Black French people also known as French Black people or Afro-French (Afro-Français) are

French people French people () are a nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common Culture of France, French culture, History of France, history, and French language, language, identified with the country of France. The French people, esp ...

who are

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

n (including

Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean or African Caribbean people are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern Afro-Caribbean people descend from the Indigenous peoples of Africa, Africans (primarily fr ...

, Malagasy and

Afro-Arabs Afro-Arabs, African Arabs, or Black Arabs are Arabs who have predominantly or total Sub-Saharan African ancestry. These include primarily minority groups in the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, ...

) and Melanesian. It also includes people of mixed ancestry.

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

has the largest

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

population in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, with over 60% of all Black Europeans living in

. The Paris metro area also has the largest Black population (3.6 million) of any city in

and the greatest proportion (30-40%) in

Metropolitan France Metropolitan France ( or ), also known as European France (), is the area of France which is geographically in Europe and chiefly comprises #Hexagon, the mainland, popularly known as "the Hexagon" ( or ), and Corsica. This collective name for the ...

. The absence of a legal definition of what it means to be "black" in France, the extent of anti-miscegenation laws over several centuries, the great diversity of black populations (African, Caribbean, etc.) and the lack of legal recognition of ethnicity in French population censuses make this social entity extremely difficult to define, unlike in countries such as the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Definition issues

In France, there is no formal definition of ethnicity, particularly in terms of its relationship to French identity or to métissage. However, this type of identity may be reflected in organizations such as the Conseil représentatif des associations noires, or in other ways. Much of the academic literature dedicated to black people comes from the USA, where "black identity" is relatively homogeneous: these are essentially the descendants of slaves brought over in the 18th century to work on the plantations of the American Southeast. However, the definition of "black" in the United States, based on the "

One-drop rule The one-drop rule was a legal principle of racial classification that was prominent in the 20th-century United States. It asserted that any person with even one ancestor of African ancestry ("one drop" of "black blood")Davis, F. James. Front ...

", is also highly open to criticism, and only partially correlates with skin color and historical trajectory. If the black Americans can be roughly compared to French black people from the overseas departments (notably the West Indies, even if equal rights there go back much further than in the US), the bulk of dark-skinned people living in mainland France have nothing to do with this pattern or with the history of slavery: as historian and former minister Pap Ndiaye points out, in France "the black group is infinitely diverse socially and culturally, and lumping all blacks into the same categorical bag is a problematic operation." This great complexity in talking about "Blacks" served as the basis for the screenplay of the film ''Tout simplement noir'' (by Jean-Pascal Zadi and John Wax, 2020), which illustrates the distance between personalities such as Claudia Tagbo (a naturalized French actress from Côte d'Ivoire), Omar Sy (a French actor born in Trappes to Senegalese and Malian parents), Lucien Jean-Baptiste (an actor from Martinique) and

JoeyStarr Didier Morville (; born 27 October 1967), better known by his stage name JoeyStarr, is a French rapper, record producer and actor, from Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis, Île-de-France. He co-founded the French rap band Suprême NTM ...

(born in Paris to Martinique parents of Afro-Caribbean, Breton and Chinese descent), Éric Judor (born to a father of mixed race from Guadeloupe and an Austrian mother) and Vikash Dhorasoo (of south Indian origin). Other non-African black-skinned ethnic groups include some of the Dravidian peoples of southern India, and the Melanesians of the south-western Pacific Ocean (including the French territory of

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

), of whom

Christian Karembeu Christian Lali Kake Karembeu (born 3 December 1970) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is currently the sporting director for Olympiacos. Karembeu represented Nantes, Sampdoria, Real Madrid, Mi ...

is a famous representative. Omar Sy-3775.jpg,

Omar Sy Omar Sy (, ; born 20 January 1978) is a French actor, best known in France for his sketches with Fred Testot on the '' Service après-vente des émissions'' television show on Canal+ (2005–2012). He gained wider recognition for his role in the ...

a comedian with African origins (

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

and

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

). Trophy presentation Challenge international de Saint-Maur 2013 t174613.jpg,

Laura Flessel Laura Flessel-Colovic (born 6 November 1971) is a French politician and Fencing, épée fencer who served as Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (France), Minister of Sports from 2017 to 2018. Born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, she has won th ...

