The Gnadomboenians’ Union in France (GUF) which I have the privilege of being the chairman in these current two
years(2008 and 2009), is an association which gathers all people coming from a Comoran village called Gnadomboeni
and living in France, and all the inhabitants of this village in Comoros and those who immigrated to other countries
for educational or economical reasons.
It is an association based on three principles:
- First of all, it is a migratory fact, then a question of organization, and at last an economical action.
It is a migratory fact because the founding members of this Association are Gnadomboenians who have immigrated to
France since 1939 and wanted to be organized for a better integration in this welcoming land.
To understand well this Gnadoboenian history of immigration in France, it is necessary to make a general survey on
the history of immigration in France in general.
In order to get satisfaction on the need of working hands during the period of the Industrial Revolution, France
would need working people from other countries. So, many people immigrated to this country. It was in the 1851census
report that the immigrants were for the first time taken into account in the French population in which they represented
1% of the population, that is, 380000 people.
Just before the First World War, on the other hand, the numbers of strangers living in France went beyond one million of
people (40% born in the national territory). After the First World War in 1918, France lost many people and felt again
the need of another wave of working immigrants to fill the gap which was the result of the war. In that time, the origin
of the immigrants was diversified and was no longer limited to the broader regions of the north side and Italy, but it was
broadened to the Central Europe with Poland in the lead. Another wave of immigrants succeeded the Second World War and
concerns generally Maghreb countries and the southern countries of Europe (Spain and Portugal).
It is during the Second World War in 1939 that KAROSSI Said Abdallah from Gnadomboeni was engaged in the French army for
the war: He was then the first Gnadomboenian to immigrate to France.
He was followed by Mr Madi Ali MBAMBA who immigrated in 1958 when De Gaulle came in power followed by Ahmed Ali MBAMBA in
1963. After the cessation of the official immigration in 1974, The French government allowed 100,000 foreigners to immigrate
to France each year contingent on precise criteria.
Nowadays, immigrants in France are about 3.5 millions of people.
In the end of the 19th century, the immigration was mainly practiced by black Africans and Asians. Then, it is during this
fourth wave of immigrants that other Gnadomboenians went to France especially in Paris and Marseille such as Mohamed CHAFIOU
in 1973.
As far as women are concerned, Mrs Zalhata ABDALLAH is the first woman to immigrate to France.
So, the history of the Gnadomboenians’ immigration to France started in 1939. But, it was in the beginning of the 1990s
that the second generation of immigrants took place with more people than the first generation. With the presence of all
this people in the French land, an organization of this special community grew with the help of some young Gnadomboenians
of that period such as Nassur SAID ALI, Moirabou MAOULANA and others like Ibrahim ELBAK, Chamsoudine SAID MOHAMED and
Said ABOUDOU.
They created the GUF( Gnadomboenians’ Union in France) which is the equivalent of the UGF in French language
(Union des Gnadomboéniens en France) in 1993.
In the end of the 1990s and in the beginning of the third millennium, another Gnadomboenian wave of immigration took
place and was characterised by the arriving of young, cultivated and motivated people from Gnadomboeni. This young generation
created the young people’s branch of the Association. The actual activity of this branch in that time was to organize all the
young Gnadomboenians to form the KASSUDA group, a group whose objective was to provide religious songs to the religious
manifestations like the Great MADJLISS of December 31, 2001 in which Oustadh Said ABDALLAH RIFKI who is now the secretary
general of the Comoran “Mouftorat” and also the great Imama of President SAMBI.
From that time, the young members of this association always organise themselves for cultural, educational and religious
manifestations such as: the Fête du Lilas (the much known manifestation of Vitry-Sur-seine organised each year by the mayor
of Vitry), celebration of religious manifestations, cultural manifestations (marriage for example) and extra-teaching to help
pupils.
-Secondly, The GUF is an organisational Association, for since its creation in 1993, its uppermost actions concern intern
organisation that is the Gnadomboenians’daily lives in France in order to be well integrated in this welcoming land.
Then, our association works in partnership with the musical and cultural associations based in Gnadomboeni for the
development of our village. As you can see it in the header “activités” in this site, since 1992 up to now, the GUF achieved
many things to improve education but also to open up the village.
At last, as far as the economical action is concerned, our country Comoros is one of the poorest countries of the world which
depend on the international aid, particularly the French one. In order to build houses in Comoros, to invest in trade, to
subsidize the children’s education or to celebrate the traditional marriage (Great marriage), Comorans rely mainly on the help
of those who live in France; so the money to finance all that, always comes from Comoran workers in France. That is why the GUF
got organized around a monthly contribution of money in order to give the amount contributed to a chosen member in order to
achieve some of his projects in Comoros.
Unfortunately, many of those who take this money spend it in marriages and remain indebted without thinking of their going back
after their retirement (see the article about “ANDA” in the header “education” of this site).
In fact, the Gnadomboenians’ Union in France (GUF) is an association defined by the 1901 French law. The GUF was created in 1993
and is composed of three major decision-making bodies: the General Assembly, a Governing Body and an Executive Board eligible and
renewable each two years. Since its creation up to now, the GUF has renewed its executive board seven times. So, 8 presidents
have been elected accounting the first one elected in 1993.
Now, we are in 2008 and I have got the privilege to be elected in its seventh General Assembly to be the leader of the Association
for a period of two years. I am therefore the 8th president in the history of this Association.
Being in the lead of a great organization like ours is not a simple thing because as we experienced with those who had been here
before, we have to face critics and moaning. But today, as the initiator of the koranic school ( Madrassat) in Vitry-sur-Scene
and representative of the community in the religious manifestations, I got sincerely engaged to be in the lead of the association
in order to be able to defend the interests of all the members in general and of the young people organized in the young branch of
the Association in particular. As the president Nicolas SARKOZY said in his inauguration speech in April 2007, “one cannot
understand the suffering of a person if one had not experienced it oneself and I experienced it”. Thus, I also understand the
desires of young people because I was also young.
Finally, being elected by the majority of the members of the Association, all I have to do is to put into practice the policy that
I presented in the Election Day to fulfil the desire of the majority of the Gnadomboenians in France.
One of my major points is to organise the young people for education, culture and new technologies. That is why I am so pleased
with the idea of creating a web site for the Association. This is a great means of communication for our community in all over
the world. I cannot put an end to my talks without calling all the GUF members for unity, understanding and collaboration.
I also make a call to our young Gnadomboenians born in France to join their brothers and sisters in the group of the young people
of the Association to form a work unity in favour of the development of our village.
The chairman of the GUF
Charif SAID HARIRI