A rock that has become a testimony to resistance to slavery - Le Morne Cultural Landscape 1259; Traditional Mauritian Sega 01003
What and Why
Le Morne is the peninsular area at the Southwestern tip of Mauritius, highlighted by a huge and steep 556-m monolith called Le Morne Brabant. The peninsula is a representation of the history of slavery and its ultimate resistance. The peninsula was a major refuge or hiding place for Maroons and people who escaped slavery, when slaves were extenseively used for the sugar-cane industry. In fact Mauritius was notorious in being one of the main slave-trade epicentres. Maroons are descendants of American Africans who formed settlements away from slavery.
Abolitionism of slavery was formally enacted in Mauritius on the 1st February 1835 CE, and legend has it that a police expedition was dispatched to the peninsula to inform the Maroons of their freedom. However the arrival of the police at the base of the rock was misinterpreted by the Maroons as another new wave of arrest to be re-enslaved. The Maroons then scrambled up to the the summit of the rock and as the police approached, many elected to leap to deaths and committed suicide, rather than to be recaptured. Hence this rock becomes really a powerful icon of freedom and humanity against slavery and highlights the historical significance of slavery which shaped modern Mauritius.
This is best summarised by an extract of the poem Le Morne, Territoire Marron! by Richard Sedley Assonne: 'There were hundreds of them, but my people the maroons chose the kiss of death over the chains of slavery'. This extract is inscribed in the plaques of this UNESCO WHS.
Toponymy
Le Morne is simply the old French word for a small hill. Coincidentally the French word morne also means mourn, corresponding to an earlier Dutch name Triest for the mount, meaning sadness. How this name started is untraceable, but this is certainly nothing to do with slavery as this name precedes abolitionism in Mauritius.
See
Le Morne Brabant
The rock is named Le Morne Brabant after the Dutch East India Company Brabant that capsized there on 29th December 1783 CE on the cliffs.
There is an impressive 3.5 km hiking trail which goes through rainforest of green vegetation of gigantic endemic trees and exotic plants. In particular, the peninsula and the rock is a refuge for two rare plants, the Mandrinette and the Boucle d'Oreille.
Black River Gorges
The Black River Gorges National Park is the largest protected forest of Mauritius. This nature reserve provides over 50 km of trails for trekking and exploring the rich and diverse flora and fauna of the island. There are nine species of birds unique to Mauritius, including the pink pigeon, which is staging a comeback from the brink of extinction. There are plenty in sight including the more endemic kestrel, fody and bulbul.
The icon of the park is the number of waterfalls, especially Alexandra Falls in particular, pictured above. All these provide a panoramic view.
The region is also an important tea plantation.
Chamarel
Chamarel 7 Coloured Earth is an interesting geopark resulting from colour variations due to cooling of molten rock. The lava formations are estimated to be of 3.5 to 7 million years in age. The best viewing is in the morning hours when sun rays and the dew mingle bring out the best of its colours.
Flic-en-Flac
Flic-en-Flac is a very scenic stretch of beach along the west side of the island, and is one of the longest sandy beach of the island. The funny name is suggested to arrive from an Old Dutch phrase, 'Fried Landt Flaak', meaning free, flat land. Many good hotels are located there and the nightlife is quite vibrant.
Buy and Do
Mauritius is a small island, and one of the best shopping malls is the Bagatelle Mall of Mauritius.
Rum
As mentioned, Mauritius, in particular Chamarel, is a main producer of sugar cane and hence rum. The Rhumerie de Chamarel offers very good local rums. Rum brewery was introduced to Mauritius in the mid-19th century CE by the French.
Sega
During the tour, in the middle of the Black Gorges, we were treated with a performance of sega. Sega, similar to maloya, as blogged in Saint Philippe, is a genre of musical performance that accompanies the history of slavery in the island, especially to protest against injustices in the Mauritian society. The music's traditional form was largely improvised and intensely emotional as the music was originally a tribulation of enslaved people. It is primarily dance music, often sung in Mauritian creole, and is often used in traditional exorcism practices and rituals. Today the performance is regarded as one of the national performing arts and is rightly enlisted as an ICH.
Eat and Drink
Mauritian cuisine
Mauritian cuisine is an absolute pot-pourri of African, Chinese, Indian and French cuisine, forged together through cultural infusion and colonisation. Just a general observation it seems curry (Tamil: கறி, kaṟi) has become a major culinary component of Mauritian cuisine, serving with either bread or rice.
As expected, Mauritius meals are seafood-heavy and we had a wonderful grilled seafood dinner in Le Capitaine, an excellent seafood grill restaurant along the beach in Grand Baie.
Getting There and Around
One of the biggest troubles of travelling in Mauritius is the lack of public transportation. Moreover the sites described in this particular blog was mostly remote and rural and the only way to travel around is driving. Le Morne is around 15-minute drive from the airport and 30 minutes away from Port Louis by car. The above sites should be allocated to a two-day visit.
Taxi is very expensive in Mauritius and is not that easy to be hailed. Apparently locals do extensive taxi-sharing within the island, almost like a bus, but this foreigners are not generally welcomed in this sharing.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Le Morne Cultural Landscape, a rugged mountain that juts into the Indian Ocean in the southwest of Mauritius was used as a shelter by runaway slaves, maroons, through the 18th and early years of the 19th centuries. Protected by the mountain’s isolated, wooded and almost inaccessible cliffs, the escaped slaves formed small settlements in the caves and on the summit of Le Morne. The oral traditions associated with the maroons, have made Le Morne a symbol of the slaves’ fight for freedom, their suffering, and their sacrifice, all of which have relevance to the countries from which the slaves came - the African mainland, Madagascar, India, and South-east Asia. Indeed, Mauritius, an important stopover in the eastern slave trade, also came to be known as the “Maroon republic” because of the large number of escaped slaves who lived on Le Morne Mountain.
Traditional Mauritian Sega Tipik is a vibrant performing art, emblematic of the Creole community and performed at informal private family events or in public spaces. Songs sung in a minor key gradually increase in tempo, as dancers move their hips and hands to a percussive beat, using short steps to manoeuvre around each other in a variety of different formations. Each soloist improvises lyrics in the Creole language, sometimes blended with other languages, while a frame drum, box rattle and triangle keep time and produce the rhythmic beat. Sega songs can talk of love or address everyday challenges and concerns, with the meaning often enacted through the choreography. Traditionally, women dancers wear long skirts and petticoats while men wear rolled-up trousers, colourful shirts and straw hats, in memory of the dress of their ancestors. The main practitioners are the singers, dancers and musicians, who transmit their skills both formally and informally through participation and imitation. Some practitioners also make the instruments, and transmit their skills through informal apprenticeship. Representing the multiculturalism of Mauritian society, Sega breaks down cultural and class barriers, creates opportunities for intercultural encounters, and unifies various groups around a shared Mauritian heritage.
References
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