The President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Wavel Ramkalawan, effected, yesterday, a guided visit at the Intercontinental Slavery Museum (ISM) in Port Louis. President Ramkalawan was accompanied by the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, and was received by the Chairperson of the ISM, Mr Jean Maxy Simonet; the Curator, Ms Karen Yvon; and the ISM’s Board of Directors.
President Ramkalawan is on a four-day visit in Mauritius as the Chief Guest for the commemoration of the 189th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery.
In a statement, the President remarked that the guided visit was enriching as it allowed him to discover the history of slaves including the songs and music they used to practice. He thus expressed interest to initiate bilateral collaboration with the Republic of Mauritius as regards the exploration of the history of slavery.
Both Seychelles and Mauritius have gone through British colonisation before being freed, recalled Mr Ramkalawan. While the two countries share a similar history, there might also be differences which can be explored and compared to formulate a better understanding of our past history, he pointed out.
This collaboration will allow us to delve into the history of both countries and therefore put that history into perspective so that this dark chapter in human history is always remembered by humanity and enable us to reconcile with what happened in the past, and at the same time, ensure that this crime is never repeated, the President added.
The Intercontinental Slavery Museum
The ISM was established on 20 October 2020, following key recommendations of the 2011 report of the Mauritius Truth and Justice Commission, which was set up to investigate the history and consequences of slavery and indentured labour from colonial times to the present day in Mauritius.
As such, the Truth and Justice Committee recommended that the former Labourdonnais Military Hospital, the oldest building in Port Louis, be fully restored and transformed into the ISM.
The ISM aims to study slavery and the slave trade in the Indian Ocean; gather, collect, and preserve documents and oral history on slavery; create and preserve a catalogue of artefacts related to slavery; host a permanent exhibition and organise regular travelling exhibitions; promote curricular development and scientific research as well as the production of educational and pedagogical materials.
