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All eyes on slave route
- By Raghav Ramful
- Published 1st February, 2008
- Category: Society
- Views: 163
- Unrated
In February 2007, the dossier of Le Morne, a symbol of slave liberation and maroon history in Mauritius, was submitted to UNESCO's World Heritage Committee. The evaluation process is on going at present. Authorities believe that the Morne file is a solid one and to support its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage, no stone is being left unturned. This has translated into shifting the main focus towards Le Morne region and as a result, previous points of commemoration of the abolition of slavery have taken backstage. This year all eyes will be on Le Morne Public Beach where a serial UNESCO Slave Route Monument will also be erected.
All said and done, it would be wise to dwell on the importance of this initiative of the UNESCO which gives Mauritius additional international exposure as it will soon join Mozambique, Madagascar and Reunion – all parts of the West Indian Ocean Slave Route, all willing to commemorate the legacy of the slave trade. General perception has it that whenever there's the need of reminding people of something, a monument or a plaque is unveiled. We find so many of these around the island that their symbolic structure has lost its importance. Years down the line people don’t even bother to look at these structures. The millennium monument is one such example.
However, the forthcoming stele at Le Morne Public Beach will be of a different breed as the UNESCO Slave Route Project is aimed at breaking the silence surrounding the slave trade and slavery through the historical study of the causes of the transatlantic slave trade, the clarification of the consequences and interactions resulting from slave trade. It will also contribute to the establishment of a culture of tolerance and coexistence between races and peoples.
As historian and UNESCO representative, Joycelyn Chan Low puts it, all these steles are a symbol of bonding between the countries of origin of the slaves and their host countries.
Prejudice
Meanwhile, the choice of Le Morne Public Beach as an ideal site for the stele has been subject to quite a few reactions. Karl Lamarque, spokesperson for Platform Patriotik pou Sov Lemorn, says that instead of the public beach, the stele should be erected at Trou Chenille or Danzak, two well-known and symbolic places in Le Morne. He has also invited the government, the Ministry of Arts and Culture, the National Heritage Trust Fund and Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund to review their decision. “The Public Beach is used by the politicians for political reasons and promoters of
IRS projects,” he says.
Lamarque also lashes out against promoters of the IRS project of Corniche Bay claiming that they want to wipe out the ancient slave route called Danzak and chase the families that are descendants of slaves who have been living in the area for years now.
“They want to turn Danzak into a no-man’s-land,” he says.
The Danzak route is situated between Chamarel and Le Morne on the slope of La Porte Mountain and ends on the beach at Cotteau Raffin.
According to Lamarque, the inhabitants of Danzak have slave names like Perle, Labonne, Auguste and Lapoule, among others. “Even the names of spots at Danzak are self revealing like Contour Fer Nwar, Ros Fotey and Tamarin Kas Latet,” he says.
Lamarque maintains that the sacred history of Le Morne should not be distorted and exhorts the authorities to save Danzak. On the other hand, the secretary of the Association Socio-Culturelle Rastafari, José Rose, explains that facts about the history of slaves and Le Morne in a textbook have not been properly dealt with. They are an insult to the memory of slaves.
“These stories have to be withdrawn from these textbooks as they are misleading and it gives the impression that the slaves were stupid when they jumped off the mountain when they were told that they were free,” he says.
Management plan
Completed at the end of July 2007, the Le Morne Trust Fund Management (LTFM) Plan was submitted to UNESCO. The organisation had accepted the inclusion of Le Morne on the World Heritage list but sought a plan of action for the development of the area in line with its World Heritage principles.
The Management Plan is seen as a ‘living document’ to be continuously added to and reflecting current opinion. This is the view emitted by Stephanie Anquetil, Chairperson of the LTFM, and the many people who participated in the “continuous and consultative planning process.”
In this document, Le Morne is described as being rich in “social processes whose potential needs further exploration, including reconciliation and nation building”.
The document also highlights the possibility of creating a connecting trail between Le Morne and the Black River Gorges National Park that will open up opportunities for eco-tourism and the possible employment of locals in the area.
