It is with immense respect and honour that I officially launched the activities being organised this week by the Intercontinental Slavery Museum in Port Louis, yesterday, to mark the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition – observed annually on 23rd August by UNESCO since 1997.
A powerful moment marked by the unveiling of the Froberville busts—real faces of formerly enslaved individuals, sculpted in the 1840s, now returned to Mauritian soil and serving as living testaments of human suffering and resilience.
I pay tribute to people like Anna van Bengale, whose resistance reminds us that our history is rich with untold stories of strength and dignity.
And that Mauritius was never a “land belonging to no one” but one inhabited by maroons and deserters of several nationalities and cultures when the Dutch abandoned it.
I thank Mr. Stefan Gua, Chairperson of the ISM, and all researchers and historians for their continued dedication towards ensuring that Reparations, Restitution and Return go hand in hand with Reconciliation.
Our history must be the cornerstone of nation building—truthful, inclusive, and grounded in intercultural dialogue.
We must continue to speak, fix narratives, and shape a Mauritius that honours all our ancestors – As One People, As One Nation, In Peace, Justice and Liberty.