France in turmoil: in a housing project outside Paris, the children of immigrants come to terms with discrimination and poverty.

* OBJECTIVE

Students should understand

* France is in the midst of a crisis over how to absorb the children of immigrants from its former colonial empire.

* BACKGROUND

Among the legacies of the Algerian War for Independence (1954-1962) was the fate of a group of Algerian Muslims called the harkis. The French army recruited more than 200,000 harkis to serve as counterinsurgency guerrillas against their fellow Algerians. When French President Charles de Gaulle conceded defeat and left Algeria, he ordered the army to abandon the harkis, leaving many of them to a terrible fate--the revenge of other Algerians. Some angry French commanders disobeyed de Gaulle's command. As it was, tens of thousands of harkis ended up in France's cities. Their descendants were among the young people who rioted last fall.

* CRITICAL THINKING

USING CONTEXT CLUES: What clues in the story might tell you that Mohamed Belkhiria has mixed emotions about the rioters? (Possible answers include: disapproving: "It isn't right" that they burned cars; sympathetic: "Of course people are frustrated.")

MAKING INFERENCES: Do you think that the kids in the article feel closer to the culture of France or to that of their parents' home country? (Answers are likely to include a mention that Sarania feels like an outsider, balanced by the boys' love of French rap.)

* ACTIVITY

MAKING CONNECTIONS: What peoples has the U.S. absorbed as a result of its overseas conflicts? Have students research the lives of one of these groups--for example, Vietnamese fishing communities that have resettled on the Gulf Coast. What unique challenges do these immigrants face?

STANDARDS

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Culture: The obstacles to acceptance into French society faced by recent immigrants to France and their French-born children.

* Global connections: Why France needed immigrant workers, where its colonies were, and how those connections relate to current problems.

RESOURCES

PRINT

* Guene, Faiza, Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow (Harvest/Harcourt, 2006). Grades 6 & up.

(Note: This young-adult novel by the daughter of Algerian immigrants will be out in July.)

WEB SITES

* Virtual Journey of France

oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/onthelinelexploreljourneylfrance/frindex.htm

* Welcome to France

info-france-usa.org/kids

France is one of the proudest and most stable countries in the world. That is why so many French people were shaken when dozens of its cities exploded in riots last autumn. The rioters were mostly the children and grandchildren of immigrants from former French colonies. Fed up with years of discrimination, they vented their frustration in the streets. In three weeks of violence, approximately 10,000 vehicles were burned, hundreds of public buildings were damaged, and more than 4,500 people were arrested.

The unrest seemed to begin with a single spark. In a suburb of Paris, France's capital, police encountered a group of teenage boys. In poor suburbs with a largely immigrant population, it is typical for police officers to stop such boys and demand identification. This time, the group split up and ran. Three French-born boys of African origin climbed over the wall of an electric power station. Two were accidentally electrocuted.

As word spread about the incident, the protests began. Youths burned cars and smashed windows. In the nights that followed, violence spread to other cities. The riots brought to the surface the pent-up anger of many French immigrants over segregation, high unemployment, and decaying schools and housing.

Unemployment and Despair

A 15-minute subway ride from Paris takes you to Stains (STAN). This city of 33,000 consists of more than 70 different nationalities. Most children speak at least two languages.

Stains is one of France's poorest cities. The unemployment rate tops 25 percent, more than twice the national average. In Stains, low-income housing projects tower over smaller buildings. Laundry hangs over the railings of the balconies.

The most recent immigrants in Stains come mainly from former French colonies in Africa (see map, p. 13). Nasser Belloumi's family is from Algeria, in North Africa. Nasser, 13, has both French and Algerian roots. He understands Arabic but doesn't speak it. He prefers French rap and R&B to his parents' Arabic music.

Like many Stains residents, Nasser's father is out of work. Nasser did not take part in the riots, but he does not condemn other young people who did. "It's their life," he said with a shrug.

Unlike Nasser, Mohamed Belkhiria, 14, speaks Arabic. His family is from Tunisia, and Mohamed immediately feels Tunisian when he returns there for the summer. Mohamed also listens to French rap, as well as Eminem and 50 Cent.

During the riots, Mohamed's parents did not let him go outside. "I don't think the rioters should have burned people's cars," Mohamed told JS. "It isn't right."

"Of course people are frustrated," he continued. "The inner cities are poor. My school is totally broken-down. We need lots of materials."

Mohamed has noticed that in nearby Paris "it's much cleaner, and the streets are lit at night." When he finishes with his education, he wants to leave Stains. "It's too dirty here," he said.

France's Colonial Offspring

France once controlled one of Europe's largest colonial empires. By the early 20th century, its holdings in Africa were 20 times larger than France itself.. One by one, the colonies gained their independence, some through revolution. The war in Algeria, for instance, was among the bitterest chapters in French history. Algeria achieved its independence in 1962, after more than eight years of conflict. In many ways, the wounds from that war have not healed.

The two World Wars of the 20th century devastated France and lowered its birthrate. After World War II (1939-1945), the country desperately needed to rebuild. France turned to its former colonies for workers for its factories.

Millions of people poured in. Many wound up in areas like Stains, which turned, over time, into ghettos. Now, the descendants of those immigrants find themselves isolated from French society, jobless, and angry.