, a Caribbean sportswoman (

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

) Vikash Dhorasoo (cropped).jpg, Vikash Dhorasoo, a footballer originating from south India. Sébastien Folin Cannes 2017.jpg, Sébastien Folin, a TV presenter of Indo- Malagasy origins (from

la Réunion LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

). Christian & Adriana Karembeu.jpg,

, a Melanesian footballer (from

). PHOTOS IGOR GRICHKA.jpg, Igor and Grichka Bogdanoff twin brothers, considered as Russian in France but who would be considered as people of color if following the US ethnicity guidelines.

Population statistics

Although it is illegal for the

government of France The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

to collect data on ethnicity and race in the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

(a law with its origins in the 1789 revolution and reaffirmed in the constitution of 1958), various population estimates exist. An article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' in 2008 stated that estimates vary between 3 million and 5 million. Other estimates from 2014 put it as high as 8 to 10 million black people in France, including

Mixed race The term multiracial people refers to people who are mixed with two or more races and the term multi-ethnic people refers to people who are of more than one ethnicities. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mul ...

. It is estimated that four out of five black people in France are of African immigrant origin, with the minority being chiefly of Caribbean ancestry. Some organizations, such as the Representative Council of France's Black Associations (, CRAN), have argued in favor of the introduction of

data collection Data collection or data gathering is the process of gathering and measuring information on targeted variables in an established system, which then enables one to answer relevant questions and evaluate outcomes. Data collection is a research com ...

on minority groups but this has been resisted by other organizations and ruling politicians, often on the grounds that collecting such statistics goes against France's secular principles and harkens back to

Vichy Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789. Known f ...

-era identity documents. During the 2007 presidential election, however,

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

was polled on the issue and stated that he favoured the collection of data on ethnicity. Part of a parliamentary bill which would have permitted the collection of data for the purpose of measuring discrimination was rejected by the Conseil Constitutionnel in November 2007.

Notable people

In French politics

Afro-French members of the French Parliament or government from overseas France

There have been dozens of Afro-Caribbean, Kanak, and Afro-French MPs representing overseas electoral districts at the French National Assembly or at the French Senate, and several government members. *

Jean-Baptiste Belley Jean-Baptiste Belley ( – 6 August 1805) was a Saint Dominican and French politician. A native of Senegal and formerly enslaved in the colony of Saint-Domingue, in the French West Indies, he was an elected member of the Estates General, the ...

, first black politician to take seat at the

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

when elected on 24 September 1793, as one of three members (deputés) elected to the French Parliament by the northern region of

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the isl ...

. * Hégésippe Légitimus, second black deputy elected to the French National Assembly from 1898–1902 and 1906-1914. * Gratien Candace, politician from

who served in the

French Chamber of Deputies The Chamber of Deputies (, ) was the lower house of parliament in France at various times in the 19th and 20th centuries: * 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the Fr ...

from 1912 to 1942 and served as vice-president of the

from 1938 to 1940. * Blaise Diagne, political leader and

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

. He was the first person of West African origin elected to the

, and the first to hold a position in the French government. * Ngalandou Diouf, elected in 1909 to represent the commune of

Rufisque Rufisque (; Wolof: Tëngeéj) is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula east of Dakar, the capital. It has a population of 295,459 (2023 census).

at the advisory General Assembly (''Conseil Général'') of Saint-Louis, then capital of colonial Senegal. * Achille René-Boisneuf,

politician and one of the first black deputies in the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...

. He is incorrectly given the name Émile instead of Achille in Jean Joly's ''Dictionnaire des parlementaires français de 1889 à 1940'' 1946. * Maurice Satineau, politician from Guadeloupe who served in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from 1948-1958 and the

from 1936 to 1942 (the Chamber was not summoned between 1940 and 1942) * Roger Bambuck, Minister of Youth and Sports from 1988 to 1991. *

Aimé Césaire Aimé Fernand David Césaire (; ; 26 June 1913 – 17 April 2008) was a French poet, author, and politician from Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the Négritude movement in Francophone literature" and coined the word in French. He ...

