Gabriel Lisette

Chad gained its independence in the August of 1960 and ceased being a colony under control of France.  One of the major figures in this decolonization of Chad was a man by the name of Gabriel Lisette.  Gabriel Lisette was born in Panama, in a port city called Portobelo, on April 2, 1919.  Gabriel Lisette, not being a naturally born Chadian, came to become a politician there after he became a Colonial administrator for France.  In taking this role, he was brought to Chad and posted there in 1946.  Gabriel Lisette quickly moved his way up the ladder of French colonial rule.  In the November of 1946, the same year he was brought in to be a colonial administrator, Gabriel Lisette was elected to be a deputy of the French National Assembly.  It would be in the February of the following year, however, that Gabriel Lisette would make moves towards Chadian independence from the country he was brought in to work for.

Gabriel Lisette in the February of 1947 established Chad’s very first African political party.  The political party that he founded was called the Chadian Progressive Party, or PPT for short.  The Chadian Progressive Party, when it was first established, attracted the countries non-Muslim population, particularly those who were considered to be intellectuals.  The Chadian Progressive Party was a branch of African Democratic Rally, an integral entity in the decolonization of French Colonies in Africa.  It was a radical political party that promoted nationalism, and whose radical views was exemplified by its motto “Enough with cotton! Enough with taxes!  Enough with chiefs”.  This radical approach and bias towards the non-Muslim population, which largely inhabited the southern part of the country, spurred the creation of the largely Muslim political party:  Chadian Democratic Union, or UDT for short.

The Chadian Democratic Union had gained more power initially than then Chadian Progressive Party did.  The French colonial administration boycotted the radical Chadian Progressive Party, supporting the Chadian Democratic Union instead.  However, the Chadian Democratic Union would lose much of their power once reforms to the electoral system allowed for a larger voter pool, benefiting the Gabriel Lisette lead Chadian Progressive Party, as it allowed much of the non-Muslim population to the south that could not vote before be able to vote.  In 1957 Gabriel Lisette was voted in as Vice-President of the Government Council, quickly moving up to President a little over a year later.

This move to president was a major step to independence, but it was not smooth sailing for Gabriel Lisette after that.  Shortly after his election, Gabriel Lisette was kicked out of his position when a motion of no confidence was put against him.  This brought in a new leader, Ahmed Koulamallah, who Gabriel Lisette had to quickly overthrow his rule, along with another government led by Gontchome Sahoulba.  Once the Chadian Progressive Party regained power, Gabriel Lisette stepped down, letting a native Chadian, Francois Tombalbaye, lead the party.  Just as Chad was about to gain independence, Francois Tombalbaye, who would become the countries dictator exiled Gabriel Lisette from Chad, ending Gabriel’s political career and securing his rule over Chad for years to come.  After everything Gabriel Lisette had done for Chad and for their fight for independence, he was exiled by the very man he chose to replace him.

Bibliography:

“Gabriel Lisette.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Oct. 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

“Chadian Progressive Party.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Oct. 2014. Web. 17 Oct. 2014.

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