Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Adventurer]

Last Updated: Saturday, 17 February 2007, 12:02 GMT

E-mail this to a friend Printable version

The Corsican Che Guevara
By Martin Buckley
Corsica


Corsicans are taking part in a series of ceremonies commemorating one of their greatest heroes, a freedom fighter, soldier and author by the name of Pasquale di Paoli.

The Moor's head was adopted by Paoli as the emblem of Corsica in 1762


Many are worried that the story of how, under his leadership, the island struggled for independence - and how, after defeat by the French, he went into exile in London - may be forgotten.


Unusually outside the tourist season, a snake of cars was trailing slowly into the hills of central Corsica.

The sky was cloudless, and the peaks of the mountains snow-capped. The air was clean and fresh. Occasionally, a cow wandered across a hairpin bend - one of Corsica's happy, and uneconomic cows, a far cry from the industrial dairies of Italy, a few miles across the hazy Med, past the island of Elba.

The London connection

Pasquale di Paoli was the Che Guevara of the 18th century - probably the greatest fighter for freedom of that century, an inspiration to democrats everywhere, a soldier who succeeded in liberating Corsica from the oppressive rule of the Genoese.


The 1970's saw the re-birth of armed resistance against the French

But General Paoli was also an intellectual. Opposing taxation without representation, he wrote a Constitution for his fledgling nation that inspired the framers of the American Constitution - indeed, several towns in the US are named after Paoli.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6368641.stm

[ddeubel]

Nice post. I can't wait to smell the maquis again and be embraced by the mountains and Corsica.

Lots to admire about Corsicans and Paoli in particular. Very sanguine, quiet people. But don't get them angry. Loyal to the nth degree also, a mountain people, fearful of strangers. As my friends tell me, true Corsicans don't go to the beach or eat seafood......they stick with the woods and their charcuterie....

Boswell wrote a tremendous book about his trip to Corsica. I think it is called An Account Of Corsica. He befriended Paoli and as much as anyone, helped promote Paoli's vision across Europe. It would be nice to trace the influence of Paoli to the founding fathers. I'm sure someone has attempted that.

I'd recommend to anyone, going to Corsica and experiencing real Corsican life. I Muvrini, the best known Corsican band, would be a start though they are a blend of contemporary and traditional music.

As to the article. I hate the linkage of Che Guevera and Paoli. Che was a Marxist authoritarian and very ill educated person, in the full sense of "education". Paoli, a statesman and a person who knew a thing or two about the finer notions of democracy and will of the people. Corte is only superficially like Santa Clara.

Pity Corsicans got too few years of freedom between the boot of the Genoese and the barrel of the French. Though presently, they benefit mightily from the money France pours into their economy.
The bombings have stopped but the independent spirit and resilence of Corsicans is still there.....

DD

[Adventurer]

Ddeubel, I added my own title, because I didn't think Paoli would have approved of a comparison with Che Guevara since they were of different political persuasions.

[ddeubel]