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. History Before it was ceded to France by Spain in 1635, the area of Fort-de-Fra ...

and deputy from

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

for the PCF/

Martinican Progressive Party The Martinican Progressive Party (, PPM) is a democratic socialist political party in Martinique. It was founded on March 22, 1958 by poet Aimé Césaire after breaking off from the French Communist Party. The party favours the autonomy of Marti ...

. * Jean-Louis d'Anglebermes, Kanak politician from

Caledonian Union The Caledonian Union (, UC) is a pro-independence and the oldest political party in New Caledonia. In the latest legislative elections of May 10, 2009, the party won around 11.65% of the popular vote, and 9 out of 54 seats in the Territorial Co ...

. *

Félix Éboué Adolphe Sylvestre Félix Éboué (; 26 December 1884 – 17 May 1944) was a French Guiana, French French colonial empires, colonial administrator and early adherent to the Free French Forces, Free French Movement. He was the first black Fren ...

, French Guianan-born colonial administrator and

Free French Free France () was a resistance government claiming to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third French Republic, Third Republic during World War II. Led by General , Free France was established as a gover ...

leader. *

Laura Flessel-Colovic Laura Flessel-Colovic (born 6 November 1971) is a French politician and épée fencer who served as Minister of Sports from 2017 to 2018. Born in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, she has won the most Olympic medals of any French sportswoman, with ...

, she became the Sport Minister in 2017. *

Serge Letchimy Serge Letchimy (; born 13 January 1953) is the President of the Executive Council of Martinique and former member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the island of Martinique's 3rd constituency since June 2007, and is a member ...

, deputy for Martinique

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

, Letchimy is also of partial

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

descent. * Gaston Monnerville, politician and lawyer, he was the president of the Senate from 1958 to 1968. * Maurice Ponga,

n politician who served as

Member of the European Parliament A member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been Election, elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the European Coal and S ...

(MEP) for the Overseas constituency from 2009 to 2019. *

Christiane Taubira Christiane Marie Taubira (; born 2 February 1952) is a French politician who served as Minister of Justice of France in the governments of Prime Ministers Jean-Marc Ayrault and Manuel Valls under President François Hollande from 2012 until 20 ...

, deputy from

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

, was the first black candidate to a French presidential election, in 2002. In 2012, she became the Justice Minister until 2016. * Manuéla Kéclard-Mondésir, deputy from

Afro-French people elected in metropolitan France

* Louis Guizot (1740-1794), magistrate, became the very first Black Mayor of a town in metropolitan France in 1790, before ending up guillotined during the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

. * Severiano de Heredia, president of the municipal council of Paris (1879–1880/ sort of mayor of Paris ), deputy for Paris (1881–1889), minister (1887) * Blaise Diagne (1872-1934), first person of Sub-Saharan African origin elected to the

, and the first to hold a position in the French government. * (1891–1945), first Black metropolitan

elected through universal suffrage (1929–40) * Élie Bloncourt (1896–1978), second Black metropolitan deputy (1936–40, 1945–47), first Black metropolitan general councillor (1934–40, 1945–51) * Ernest Chénière (1945–), former deputy for

Oise Oise ( ; ; ) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 in 2019.< ...

(1993–97) * Hélène Geoffroy, deputy for

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

, mayor * Maxette Grisoni-Pirbakas, elected an MEP in 2019. * Gaston Monnerville (1897–1991), first Black metropolitan senator (1946–1974), president of the French Senate (1947–68), mayor, president of Lot's general council * George Pau-Langevin, Paris deputy (2007–12), junior minister (2012–2014), Minister for Overseas (2014–) * Arthur Richards (1890–1972), general councillor in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

(1951–1964), deputy for

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

(1958–67) * Rama Yade, former minister and secretary of State *

Harlem Désir Harlem Jean-Philippe Désir (; born 25 November 1959) is a French politician who served as leader of the Socialist Party (PS) from 2012 to 2014. First widely known as a community activist and as the first president of SOS Racisme in the 1980s, ...

