The commando ticklers !
Mayotte is a volcanic island located in the south west of the Indian Ocean between the Mozambique Channel and Madagascar; it is nicknamed the "island in the lagoon", the "Sea Horse Isle" or the "perfumed isle". The climate is tropical and there are too seasons, a rainy season from October to March and dry season from April to September. Mayotte has two main islands: the “Petite Terre” then and “Grande Terre” as well as many smaller islands around her, such as “L’îlot Mbouzi”, “L’îlot de Brandrélé”, “les îlots Choizil”…
I chose to write an article about this island because it is where I come from. The future of the island and its situation among the French territories overseas has always been a burning issue for most of the politicians and inhabitants of the mother country. Why? Because of the cultural diversities but also the Islamic faith of the population. Nevertheless, the history of the country is marked by an emblematic figure Zena M’Déré, who was born on 1920.
In fact, the Mahorais inhabitants are really grateful to her. She rebelled against The Comoros’ political oppression and fought for Mayotte to become part of France. In 1964, Mayotte, who was part of the French Comoros at the time, was told that her capital would be relocated from Dzaoudzi to Moroni on Grande Comore. However, unlike the other islands in the archipelago of the Comoros, Mayotte wanted to remain French. The pacifist movement of the "Commando Ticklers", led by Lady M’Déré and a group of women, was created in the sixties to defend their rights. The funny name of that movement comes to the fact that any opponent of their ideals was publicly tickled, since no one had been sent to prison for tickling. The people who were punished were mainly political leaders and inhabitants of the different islands. The movement was rewarded by the referendums of 1974 and 1976. After being a French territorial collectivity for 25 years, since March 30th 2011, Mayotte is the 5th French overseas department. Zena M’Déré and Younoussa Bamana, another important political figure who let his mark in Mayotte’s history, have definitely proved that Mayotte is not a passive observer of her destiny.
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