and the address of a black player of this team to which mainly the victory was due. Under the colors of the SBUC and University Sporting Club of France, he knows the joys of the stage. He obtains in Bordeaux his arts baccalaureat then share to settle with Paris where he will follow studies of right while following teaching of the colonial École (where the elite of the administrators of France of Overseas is formed). He obtains in 1908 his license with the Faculty of Law.

Career of administrator in French equatorial Africa (AEF)

Raise-administrator of the colonies then administrator-assistant Felix Eboué is affected in 1910 in French equatorial Africa with Madagascar then in Oubangui. He endeavors to learn the customs and habits from its managed, which enables him to better sit its administration. Thus, it makes publish in 1918 a study on the languages Sango, Banda and Mandjia.

Its approach of the administration based on the blooming of the human values and social within a framework of dialog and respect of the African traditions is very appreciated and it is named in 1927 knight of the Légion of honor on the proposal of the Minister for the State education.

It spends twenty years of service to French Africa equatorial which will enable him to give its measurement and to reveal its qualities of administrator.

Vacation in Guyana

During three successive vacation, Felix Eboué returned in Guyana with pleasure finding his family and his friends and sharing with them memories and African experiments. Thus it made discover the writer Rene Maran, Guianese like him, assistant of the Civil cases in AEF, which in 1921 accepted the Prix Goncourt for its novel Batouala . During one of its vacation in Guyana (1921), he marries Eugenie Such with Saint-Laurent-of-Maroni the.

His/her mother dies in 1926 joining her father missing from the years before.

With the French West Indies

Felix Eboué is named general secretary in Martinique, of July 1933 at January 1934 to replace the titular governor left on leave for two years.

After a passage to the French Sudan, it is high with the rank of governor and named in Guadeloupe in 1936. It is the first black to be reached such a high rank. In Guadeloupe, it into practice puts its spirit of conciliation in a disturbed social context. At the time of the solemn handing-over of the prices on July 1st 1937 with the Carnot college of Point-with-Clown, it addresses to youth Overseas its famous speech " To play the jeu" of which here some extracts:

“To play the game, it is to be not involved

Jouer the play, it is to trample the prejudices, all the prejudices and to learn how to base the scale of values on the criteria of the spirit.

To play the game, it is to scorn the intrigues and the cabals, never not to abdicate, in spite of the clamors or threats, it is to continue the right road which one traced.

To play the game, it is to know to draw its hat in front of the authentic values which are essential and to make a snook with the pedants and with delayed.

To play the game, it is to love the men, all the men and to think that they all are built to a common human measure which is been qualities and lacking.

To play the game, it is to deserve our release and to mean holiness, the purity of our spirit…”

During the Second world war

In front of the threat of a future conflict, it is named in 1938 governor of the Chad, with mission of ensuring the protection of the strategic way towards the French Congo; it makes build the roads which were to allow in January 1943 the column Leclerc to quickly go up through the Tibesti towards North Africa.

As of the June 18th 1940, Felix Éboué is declared in favor of the general de Gaulle. The August 26th, with the town hall of Extremely-Lamy, it proclaims, with the colonel Marchand Commander Militaire of the territory, the official rallying of the Chad to the de Gaulle general, thus giving “ the signal of recovery of the entire empire ”. Rene Pleven, sent of the de Gaulle general attended this proclamation. The October 15th Felix Éboué receives de Gaulle with Extremely-Lamy, who will name it, the November 12th, General governor of French equatorial Africa. The January 29th 1941, it will be among the first five people to receive from the de Gaulle general the cross of the Ordre of the Release. It transforms the AEF into a true geostrategic turntable from which the first armed forces leave the free France, led by the generals of Larminat, Kœnig and Leclerc.

Resident with Brazzaville, it organizes an army of 40.000 men and accelerates the production of war where it can finally apply the “indigenous policy” which it had time to mature during his long career.