, former minister for European Affairs and MEP, former

First Secretary of the French Socialist Party First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

* Kofi Yamgnane, former minister, former MP, former mayor, former general councillor in Brittany. *

Hervé Berville Hervé Berville (; born 15 January 1990) is a French economist and politician of Renaissance (RE) who has served as a member of the National Assembly from 2017 to 2022 and again since 2024, representing the department of Côtes-d'Armor. From ...

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...

survivor, French economist and politician,

Côtes-d'Armor The Côtes-d'Armor ( , ; ; , ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord until 1990 (, ), is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.La République En Marche! Renaissance (RE) is a political party in France that is typically described as liberal and centrist or centre-right. The party was originally known as (EM) and later (, LREM, LaREM or REM), before adopting its current name in September 2022 ...

since June 2017, party spokesperson. * Seybah Dagoma, then 34-year-old lawyer of

Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...

ian descent and founding member of a left-wing think tank, was elected in a Parisian constituency in 2012 and in office until 2017. * Laetitia Avia, lawyer of

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

lese descent, member of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

for the Paris's 6th constituency elected in 2017, defeated in 2022 * Danièle Obono, Gabonese descent MP for

La France Insoumise La France Insoumise (LFI or FI; , ) is a left-wing political party in France. It was launched in 2016 by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, then a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and former co-president of the Left Party (PG). It aims to implement th ...

representing the 17th Paris constituency since the legislative elections of 2017. * Nadège Abomangoli, deputy from

Seine-Saint-Denis () is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as ' or ' ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93. Its prefecture is Bobi ...

* Pap Ndiaye, historian of Franco-Senegalese descent, Minister of National Education and Youth from 20 May 2022 – 20 July 2023 in the

Élisabeth Borne Élisabeth Borne (; born 18 April 1961) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from May 2022 to January 2024. A member of President Emmanuel Macron's party Renaissance (French political party), Renaissance, she is the secon ...

government. * Rachel Keke, Ivorian-born French politician and former chambermaid, now member of the

since 2022, representing the 7th constituency of the

Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southeast of the City of Paris. In 2019, Val-de-Marne had a ...

department. * Fanta Berete, politician of

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

who has been serving as a Member of Parliament for Paris's 12th constituency since

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. She was the substitute of Olivia Grégoire who became a government minister. * Carlos Martens Bilongo, French teacher and politician who has represented the 8th constituency of the

Val-d'Oise Val-d'Oise (, "Vale of the Oise") is a department in the Île-de-France region, Northern France. It was created in 1968 following the split of the Seine-et-Oise department. In 2019, Val-d'Oise had a population of 1,249,674.< ...

department in the

since

for

(FI), he was elected under the

New Ecological and Social People's Union The New Ecological and Social People's Union (, NUPES) was a Left-wing politics, left-wing electoral alliance of List of political parties in France, political parties in France. Formed on May Day 2022, the alliance included La France Insoumise ( ...

(NUPES) alliance.

Political activists

Frantz Fanon Frantz Omar Fanon (, ; ; 20 July 1925 – 6 December 1961) was a French West Indian psychiatrist, political philosopher, and Marxist from the French colony of Martinique (today a French department). His works have become influential in the ...

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

existentialist Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and value ...

and anti-colonial author and activist. Renounced his French citizenship. *

Louis-Georges Tin Louis-Georges Tin (born 1974) is a French academic, gay rights campaigner, and anti-racist activist. Tin is noted for initiating the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, now marked in over 130 countries across the world ...

, president of the Representative Council of France's Black Associations and founder of the International Day Against Homophobia * Rokhaya Diallo, French journalist,

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

-France host, author, filmmaker, and activist for racial, gender and religious equality. * Sibeth Ndiaye, French-Senegalese communications advisor. Government Spokeswoman for

Édouard Philippe Édouard Charles Philippe (; born 28 November 1970) is a French politician serving as Mayor (France), mayor of Le Havre since 2020, previously holding the office from 2010 to 2017. He was Prime Minister of France from 15 May 2017 to 3 July 202 ...

