The 189th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery, observed on 01 February every year, was marked yesterday, by a wreath-laying ceremony held at the ‘Monument aux Esclaves’ in Pointe Canon, Mahebourg.

The Minister of Energy and Public Utilities, Mr Georges Pierre Lesjongard; Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr Mahen Kumar Seeruttun; 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; the Chief Government Whip, Ms Naveena Ramyad; Parliamentary Private Secretaries, Mr Serge Gilbert Bablee, Mrs Teenah Jutton and Mrs Marie Sandra Monia Mayotte; Member of Parliament, Mr Rameswar Doolub; and other personalities were present.

The abolition of slavery is celebrated on an annual basis to render homage to the persons who were enslaved in the 18th and 19th centuries under colonial Mauritius. This year’s anniversary coincides with the 30th Anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Routes of the Enslaved People and the end of the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024.

The ‘Monument aux Esclaves’ was built in 1985 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery and to honour the memory of the slaves who were freed on 01 February 1835.

A series of activities will be organised by the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage in collaboration with Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund, the National Heritage Fund, and the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture, to mark this event.

These comprise: Several wreath-laying ceremonies; a cultural programme at Le Morne public beach on 01 February 2024; live cooking and culinary tasting of traditional food by Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund in collaboration with l’Ecole Hôtelière Sir Gaëtan Duval at the Mahogany Shopping Promenade in Beau Plan on 03 February 2024 and; an exhibition cum sale of artworks on the theme ‘A New Iconography of Slavery’ by the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture at ‘Lespas Lar’ in La Tour Koenig on 15 February 2024 followed by the launching of a comic book on slavery by author Stanley Harmon.