To commemorate the 187th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery, celebrated on 1st February annually, a wreath laying ceremony was held, yesterday, at the ‘Monument aux Esclaves’, at Pointe Canon in Mahebourg, in the presence of the Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Georges Pierre Lesjongard; the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Recreation, Mr Jean Christophe Stephan Toussaint; the Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram; the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck; and other personalities.
The ‘Monument aux Esclaves’ was erected in 1985 on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery to honour the memory of those who were freed on 1st February 1835. The Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage, in collaboration with Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund, also scheduled a wreath laying ceremony at the International Slave Route Monument in Le Morne on 1st February 2022.
In a statement, the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage underlined the importance of paying homage to those victims exploited through the cruel slavery system. Mr Avinash Teeluck, talked of the role of those enslaved in building Mauritius through their hard work. “This wreath laying ceremony shows that they will never be forgotten,” he affirmed.
The Minister moreover announced that due to impending cyclonic weather forecast for tomorrow, commemoration ceremony at Le Morne would be low key, comprising only of the wreath laying ceremony by the Prime Minister. “Events will be kept to a strict minimum, and the cultural show will not be held for safety reasons,” he stressed.
The ceremony at Pointe Canon kicked off a series of activities organised by the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage in collaboration with Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund to mark the 187th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery. Other events comprised a one-month exhibition on the theme – ‘Our History, Our Heritage’ by the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture, at its seat in La Tour Koenig, in collaboration with the National Art Gallery; workshops, by Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund, to, among others, sensitise the inhabitants of the village on the different facilities being offered to fishers by Government and to promote economic empowerment in the agriculture and Small and Medium Enterprises sectors.