The proposed Management Plan does not specifically object to IRS projects in Le Morne, except that there will be no tolerance of development in UNESCO’s designated core zones.
The islets off the coast of the Le Morne peninsula, like Ile aux Bénitiers and others, are included in the buffer zone as is part of the sea.
All said and done, it would be wise to dwell on the importance of this initiative of the UNESCO which gives Mauritius additional international exposure as it will soon join Mozambique, Madagascar and Reunion – all parts of the West Indian Ocean Slave Route, all willing to commemorate the legacy of the slave trade. General perception has it that whenever there's the need of reminding people of something, a monument or a plaque is unveiled. We find so many of these around the island that their symbolic structure has lost its importance. Years down the line people don’t even bother to look at these structures. The millennium monument is one such example.
However, the forthcoming stele at Le Morne Public Beach will be of a different breed as the UNESCO Slave Route Project is aimed at breaking the silence surrounding the slave trade and slavery through the historical study of the causes of the transatlantic slave trade, the clarification of the consequences and interactions resulting from slave trade. It will also contribute to the establishment of a culture of tolerance and coexistence between races and peoples.
As historian and UNESCO representative, Joycelyn Chan Low puts it, all these steles are a symbol of bonding between the countries of origin of the slaves and their host countries.
Prejudice
Meanwhile, the choice of Le Morne Public Beach as an ideal site for the stele has been subject to quite a few reactions. Karl Lamarque, spokesperson for Platform Patriotik pou Sov Lemorn, says that instead of the public beach, the stele should be erected at Trou Chenille or Danzak, two well-known and symbolic places in Le Morne. He has also invited the government, the Ministry of Arts and Culture, the National Heritage Trust Fund and Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund to review their decision. “The Public Beach is used by the politicians for political reasons and promoters of
Lamarque also lashes out against promoters of the IRS project of Corniche Bay claiming that they want to wipe out the ancient slave route called Danzak and chase the families that are descendants of slaves who have been living in the area for years now.
“They want to turn Danzak into a no-man’s-land,” he says.
The Danzak route is situated between Chamarel and Le Morne on the slope of La Porte Mountain and ends on the beach at Cotteau Raffin.
According to Lamarque, the inhabitants of Danzak have slave names like Perle, Labonne, Auguste and Lapoule, among others. “Even the names of spots at Danzak are self revealing like Contour Fer Nwar, Ros Fotey and Tamarin Kas Latet,” he says.
Lamarque maintains that the sacred history of Le Morne should not be distorted and exhorts the authorities to save Danzak. On the other hand, the secretary of the Association Socio-Culturelle Rastafari, José Rose, explains that facts about the history of slaves and Le Morne in a textbook have not been properly dealt with. They are an insult to the memory of slaves.
“These stories have to be withdrawn from these textbooks as they are misleading and it gives the impression that the slaves were stupid when they jumped off the mountain when they were told that they were free,” he says.
Management plan
Completed at the end of July 2007, the Le Morne Trust Fund Management (LTFM) Plan was submitted to UNESCO. The organisation had accepted the inclusion of Le Morne on the World Heritage list but sought a plan of action for the development of the area in line with its World Heritage principles.
The Management Plan is seen as a ‘living document’ to be continuously added to and reflecting current opinion. This is the view emitted by Stephanie Anquetil, Chairperson of the LTFM, and the many people who participated in the “continuous and consultative planning process.”
In this document, Le Morne is described as being rich in “social processes whose potential needs further exploration, including reconciliation and nation building”.
The document also highlights the possibility of creating a connecting trail between Le Morne and the Black River Gorges National Park that will open up opportunities for eco-tourism and the possible employment of locals in the area.
The proposed Management Plan does not specifically object to IRS projects in Le Morne, except that there will be no tolerance of development in UNESCO’s designated core zones.
The islets off the coast of the Le Morne peninsula, like Ile aux Bénitiers and others, are included in the buffer zone as is part of the sea.
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