Déwé Gorodey | |
|---|---|
 Gorodey in 2016 | |
| Member of theGovernment of New Caledonia | |
| In office 2 June 1999 – 14 August 2022 | |
| Vice President of the Government of New Caledonia | |
| In office 5 April 2001 – 7 August 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Léopold Jorédié |
| Succeeded by | Annie Beustes |
| In office 21 August 2007 – 5 June 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Annie Beustes |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Ngaiohni |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1949-06-01)1 June 1949 Ponérihouen,New Caledonia, France |
| Died | 14 August 2022(2022-08-14) (aged 73) |
| Occupation | Teacher, writer, feminist, politician |
Déwé Gorodey[a] (1 June 1949 – 14 August 2022) was aNew Caledonian teacher, writer, feminist and politician. She was active in agitating for independence from France in the 1970s. She published poetry, short stories and novels. From 1999, she was a member of the New Caledonian government, representing the pro-independenceKanak and Socialist National Liberation Front. From April 2001 to June 2009, she served almost continuously asVice President of the Government of New Caledonia.
Gorodey was born on 1 June 1949 inPonérihouen, New Caledonia.[1] Her family belonged to the Pwârâïriwâ tribe ofKanak people.[2] Her home village is on the east coast of New Caledonia, at the mouth of the Ponérihouen River. She received her primary education in theHouaïlou region, then attended the Lapérouse High School inNouméa where she passed her baccalaureate in philosophy. She went on to study at thePaul Valéry University, Montpellier III, where she obtained a BA in modern literature.[3] She was the first Kanak woman to ever receive a college education.[4] She returned to New Caledonia in 1974 and obtained a job teaching French at a Catholic school in the Nouméa suburbs. She married and has three children.[3]
In 1974, Gorodey joined the Foulards rouges (Red Scarf) movement, which had been created in 1969, and served as president for some time. She was then one of the founders of the Groupe 1878, which was named after the Kanak revolt of 1878.[3] The Foulards Rouges and Groupe 1878 were both collectives of intellectuals who challenged the French colonial presence and practices related to land rights and discrimination. Some members, such asNidoïsh Naisseline, had been involved in theMay 1968 events in France, while others including Gorodey would not visit Europe until later.[5] Both groups were created by small numbers of well-educatedKanak people and appealed to young men who had left the reservations to work in the nickel industry during the short-lived boom but had become unemployed when it ended.[6] In 1976, she helped found theParty of Kanak Liberation (Palika).[1] She was in charge of external relations for PALIKA and in this role travelled in the Pacific, Australia, Algeria, Canada, Mexico City and the United Nations.[7] She was imprisoned three times between 1974 and 1977 for her political activities.[1]
Gorodé was one of the founders of the feminist Groupe de femmes kanak exploitées en lutte (GFKEL). In 1974, she was arrested expressing her opposition to the celebration of the colonisation of New Caledonia on 24 September 1853.[8] In prison, she developed the concept of GFKEL with other women, includingSusanna Ounei.[4] The organization was intended to ensure equal treatment of women within the independence movement.[9] In 1984, GFKEL was one of the founding organizations of theKanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS: Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste).[10]
In 1983, Gorodey was a French teacher at the Do-Néva Protestant College in Houaïlou. In 1984, after the death of ten Kanak militants inHienghène, she left this college and joined the newly created Kanak People's School (EPK) in Ponérihouen, where she taught the localPaicî language until 1988. She had started to write poetry in 1970 but did not publish for many years. In 1985, she publishedSous les Ashes des conques, her first volume of poetry, followed over the years by other novels and collections of poetry.[3] Her works described the traditional culture ofMelanesia and the present political issues.[11] Gorodey is now one of the most widely-recognised Melanesian cultural figures.[12]
In 1992, Gorodé participated in a women's mission in Mali, led byMarie-Claude Tjibaou.[7] She worked for the Kanak Culture Development Agency from 1994 to 1995 during preparations for the Tjibaou Cultural Center. She resumed teaching Paicî again in Houaïlou and Poindimié from 1996 to 1997. Between 1999 and 2001 she gave courses at theUniversity of New Caledonia inNouméa on the history of Pacific literature and contemporary Melanesian literature.[3] In 2002 she participated in the Salon du livre insulaire on the island ofUshant, Brittany.[1] On 9 November 2009, at a ceremony at the High Commission, she was made a Chevalier des Arts et des lettres.[13]
In 1999 Gorodey andLéonie Tidjite Varnier were the first women to be elected to Congress, representing theNorth Province.In the government ofJean Lèques she was responsible for Culture, Youth and Sports.[7]After the March 2001 provincial elections President Lèques resigned. On 3 April 2001, congress electedPierre Frogier of theRally for Caledonia in the Republic (RPCR: Rassemblement pour une Calédonie dans la République) to replace him. Gorodey, a representative of the FLNKS, becameVice President of the Government of New Caledonia.[14] She retained the Culture, Youth and Sports portfolio from April 2001 to June 2004.[7] Reelected vice president in June 2004 she was made responsible for Culture, Status of Women and Citizenship.[7]
From 2004 to 2007Marie-Noëlle Thémereau, who represented the loyalistL'Avenir Ensemble, was president of congress, and Gorodey, who represented the FLNKS, was vice president.[15] In the 2007 elections there was a swing towards stronger support for remaining part of France.Harold Martin, president of Avenir Ensemble, became president of congress. Gorodey continued as vice president, and the political mood continued to be one of accommodation between the different parties, but the RPCR had regained some of its past influence.[15] On 5 June 2009, Harold Martin was again elected president of congress. After some delay, on 15 June 2009Pierre Ngaiohni of the FLNKS was elected vice president.[14]
Gorodey suffered from cancer for a number of years, and at the age of 73, she died in a hospital inPoindimié.[16][17][18][19][20]
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