France has had a difficult time absorbing many of its colonial offspring. Two years ago, it passed a law banning Muslim head scarves in schools. In France, separation of religion and state is strictly enforced. But many Muslim immigrants took offense at this strict definition of what was "French" and what was not.

French politicians have added fuel to the fire. Last summer, France's Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, visited a public-housing project north of Paris. "We will clean this project up with a Karcher," said Sarkozy, who is expected to run for President next year. (A Karcher is a high-pressure hose used for cleaning encrusted dirt off cars or buildings.) Many French think that this and other offensive comments by Sarkozy were partly responsible for the anger that fueled the riots.

A Better Life?

Sarania Ravitchandran is a 14-year-old originally from Pondicherry, India. Like Nasser and Mohamed, she is also bothered by the lack of services in Stains. But for Sarania, the major problem is unemployment. "If everyone could work," she told JS, "there would be no trouble."

If Sarania were Mayor, she would "create more jobs and repair rundown buildings. There needs to be more authority in the schools so that there's less violence." She understands how frustrated the rioters were. But, she believes, "They could have behaved differently."

Sarania is Hindu. She feels like an outsider in France because there are so few Hindus. But Sarania is determined to make the best of her situation. She hopes to become a nurse or a doctor and "lead a successful life." Other young people in Stains wish they could share her optimism.

Your Turn

THINK ABOUT IT

1. What feelings triggered last fall's riots in France?

2. What does a country owe to its immigrants? What do immigrants owe to their new homeland?

One Teen's Story

Karifa Keita, 13, was born in and has "always lived in Stains." Karifa's parents immigrated to France in 1971 from Mali, in West Africa. Mali was once a French colony. Thus, it seemed natural for the family to move to France after a military takeover in Mali made life very difficult.

"My parents kept me in the house" during last fall's riots, Karifa told JS. "I wanted to see what was happening, but I wasn't interested in participating."

The Keitas are from the Malinke (meh-ling-KEE) tribe, who take great pride in their ancestry. Karifa's mother tries to re-create as closely as possible dishes that one would eat in Mali, such as rice with peanut sauce, okra, or mashed plantains.

Most Malians are Muslim. Many follow African traditions as well. Karifa's father continues to send money to their family in Mali, one of the world's poorest nations. He is now organizing an association that will help Malians obtain an education and health care.

How important is it for Karifa's father that his son keep his African traditions? "As long as Karifa gets a good education and learns to respect other," he said, "that's what's important to me."

FRANCE

At one time, France was a major colonial power. It ruled a large part of what is now Canada but lost that colony to Britain in 1763. In the 1800s, France took control of many colonies in Africa (see inset map). In recent years, large numbers of people from former African colonies have migrated to France in search of a higher standard of living.

FACTS TO KNOW

AREA: 212,934 sq mi; not quite as large as Texas.

POPULATION: 60,700,000. About 10 percent are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants.

POLITICAL SYSTEM: Presidential-parliamentary democracy. Jacques Chirac is President. Dominique de Villepin is Prime Minister.

ECONOMY: France is a prosperous country but faces the problem of a shrinking work force. A leading manufacturing nation, France produces cars, high-speed trains, aerospace equipment, and electronics. More than 90 percent of France's land area is fertile soil.

PER CAPITA GDP *: $28,700. (U.S.: $40,100).

RELIGION: About 75% of the people are Roman Catholics; 3% Muslims; 2% Protestants; 1% Jews; 19% other.

LITERACY: Males, 99%; females, 99%.

LIFE EXPECTANCY: Males, 77 years; females, 84 years.

* GDP stands for gross domestic products; per capita means per person. The amount is the value of all items produced by a country in a year, divided by the population, and is often used as a measure of wealth.

QUESTIONS

1. Were most of France's former African colonies located in the northwestern, northeastern, or southeastern part of that continent?--

2. France's largest North American colony became part of the U.S. and what other present-day country?--

3. What is the capital of France?--

4. Which city is located closest to 48[degrees]N, 2[degrees]E?--

5. Which geographical feature separates France and Spain?--

6. Which country is located across the English Channel from France?--

7. France's capital is located on which river?--

8. Which large Mediterranean island is part of France?--

9. Which small independent country borders France along the Mediterranean Sea?--

10. In which direction would you travel to go from Paris to Bordeaux?--

Answers:

1. Northwestern

2. Canada

3. Paris

4. Orleans

5. Pyrenees (mountains)

6. United Kingdom

7. Seine 

8. Corsica

9. Monaco

10. southwest

Olivia Snaije in Stains, France

WORLD: FRANCE IN TURMOIL, PAGES 10-13

* Write the letter of the correct answer on the line before each question.

-- 6. The riots in France last autumn were set off by what?

A. the death of two French-born boys of African descent

B. the Interior Minister's visit to a public housing project

C. a shootout between rival gangs

-- 7. Where did that incident take place?

A. inner-city Paris

B. Stains

C. a suburb of Paris

-- 8. Two years ago, the French government banned what from the schools?

A. bilingual classes in Arabic and French

B. immigration from former colonies

C. Muslim head scarves

-- 9. Which of these countries was not a colony of France?

A. Algeria

B. Liberia

C. Mall

-- 10. Most recent immigrants to France come from French colonies on which continent?

A. Africa

B. Asia

C. North America 

Answer:

6. A

7. C

8. C

9. B

10.A