's government from April 2019 to July 2020. * Susanna Ounei, Kanak independence activist. * Stéphane Pocrain, co-founder of CRAN (''Conseil Représentatif des Associations Noires de France'') and ecologist militant. * Fodé Sylla, co-founder of CRAN, second president of the French anti-racist organisation SOS Racisme between 1992 and 1999.

In sports

In basketball

In football

In rugby

Other sports

* Christine Arron, track and field sprint athlete * Roger Bambuck, track and field sprint athlete * Surya Bonaly, Olympic figure skater * Stéphen Boyer, volleyball player *

, fencer *

Vanessa James Vanessa James Amoros (Birth name, née James; born 27 September 1987) is a Canadian retired pair skater. Representing France with her former skating partner, Morgan Ciprès, she is the 2019 European Figure Skating Championships, 2019 European ...

, Olympic figure skater *

Gaël Monfils Gaël Sébastien Monfils (; born 1 September 1986) is a French professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 6 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved in November 2016. Mon ...

, tennis player * Daniel Narcisse, team handball player, IHF World Player of the Year 2012 *

Francis Ngannou Francis Zavier Ngannou (born 5 September 1986) is a Cameroonian and French professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he is the in ...

, mixed martial artist *

Earvin N'Gapeth Earvin Ngapeth (born 12 February 1991) is a French professional volleyball player, member of the France national volleyball team and Turkish club Fenerbahçe, 2015 European Champion, gold medallist of the World League (2015 and 2017), Fren ...

, volleyball player * Barthélémy Chinenyeze, volleyball player * Éric N'Gapeth, father of Earvin, volleyball player *

Yannick Noah Yannick Noah (; born 18 May 1960) is a French former professional tennis player and singer, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. Noah won the French Open in 1983 French Open – Men's singles, 1983, and is a forme ...

, last French

French Open The French Open (), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a tennis tournament organized by the French Tennis Federation annually at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is chronologically the second of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam ...

tennis winner to this day (1983), current French

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...

coach *

Marie-José Pérec Marie-José Pérec (; born 9 May 1968) is a retired French track and field sprinter who specialised in the 200 and 400 metres and is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. She was born in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe and moved to ...

, multiple Olympic gold medal sprinter * Jackson Richardson, team handball player, IHF World Player of the Year 1995 *

Teddy Riner Teddy Pierre-Marie Riner (, ; born 7 April 1989) is a French heavyweight judoka. An eleven-time world champion in the heavyweight (+100 kg) division, two-time openweight world champion and one-time world champion with the French men's te ...

, judoka *

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (; born 17 April 1985) is a French former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 5 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he achieved in February 2012. Tsonga won 18 singles titles on th ...

, tennis player * Arthur Fils, tennis player * Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard , tennis player * Marc Raquil, French track and field athlete *

Ladji Doucouré Ladji Doucouré (born 28 March 1983) is a French track and field athlete. Biography Ladji Doucouré's father and mother were Malian and Senegalese respectively. Ladji Doucouré was a football player and decathlete before specializing in hurdli ...

, former French track and field athlete now INSEP coach

In entertainment and media

* Ralph Amoussou, actor and thespian *

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

, dancer, singer, actress, wartime spy for the Free French Resistance and French Airforce lieutenant nurse * Edmond Dédé, French-American Classical musician and composer from New Orleans, Louisiana who settled in France in the early 1860s *

Darling Légitimus Mathilda Marie Berthilde Paruta (21 November 1907 – 7 December 1999), better known by her stage name Darling Légitimus, was a French actress. In 1983, she received the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her performance in the film ''Sugar Cane Al ...

Volpi Cup for Best Actress The Volpi Cup for Best Actress is an award presented by the Venice Film Festival. It is given by the festival jury in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance from the films in the competition slate. It is named in honor o ...

-winning actress * Euzhan Palcy, film director, screenwriter, and producer,

Academy Honorary Award The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards (previously called the Special Award, which was first presented at the 1st Academy Awards in 1929) – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Mot ...

lifetime distinction recipient *

Guillaume Guillon-Lethière Guillaume Guillon-Lethière (; 10 January 1760 – 22 April 1832) was a French people, French Neoclassicism, Neoclassical painter. Life Youth He was born in Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe, out of wedlock, to Marie-Françoise Dupepaye, a free person ...

