Pointe-à-Pitre (AFP)
"It's over" and "thank you": France-Antilles, the only daily newspaper in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana, released its latest edition on Saturday, after 56 years of existence, following the bankruptcy pronounced on Thursday.
This liquidation leaves 235 employees unemployed in the editions of the three territories.
Initially, the seals should have been placed Thursday evening on all the buildings where the newspaper is produced. But the three judges of the commercial court, as well as the prosecutor, at the request of the staff representatives, authorized the release of a final edition.
"This publication was authorized to allow the collection of funds in order to contribute to the social plan", explains Emmanuelle Lerondeau, staff representative at France-Antilles Guadeloupe.
The Guadeloupe edition displayed in front page "1965-2020, it's over", on a black background, with the historic logo of the newspaper, abandoned after the renewal of the formula in January 2019. "We wanted to make a simple and sober front page , and above all to indicate to everyone that it is indeed over, "said AFP Caroline Bablin, editor-in-chief of France-Antilles Guadeloupe.
"We have heard over and over again that it was not possible for a newspaper to close. Even today, even after the court ruling, disbelief persists." In the 40 pages of the newspaper, for the first time, it is the employees who speak, detailing their memories, their bitterness sometimes.
Many archive photos of the newspaper's best moments are also published. On the last page are the names of the 96 employees of the Guadeloupe daily.
In Martinique, a new edition has also been released. On the front page, the employees chose to publish a big "thank you", on a red background, to thank "its readers, its advertisers, its broadcasters, its listeners" and the teams.
This "last of the last" has 48 pages, and "speaks of the history of France-Antilles, gives testimonies of support", explained to AFP Rodolphe Lamy, journalist and employee representative. "This risk of liquidation had been on us for a while (...), but France-Antilles was so anchored in the population that everyone said + no, France-Antilles will not disappear +".
This latest edition, "made in the rush" in his words, was accompanied to the end by the journalists, who all gathered at the printing press, to attend the last printing of the newspaper. The latest editions, 55,000 copies in Guadeloupe and 40,000 in Martinique, are on sale until Wednesday, the last day of work for employees.
In Guyana, on the other hand, technical problems and a lack of paper have prevented the production of the newspaper for several days. There was therefore no last publication. But Thursday, before the decision to liquidate, all three editions had titled: "Dear readers, you may have in your hands the latest edition of your newspaper France-Antilles".
© 2020 AFP