ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
This year marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. But a lesser-known amphibious landing along France's Mediterranean coast two months later also played a big role in liberating the country from the Nazis. Those troops were under French command and hailed mostly from African countries. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley met a French school class paying tribute to their sacrifice.
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: On a rainy December morning at the Muslim Cemetery in the northern Paris suburb of Bobigny, a group of tenth graders from the Theodore Monod Technical High School present their class project.
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UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #1: (Reading in French).
BEARDSLEY: One by one, the kids read out the testimony of one of the many African soldiers who fought and often died for France.
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UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #2: (Reading in French).
BEARDSLEY: "We walked in the snow and mud to our knees, and the firing never stopped," reads one youth, quoting soldier Mohammed from Algeria. "A comrade asked, why did we come here to die so far from home? And I responded, because it's our duty."
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UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #3: (Reading in French).
BEARDSLEY: Another student reads the words of Moussa from Senegal. "We couldn't even bury our comrades who were falling around us."
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BEARDSLEY: These soldiers were part of an infantry regiment known as Les Tirailleurs Senegalais, made up of troops recruited from across French-speaking Africa. Some 350,000 soldiers from French colonies volunteered or were forced to fight for France during the First and Second World Wars. Their contribution was long overlooked.
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UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Chanting in non-English language).
BEARDSLEY: But on this day, Muslim prayers float on the air, with hymns to the fallen played from a loudspeaker. Two French veterans wearing medals raise the tricolor flag in honor of their African comrades.
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BEARDSLEY: The gains made by the African soldiers who stormed the Mediterranean beaches 80 years ago allowed French General Charles de Gaulle to claim a seat at the victor's table, says French politician Aissata Seck, whose Senegalese grandfather fought for France.
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AISSATA SECK: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: "Dear young people, you all have your rightful place in this country," she tells the students. "Never give up."
(APPLAUSE)
BEARDSLEY: Most of these kids have grandparents or parents who immigrated to France from Africa or the Maghreb. They live in the poorer Paris suburbs and often face discrimination in a country struggling to come to terms with its diversity. Their school commemoration project proves they have a stake in this country, says teacher Samia Essabaa.
SAMIA ESSABAA: They're very proud. They're very proud that their ancestors participated in the liberation of France and of Europe. So they had values, and they believed in humanity. So for my boys, it's very important.
BEARDSLEY: A former prime minister tells the class how they've moved him.
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ALAIN JUPPE: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: "It's true. France did not always act with honor," says Alain Juppe, "but a nation can only move forward with the truth and national unity. You are France's future."
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking French).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: When the ceremony is over, the pupils get back on the bus to return to class, relieved and proud.
MOHAMMED TRAORE: (Speaking French).
BEARDSLEY: "It was forgotten, and our project shines a light on this history," says Mohammed Traore, who's studying to be an electrician. These soldiers fought to liberate France, and no one can forget that.
Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Bobigny. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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