, painter * Élé Asu, journalist and TV presenter of Nigerian descent *

Édouard Montoute Édouard Montoute (; born 20 December 1970) is a French actor. Filmography Film * 1990: ''Jean Galmot, aventurier'' by Alain Maline * 1991: ''Paris s'éveille'' by Olivier Assayas: un dealer * 1995: ''La Haine'' by Mathieu Kassovitz: Dart ...

, French actor and thespian * Dominique Thimbakala, TV newscaster for

BFM TV BFM TV (, stylized as BFMTV) is a French news broadcast television and radio network, wholly owned by RMC BFM. The flagship property of the RMC BFM division of CMA CGM, its headquarters are located in Paris. As the country's most-watched new ...

* Kareen Guiock, TV newscaster for M6 * Mouss Diouf, actor * Aude Legastelois, actress * Ladj Ly, film director and screenwriter *

Aya Nakamura Aya Coco Danioko (born 10 May 1995), known professionally as Aya Nakamura, is a French-Malian singer-songwriter. She began publishing her music online, gaining a following with the songs "Karma" and "J'ai mal". Dembo Camara, a longtime friend, ...

, singer * Miss Dominique, singer * Fabe, rapper * Hélène and Célia Faussart (

Les Nubians Les Nubians is a French musical duo, composed of sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart from Paris, France. In 1985, the sisters moved with their parents to Chad. Seven years later, they returned to Bordeaux, France, and began singing a cappella, p ...

), singing duo * Aissa Maiga, actress * Sonia Rolland, actress *

Imany Nadia Mladjao (born 5 April 1979), better known by her stage name Imany ( ), is a French pop-soul recording artist of Comorian descent. Her debut album, ''The Shape of a Broken Heart'', which was released in 2011, reached platinum status in Fran ...

, singer * Hubert Kounde, actor and thespian *

Lord Kossity Thierry Moutoussamy (, ; born 23 December 1972), better known as Lord Kossity (), is a French musician. His family is originally from Martinique but he was born in Paris, France and moved back to the French West Indies with his family when he was ...

Dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

musician *

Dieudonné M'bala M'bala Dieudonné M'bala M'bala (; born 11 February 1966), known professionally as Dieudo, is a French comedian, actor, and political activist. He has been convicted for hate speech, advocating terrorism, and slander in Belgium, France, and Switzerlan ...

, comedian and anti-Zionist activist *

Fab Morvan Fabrice Maxime Sylvain Morvan (born 14 May 1966) is a French singer, dancer, rapper, and model who was half of the pop duo Milli Vanilli, along with Rob Pilatus. It was later revealed that the two had not actually sung on any of their recordin ...

, model and singer, half of

Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli ( ) was a German duo R&B music act from Munich. The act was created in 1988 by Frank Farian, founder of Boney M., and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus as the lip-syncing performers, with the two actual main studio sing ...

* Audrey Pulvar, newscaster and journalist *

Firmine Richard Firmine Richard (born 25 September 1947 Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, France) is a French actress. Her film credits include '' 8 Women'' and '' Hunting and Gathering''. Personal life In February 2009, Richard took part in demonstrations in Par ...

, actress * Dominik Bernard, stage and film actor and director of

origin * Harry Roselmack, newscaster *

, César-winning actor *

Tété Tété is a French musician, born in Dakar, Senegal on 25 July 1975. His mother is from Martinique and his father is from Senegal. Tété is described as the French version of Jeff Buckley. Tété's music can be described as an intimate, sol ...

, French pop-folk-blues composer-writer-interpreter, of

and

ese descent, often likened to a Francophone

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (raised as Scott Moorhead; November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997) was an American musician. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, he attracted a cult following in the early 1990s performing at venues in ...

* Steve Tientcheu, actor *

Olivier Coipel Olivier Coipel (; November 7, 1969) is a French people, French comic book artist, known for his work on books such as ''House of M'', ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor''. Career Olivier Coipel started as a movie animator ...

