Introduction: Writing Colonial Histories

Abstract

In 1941 the Vichy government commissioned Jeu de l’Empire Francais, a double-sided, brightly colored board game for children, each side with a slightly different ‘‘course de l’Empire francais,’’ played on a lavishly illustrated world map (fig. 1). The rules stated that ‘‘the Marshal offers a voyage around the world to two French youths, passing through the colonies of the empire and using Frenchmaritime and aviation lines.’’ The players left from Marseille in a race across the empire. The object was to reach the metropole first after completing a ‘‘tour du monde’’ that was also a ‘‘course de l’empire.’’ How fortunate the player whose token landed on square number 72, adorned with a photo of Petain. For on this space ‘‘la Francisque et le Marechal vont faire au voyageur un bond gigantesque, qui l’amene directement au but’’— square number 84, Le Havre, and victory. Similar colonial games were produced in France from the late nineteenth century on: embossed, cut-out paper soldiers—‘‘nos soldats en relief, les goumiers marocains’’—toys with movable parts, and diverse game boards. All celebrated conquests of foreign lands in the form of mass-produced playthings for French children, whether at home or abroad. Intertwined with the imperial messages was a blatant commercialism, since the toys often contained advertisements for foods, or even alcoholic beverages. Also at work was spiritual advertising to encourage young men and women to join religious orders and the faithful to make pious donations. The game Le Tipoye du Gabon, printed in 1925, shows a nun on