A real French tickler. A few, actually....

I found some interesting history they didn’t teach me in school. I’ve read a little bit about this in the past but stumbled upon it once again.

Apparently in the nation of Mayetta (in the Mozambique Channel - where else?) women would occasionally get together in a large group and use gang-tickling as a form of rebellion or civil disobedience because it was nonlethal, left no marks, wouldn’t get them jailed, and few people believed that such a crazy thing would even happen. When one official would report back to HQ about being tickled to the ground by African women loyal to the French government, another disbelieving official would go check it out - and get gang tickled too.

Here’s a little slice of days gone by:

“During this demonstration, they are the women who are proposed against the administration whose driving ones are Zeina Mdéré and Zena Méresse (which are also called the `commando of chatouilleuses'*, because of tortures that they inflict with the guards without leaving of traces of violence).”

* Commando of ticklers

Your humble narrator and friend doesn’t have much more to give you, dear readers, because I know very little about this nation and don’t read French, but the whole concept fascinates me.

Here are some Google-translated links:

http://translate.google.com/transla...&prev=/search?q=Des+chatouilleuses&hl=en&sa=G

http://translate.google.com/transla...&prev=/search?q=Des+chatouilleuses&hl=en&sa=G

Damn

Seems to be authentic. Wow.

I wanted to post a new thread, but then I found it’s already here.
A weird fact of recent past - the female ticklers squad of Mayotte island.

Back in the 60-s the Comoro Islands were a French colony, and they struggled for self-determination. But not all the local folks thought that independence was a good idea. For instance, people of Mayotte wanted their island to remain as the region of France. Since activists could be arrested and jailed if they use force against their opponents, the native women of Mayotte found quite an unusual way to stave off the pro-independence politicians – they tickled them. Something like fifty women organized that they called “the ticklers squad”, and the first man tickled by them was the local state minister (and thanks to Google translator since all the material I found was in French):

As soon as one of the women spotted a government official approaching their land, she gathered all the team. They met the politician on the road and surrounded him. They asked: "Why don’t you take care of Mayotte? No asphalt roads, no schools, no work! Doesn’t it matter to you?" Then their fingers began to touch the man: "What a beautiful hair! A nice tie!" Their hands grew bolder, and reached his sides. Very soon the man was twisting and wriggling, trying to defend himself. He got angry, his voice rose as he threatened, but then he just laughed. In the blink of an eye his jacket was taken off. When he could only gasp for breath, the women stopped and left him lying in the dust.

This way those women treated all the opposing politicians, and it worked – Mayotte is still the part of France. That activity of the “female ticklers squad” was praised later on by the president of France. So, if you can speak French, just search Google for "chatouilleuses de Mayotte" – it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.

This is just begging for a story in the tickling stories section...

Skatergirl said:

This is just begging for a story in the tickling stories section...

Click to expand...

A decade later...

Just imagine if this caught on as a means of political persuasion by any restive group that felt it was not being listened to by the authorities...a situation that abounds in so many places. And it sounds like it was effective. I find it a hair-raising thought. If the idea spread, I can see it leading to world domination. (This is a very ticklish person speaking.)

I find it interesting that it was women who came up with the idea. Lateral thinkers. And practised in the use of "soft power". Yipes.

You are absolutely right: this is authentic. Their leader was called Zéna M'Déré, and they were real heroines who fought really hard against corrupt politicians for Mayotte to remain with France.

They didn't just tickle politicians; organized in commandos (sometimes numbering 60 women) they also stormed the public radio and television offices to stop pro-independance broadcasts, and threw stones at night on the roof of pro-independance officials' residences in the former capital. The idea to launch tickle attacks came from one of the women who had rightfully taken note that in the law there was no prison sentence warranted for tickling a man.

This was no joke: it was a serious political struggle, albeit using original methods. It was very successful: in the end no Commorean politician dared to come to Mayotte anymore, for fear of being tickled and thus humiliated in public.

At least one of the women lost her life during that struggle. On the 13th of October 1969, Zakia Madi was shot dead by the newly created pro-independance Commorian Guard at Mamoudzou, during a protest. In 2004 a stage play was written as a tribute to her, and the Mamoudzou marketplace was renamed after her in 2014.

Their leader Zéna M'Déré was made a Knight of the Légion d'Honneur (a high distinction in France) in 1991. She died in 1999, leaving behind many interviews in which she defended her pro-French stance, and displayed a great sense of humor~ I think their story should be taught in French schools; a true story of courage, tenacity and patriotism!

My French is passable..
..I just jumped down a rabbit hole, reading about/verifying this in multiple articles and write ups in French language news sites and magazines.

This is very real, and is one of the more bizarre things I've ever seen come across the forum.

What a world, man..wow..

I think it was a brilliant way of political trolling of pro-independant movement and opposition.
I guess the idea could be used even nowadays by the government to organize such mobs to humiliate opposition by tickling. Of course that would be pretty bizzare (as if the world is not enough bizzare yet), but it's not impossible.

Thanks for the confirmation and additional information, Tenebrae.

milagros317 said:

Thanks for the confirmation and additional information, Tenebrae.

Click to expand...

You welcome; always a pleasure!

Skatergirl said:

This is just begging for a story in the tickling stories section...

Click to expand...

Or as the next Tarantino movie.