(FRENCH GUIANA)
La Croix International [France]
April 15, 2025
By Enzo Dubesset
A proposed truth and reconciliation commission aims to uncover the legacy of Catholic-run schools accused of erasing Indigenous cultures in French Guiana — a history long hidden.
The French Institute for Justice and Democracy presented a preliminary report April 10 to the French Senate urging the creation of a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate Catholic-run boarding schools in French Guiana, which were accused of forcibly erasing Indigenous cultures.
The goal: to shed light on a painful and largely overlooked chapter in France’s colonial history.
For years, the Paris-based institute — known by its French acronym IFJD — has advocated for a formal investigation into what were known as “homes indiens,” boarding schools operated by religious orders where thousands of Indigenous and Maroon children from the region were forcibly placed.
Further reading: Vatican investigates retired bishop in French Guiana over abuse allegations
During the April 10 presentation, the IFJD released its initial findings at the Senate, accompanied by firsthand accounts from two former students.
The IFJD is expected to travel to French Guiana in the coming months to present the report to local stakeholders and begin a second round of interviews. For many Indigenous communities, this will be a critical moment to reclaim a history they feel has been taken from them — especially since much of the current work has been led by researchers and advocates from mainland France.
Boarding schools closed in 2023
The eight homes were established in the 1930s, initiated by the Catholic Church and later supported and funded by the French state following Guiana’s departmentalization in 1946. The schools were part of a broader policy of forced assimilation targeting so-called “primitive” populations.
The last of the schools, in Saint-Georges-de-l’Oyapock, closed in December 2023.
Children were removed from their families under varying degrees of coercion — some as young as 4 years old. From the 1950s onward, they were classified as “temporary wards” under abandoned child welfare laws.
Today, the topic remains deeply sensitive among Indigenous communities in French Guiana. Some former students recall emotional and cultural trauma, describing their time in the schools as “forced acculturation” and recounting physical abuse. Others describe the experience in more positive terms, or at least without trauma.
Diverging memories
“People have very different memories, especially across generations,” said Franck Appolinaire, who spent two years at the Mana boarding school in western Guiana. “Me? I remember the fresh bread and hot chocolate. I met friends there who I still have today. But we must move beyond individual experiences and look at the collective impact. This was part of an assimilation system that affected our language, social structures, and beliefs. We were told for years that everything about our worldview was dangerous and had to disappear.”
Though parallels are often drawn to the Catholic residential schools in Canada, which have been thoroughly investigated, the scale and level of systemic violence in Guiana appear to be different — at least for now. The IFJD notes that, unlike in Canada, there are currently few known reports of sexual abuse in the Guianese schools, though that aspect still warrants “specific investigation.”
Understanding, not accusation
With more survivors beginning to speak out, the Diocese of Cayenne in French Guiana said it is “open to dialogue” — but remains wary of a full-fledged truth and reconciliation commission, fearing comparisons with Canada.
“Horrible and unfair accusations have been made against the nuns who dedicated their lives to caring for these children,” said Bishop Alain Ransay. “Their commitment deserves recognition — even praise. Yes, perhaps a few bad actors committed abuses, and that is regrettable. But to talk about systemic abuse is a historical misrepresentation. We shouldn’t judge the past by today’s standards.”
French Guiana’s civil prefecture declined to comment on its stance, despite the state’s central role in the schools’ creation and operation. A spokesperson said only that the administration was “following the IFJD’s work with interest, in the hopes of improving the well-being of Indigenous populations.”
Jean-Pierre Massias, president of the IFJD, emphasized that the project is not about blame. “This is not about accusation,” he said. “A truth and reconciliation commission, which some see as divisive, could bring people together. The aim is to identify the long-term effects of this education system and help communities move beyond a historical trauma.”