Christiane Taubira

Christiane Marie Taubira was born on February 2, 1952 in Cayenne (French Guiana). She is a French left-wing politician and former French Justice Minister.

Taubira, who used to teach economics, is the former director of the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts of French Guiana (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers).

She co-founded the Caricoop agricultural association for French Guiana (Caribbean confederation for agricultural cooperation) that she directed from 1982 to 1985. She was then appointed Director of the Technical Assistance to Artisanal Fishing in French Guiana before running the Guiana Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Office in 1990.

In 1993, Taubira founded the Guianese party Walwari and was elected Member of the National Assembly of France for French Guiana. She was re-elected in 1997, 2002 and 2007. In 1994, she was elected Member of European Parliament.

In 2002, she was the candidate of Parti Radical de Gauche (PRG) (left-wing Party) for the presidential election.

Christiane Taubira gave her name to the 21st May 2001 law that recognizes the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as a crime against humanity. She published a book “Slavery told to my daughter”.