, comic book artist * Bukola Elemide, Female musician *

Black M Alpha Diallo (born 27 December 1984), better known by his stage name Black M (originally Black Mesrimes), is a French rapper, singer, songwriter and member of the Sexion d'Assaut group. In 2014, he released his first solo album, entitled '' L ...

, rapper *

Gims Gandhi Alimasi Djuna (born 6 May 1986), known professionally as Maître Gims and more recently just Gims (stylized in all caps), is a Congolese singer, rapper, producer, and songwriter. He grew up in France and currently lives in France and Moro ...

, rapper * Lefa, rapper * MHD, rapper *

MC Solaar Claude Honoré M'Barali (; born 5 March 1969), professionally known as MC Solaar (), is a French rapping, rapper of Senegalese people, Senegalese and Chadian people, Chadian origin. He is one of France's most famous and influential hip hop musi ...

, cult French rapper * Niska, rapper *

Dadju Dadju Alimasi Nsungula (; born 2 May 1991), better known by the mononym Dadju or at times Prince Dadj, is a French-Congolese singer. He was signed to the label Wati B and in 2017 signed with Polydor Records of Universal Music Group. He was a m ...

, singer *

Shy'm Tamara Marthe (born 28 November 1985), better known as Shy'm , is a French singer and actress. She released her first album, ''Mes fantaisies'', in 2006 and has since released six more albums. She had three Platinum albums, including her number ...

, pop singer * Les Twins, new-style hip-hop dancers * Ziak ( fr), rapper * Jacky Brown and Ben-J (Nèg' Marrons ( fr)), reggae & hip-hop duo

In literature

* Calixthe Beyala, writer *

, writer *

Suzanne Césaire Suzanne Césaire (; ; née Roussi; 11 August 1915, Poterie des Trois-Ilets, Martinique – 16 May 1966, Yvelines) was a French writer, teacher, scholar, anti-colonial and feminist activist, and Surrealist. She co-founded the Martinique cultural j ...

, writer *

Maryse Condé Maryse Condé (née Marise Liliane Appoline Boucolon; 11 February 1934 – 2 April 2024) was a French novelist, critic, and playwright from the French Overseas department and region of Guadeloupe. She was also an academic, whose teaching car ...

, writer *

Raphaël Confiant Raphaël Confiant (born January 25, 1951) is a Martinique, Martinican writer known for his literary commitment towards Creole literature. Life and career Raphaël Confiant was born in Le Lorrain, Martinique. He studied English and political sci ...

, writer and academic *

Léon Damas Léon-Gontran Damas (March 28, 1912 – January 22, 1978) was a French poet and politician. He was one of the founders of the Négritude movement. He also used the pseudonym Lionel Georges André Cabassou. Biography Léon Damas was born in Ca ...

, writer * Gerty Dambury, writer, educator and theatre director from Guadeloupe * Fatou Diome, best-selling and award-winning author of

ese origin *

David Diop David Mandessi Diop (9 July 1927 – 29 August 1960) was a French West African poet known for his contribution to the Négritude literary movement. His work reflects his anti-colonial stance. Biography Diop was the son of Maria Mandessi Bel ...

, novelist and academic researcher in 18th-century French and Francophone African literature *

Édouard Glissant Édouard Glissant (; 21 September 1928 – 3 February 2011) was a French writer, poet, philosopher, and literary critic from Martinique. He is an influential figure in Caribbean thought and cultural commentary and Francophone literature. Li ...

, writer *

Viktor Lazlo Sonia Dronnier (born 7 October 1960), known by her stage name Viktor Lazlo, is a French writer, singer, and comedian. Born in France, she studied in Belgium, where she is primarily known. Her biggest hit was "Breathless" in 1987. That year sh ...

, singer, actress and novelist *

René Maran René Maran (5 November 1887 – 9 May 1960) was a French poet and novelist, and the first black writer to win the French Prix Goncourt (in 1921). Biography Maran was born on the boat carrying his parents to Fort-de-France, Martinique where he ...

, poet and novelist, first black writer to win the French

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt ( , "The Goncourt Prize") is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward of only 10 euros, but resul ...

