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MUSEE INTERCONTINENTAL DE L'ESCLAVAGE

Museum
4.2/5
18 review
Open - from 09h30 to 16h00 Opening hours

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Quay Street, à 100 mètres de l'Aapravasi Ghat, Port Louis, Mauritius
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2024
Recommended
2024

This new museum occupies the island's oldest public building, and one of the first very large buildings erected under Mahé de La Bourdonnais during the French colonial era: the former military hospital of Port Louis, built in 1740 by slaves... quite a symbol. Comprising 4 buildings, it was strategically located near the port so that wounded soldiers could be transported quickly. European soldiers were cared for upstairs, while slaves were treated on the first floor, in conditions that rapidly deteriorated for the latter, until a surgeon of the time sounded the alarm. In 1782, following a smallpox epidemic and the overcrowding of the hospital, it was decided that another hospital would be built for the slaves, to separate them from the soldiers. Later, under British occupation, the hospital became a penal colony for slaves who had tried to escape. It only regained its status as a hospital after the abolition of slavery, until it was replaced by more modern units.

The multi-sensory scenography, which encourages immersion in different environments, arouses emotion and therefore reflection. One room presents little-known aspects of slave life. Another displays objects that belonged to slaves and were discovered during archaeological digs in an Albion cemetery. Yet another features a documentary on the genesis of the museum project. Numerous educational panels punctuate the tour, providing interesting explanations of rituals, traditional healing practices, the origins of sega, different forms of resistance (including women's strategies)... Particularly chilling are the articles taken from the Code Noir, the document drawn up under Louis XIV to legislate the condition of slaves, an original copy of which from the Carnégie library in Curepipe is on display at the museum.

The most disturbing and astonishing room is the one presenting life-size digital images of the faces of 63 slaves from various African countries (Mozambique, Tanzania...). They come from 63 ethnographic busts made in 1846 on a Mauritian plantation by French aristocrat, aesthete and ethnographer Eugène Huet de Froberville. In the mid-1940s, he carried out an extensive study of "the races and languages of East Africa south of the equator", which led him to interview numerous former captives. Among the materials collected were these 63 plaster heads (only 49 originals survive today), 58 of which were molded from life - a sometimes long and uncomfortable operation, but essential to the work of remembrance. A number of copies have been made and stand as unique testimonies to a part of history whose iconography remains underdeveloped.

By conveying these names and faces, the museum, over and above its duty to pass on knowledge, has the great ambition of reconciling a part of the Mauritian population with its tragic past by humanizing slavery and honouring "the economic and social contribution of enslaved people and their descendants". Its vocation is to go beyond the Mauritian territory and to have "an influence on the continents from which the various peoples of the island originate".

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Members' reviews on MUSEE INTERCONTINENTAL DE L'ESCLAVAGE

4.2/5
18 reviews
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The ratings and reviews below reflect the subjective opinions of members and not the opinion of The Little Witty.

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Visited in september 2023
The Intercontinental Slavery Museum is set in a stunning colonial building, known as the ex-Military Hospital, right next to Aapravasi Ghat. ????

This museum offers a powerful and profound glimpse into the lives of enslaved people. The exhibits vividly portray their living conditions. Beyond the tragic misery they faced, the museum also sheds light on their bravery and strengths through real-life stories. An exhibit of interest is a unique collection of pictures of busts molded from the faces of former enslaved people from 1846, which adds a unique sense of immersion allowing visitors to see the faces of those who endured such hardships, along with their names and age. It's a thought-provoking and educational experience that I highly recommend. Don't miss out on this important piece of history, revisited with a focus on identities and lifestyles, away from the mere diminished status of slaves !

Museum access is free ????️

One downside is that some exhibits appear unfinished, and offer poor visual and at times uncomfortable physical experience. The audio exhibits too can be improved.
Visited in august 2023
Good choreographing
Visited in may 2023
History or histoire avec un "H" capital
Visited in september 2022
Never knew the site of the military hospital is found in the buffer zone of the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Site and is now the placement of the intercontinental Slavery Museum. This museum shows clearly it's role and responsibility to educate, valorise, preserve,promote, healing and reconcile Mauritians with their identity "Slavery should not be a taboo subject because it concerns everyone". If you're searching for a history place to visit in Mauritius, I fully recommend visiting this museum
Visited in september 2022
It's nice to finally have an official slavery museum which will open next year.The military hospital is converted as a museum and the great thing is it's free.Next to Aapravasi Ghat.I would recommend to visit this site first to follow the history accordingly...French period with the history of slavery and then the British period with the indian immigrants.

There is an exposition till 23rd sep and it's free.If you are keen for knowledge and history..it's the place to be.

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