Its " Policy indigène"

The following the example of Lyautey, it wished that the autochtones be able to preserve their traditions and thought that the support of the usual chiefs was essential. It fought for the insertion of the indigenous middle-class in local management. He consigned all his ideas in his study entitled the New indigenous Policy for French equatorial Africa .

The conference of the administrative top-ranking executives of the African territories held with Brazzaville the January 22nd 1944 retains the thesis of Swept on the assimilation. Unfortunately he will not see the achievements resulting from this conference, tired, he leaves to rest in Egypt, after having remained in Syria. He dies in the Cairo the May 17th 1944 of a stroke. Surrounded by its wife, her daughter and her son junior.

Homages paid to Swept Felix

With Paris

Léopold Sédar Senghor, that his/her daughter married, dedicated to him a poem of its collection " Noires" hosts; , that he writes with Paris in 1942.

In 1946, Jacques Soustelle, Minister of France of Overseas, in the presence of Mrs Eboué, of Gaston Monnerville, G. Palewski representing the De Gaulle General, inaugurated, in the main courtyard of the Ministry for France of Overseas, a commemorative plaque devoted to Felix Eboué.

On the initiative of the Government, promotion 1947 of the Ecole of France of Overseas was solemnly baptized: " Promotion of the Governor Felix Eboué".

In 1947, the Municipal council of the Ville of Paris decided to give the name of Felix Eboué to old the Place Daumesnil.

France, by the law of the September 28th 1948 ordered which are buried with the Temple of Immortality (the Pantheon of Paris) the remainders of the First Resistant one of France of Overseas. The mortal remains of Felix Eboué was unloaded the May 2nd 1949 with Marseilles which did one to him moving reception. Friday May 20th 1949, it was buried with the the Pantheon in company of Victor Schœlcher what makes of him the black first nobody rest there.

It moreover was decorated with the title of Compagnon with the Release. De Gaulle described it like “one of these blacks ardently French” .

To perpetuate, inside the School of France of Overseas the memory of the raise-administrator of 1908, saturdays January 21st 1950 in presence in particular of Gaston Monnerville, Mrs Eboué and Mrs Pavia (widow of the founder of the Colonial School in 1889), a marble was revealed where this inscription is read:

WITH the MEMORY OF the FELIX GENERAL GOVERNOR SWEEPS
FIRST RESISTANT FRANCE Of OVERSEAS
DOES NOT HAVE CAYENNE on December 26th, 1884 PATENTS COLONIAL SCHOOL (1908)
DECEASED IN CAIRO on May 17th, 1944
TRANSFERS TO the SCHOOL, THEN IN the PANTHEON the 2O May 1949

With Cayenne

The July 14th 1944 took place, the attribution of the name of Felix Eboué to the street Richelieu which passes in front of its native house. The Guyana dedicated a College to Cayenne inaugurated to him the November 3rd 1944 in the building even or Swept began its studies with the college, a room of the prefecture and a museum located in its native house dedicated to him.

The March 13rd 1946 was inaugurated on the place of the Cabbage trees in Cayenne a statue with its effigy. The inscriptions which appear under the statue of Felix Eboué are of André Malraux:

“Foreign, will say to Lacédémone that those which died here fell under its law. Passer by, will say to the Children of our Country:

Of what was the desperate face of France, the eyes of the man which rests here, never reflected but the features of courage and freedom. ”

With Brazzaville

The capital of Congo and old capital of the AEF preserves the memory of the former General governor:

Statue of Felix Swept by the Jonchère sculptor, posed in 1957 front the stage which bears its name.
the old Avenue Felix Faure became after the War the Avenue Felix Eboué (district of the Plain).
the stage with the round not of the district of Mangrove swamp mud bears its name.
With the Palate of the People, old palate of the General Government and current Presidency, was reconstituted its office.

With Ndjamena

Felix College Swept (public)

See too

External bonds

detailed Biography
Biography and portrait

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