(in 1921) *

Daniel Maximin Daniel Maximin (born 9 April 1947) is a French novelist, poet, and essayist. Born in Saint-Claude, his family moved to France when he was thirteen. He studied at the Sorbonne and from 1980 to 1989 served as literary director of the journal '' ...

, poet, novelist, essayist *

Jeanne Nardal Jeanne "Jane" Nardal (1900 – 1993) was a French writer, philosopher, teacher, and political commentator from Martinique. She and her sister, Paulette Nardal, are considered to have laid the theoretical and philosophical groundwork of the Nég ...

, writer, philosopher, teacher, and political commentator from

* Paulette Nardal, writer and journalist * Marie NDiaye, writer * Gaël Octavia, writer, playwright, film director and painter * Daniel Picouly, author * Gisèle Pineau, novelist, writer and former psychiatric nurse *

Claude Ribbe Claude Ribbe (born 13 October 1954) is a French writer, activist and filmmaker. Early life and education Ribbe was born in Paris and is alumnus of the Ecole normale superieure. Career Ribbe has specialised in the history of colonialism in the ...

, writer, activist and filmmaker * Raphaël Tardon, writer, novelist and essayist of Martinique origin * Guy Tirolien, poet * Joseph Zobel, author of several novels and short-stories

European / African (or Afro-Caribbean) descent

Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (born Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie, 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas , was a French novelist and playwright. His works have been translated into many languages and he is one of the mos ...

, writer *

Alexandre Dumas fils Alexandre Dumas (; 27 July 1824 – 27 November 1895) was a French author and playwright, best known for the romantic novel '' La Dame aux Camélias'' (''The Lady of the Camellias'', usually titled '' Camille'' in English-language versions), p ...

, writer *

Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Army general (France), Army-General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (; 25 March 1762 – 26 February 1806) was a French Army officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars. Along with fellow French officers and Toussaint Lo ...

, general in the French Revolution and father of

Thierry Dusautoir Thierry Dusautoir (; born 18 November 1981) is a French former rugby union player who last played for France at international level and Toulouse in the French Top 14 club competition. He was called the "Dark Destroyer" during his career. Dusautoi ...

, rugby player *

Chevalier de Saint-Georges Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George(s) (; ; 25 December 17459 June 1799) was a French violinist, conducting, conductor, composer and soldier. Moreover, he demonstrated excellence as a Fencing, fencer, an athlete and an accomplished dancer. ...

, composer, conductor, and violinist, master fencer and military man *

Rudy Gobert Rudy Gobert-Bourgarel ( , ; born June 26, 1992) is a French professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the Utah Jazz who acquired him during the 2013 NBA d ...

, basketball player *

Noémie Lenoir Noémie Lenoir (born 19 September 1979) is a French model and actress. She is known for her work with Gucci, L'Oréal, Next (clothing), Next, Gap (clothing retailer), Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Victoria's Secret, Balmain (fashion house)#Recent history, ...

, model * Chevalier de Meude-Monpas, French musician and composer * Chloé Mortaud,

Miss France Miss France is a national beauty pageant in France held annually in December. The competition was first held in 1920, and has been organized continuously since 1947. The trademark for the pageant is owned by the company Miss France SAS, and is ...

2009 * Anais Mali, model * Sonia Rolland, actress,

2000 *

, tennis player *

, tennis player * Flora Coquerel, Miss France 2014 * Alicia Aylies, Miss France 2017 *

Willy William Willy Fauade William (born 27 June 1981) is a French DJ, record producer and singer famous for his club remixes and vocal collaborations with a number of dance music artists. He is most famous for his French hit " Ego" and his Latin hit " Mi Gent ...

, singer and producer * Cindy Bruna, model *

Ciryl Gane Ciryl Romain Jacky Gane (born April 12, 1990) is a French professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai fighter. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interi ...

, mixed martial artist

References

{{Authority control African diaspora in France Caribbean diaspora in France

Ethnic groups in France Kanak people

Definition issues

Population statistics

Notable people

In French politics

Afro-French members of the French Parliament or government from overseas France

Afro-French people elected in metropolitan France

Political activists

In sports

In basketball

In football

In rugby

Other sports

In entertainment and media

In literature

European / African (or Afro-Caribbean) descent

See also

References