Publicité

Time for Mauritius to repay its debt to Africa: the Intercontinental Slavery Museum

22 mars 2017, 11:42

Par

Partager cet article

Facebook X WhatsApp

lexpress.mu | Toute l'actualité de l'île Maurice en temps réel.
A picture from the book ‘‘Code Noir’’, edited by the National Archives of Mauritius, showing slaves on board a slave ship (circa 1820). 

Let us show some independence of spirit and acknowledge our collective debt to Africa. An Intercontinental Slavery Museum is long overdue, says the author.

For those who do not understand the Truth and Justice Commission’s recommendation to set up an Intercontinental Slavery Museum (and there are many!), an understanding of Mauritius’ role in enslaving thousands of men, women and children from the African continent and Madagascar is required. Mauritius was the base from which hundreds of ships carried on an infamous quadrangular slave trade, enslaving Africans and taking them across the oceans to the Mascarene islands, South Africa and the Americas.

In the 18th century, Mauritius was indeed an economic hub, a slave trading “hub”, and a profitable one at that, for slave traders of all nationalities seeking to make a fortune. Even though there was high mortality on board ships and the whole human cargo did not reach alive, this was provided for in the Code Noir (not as humane as we like to think) as the slave was legally a bien meuble, in other words, a good who/which was insured and whose loss would enable the owner to claim compensation. Hundreds of ships thus arrived in Port Louis, their hold filled with human cargo, enslaved African men, women and children.

Many were sold off in Mauritius at Place d’Armes or in auction houses in Port-Louis and others were sent to Reunion Island and other countries. Some ships were outfitted in Mauritius, went to the East African coast and Madagascar, traded slaves and took them directly to the Americas. Mauritius was the perfect stop: the port and harbour of Trou-Fanfaron and Caudan had ship repair facilities while the town of Port-Louis provided all the food, supplies and entertainment required for the crew. It is for this reason that the port area was chosen as the most appropriate location to house the Intercontinental Slavery Museum.

Safe haven

At the time of meeting of African leaders in Mauritius this week, whose countries were depopulated because of the slave trade, it is worthwhile to reflect on our past history and relationship with the African continent and the debt Mauritius owes it for having participated and provided a “safe’’ haven for slave traders and slave owners. It is not surprising that this group of slave owners and traders opposed twice the proposed abolition of the slave trade and threw out representatives of French and British governments (Baco, Burnel and John Jeremie) who had come to attempt to implement ending slave trade and slavery.

While it is true that some African chiefs participated in this infamous trade, the demand for the labour of massive proportions came from European colonies such as Mauritius and many others. Recent research also shows that the gunpowder used in trading for slaves in Madagascar and Eastern Africa was made in Mauritius itself at the Moulin à Poudre. The introduction of guns and gunpowder into slave trading led and used in warfare between the various groups inhabiting the slave trading regions and converted slave “trading” into slave “raiding”.

Our economy has always been linked to Africa and Madagascar, we just have chosen not to acknowledge, recognise and accept it because it has such a shameful history. This is why the Intercontinental Slavery Museum is long overdue and especially when we are about to celebrate 50 years of Independence. Let us show some independence of spirit and acknowledge our collective debt to Africa. It is a devoir de mémoire that all Mauritians need to participate in and set our relationship with Africa on a new footing.