A cultural institution in the heart of the Caribbean Sea dedicated to the memory of the transatlantic slave trade, slavery and his abolition in the 19th century. Inaugurated the 10th May 2015, National Day of Remembrance, in Pointe-à-Pitre Gaudeloupe, the slave trade Memorial ACTe, reflects the aim Guadeloupian society to have a national site dedicated to the history.
A dark floor covers the 7124 quadrant meters of the Memorial ACTe and a long red hallway opens up in huge space. Open passages between the walls which divide the two main areas of the building. “Turn left to start this visit” says the woman at the entrance.
Cristoforo Colombo’s promise
Guadeloupe was discovered by Cristoforo Colombo. He landed here after a storm, so tells the media screen on the dark space. Guadeloupe, the name of the island came from a promise kept. During a storm the two ships of the explorations, the Nina and the Pinta, got lost in the Caribbean sea. The weather was so awful that Colombo prayed “La Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe” to get safe and in his second travel to the island he decided to give this place the name of the black saint. It was the 4th November 1493.
The stories of the four
Four screens show the stories of the first black persons to reach America. João the black Portuguese who travelled with Colombo in 1492 and was the first Black to reach the West Indies. Jean Garrido born in west Africa at the end of 15th century, took part in the conquest of the Mexico. Luis the Maroon, a christian mulatto born in Seville, was taken to Americas as a slave of a wealthy merchant and Francis le Wolof, a native of Senegal sold to the Portuguese and taken to Saint-Domingue.
Colonialism
If the conquest of America began with the Spanish and Portuguese, the French, English and Dutch came immediately after. In 1635 the French grounded a colony in Guadeloupe and a fort in Martinique. The occupation of the Antilles, despite the resistance of the native, was signed by the Treaty of Basse Terre in 1660.
Tobacco, sugar and cotton were the main trade areas. The slave trade was a common practice during the Greek and Roman Empire, it was also a practice between 1669 and 1848. According to the most extract figures available today at least 214,000 of the slaves were delivered to Guadeloupe or Martinique. Estimations suggest that 46.4% were from Benin, 27.1% from Central West Africa and 7% from Senegal and Gambia.
Abolition and restoration of Slavery in Guadeloupe
Between 1774 and 1802 the administrator Victor Hugues proclaimed the freedom of slaves. The slave could no longer be sold, they could have property, marry or divorce, but in fact the slavery was replaced with forced labour. The reasons of this general freedom were the increasing of slave riots, the independence of the communities of escaped slaves called Marron, and the decreasing British colonial power, moreover the impact of the French Revolution. Despite proclamation of freedom, several revolts took place in the island which ended up with the “War of Guadeloupe” won by the French authorities. In 1802, the slavery was reintroduced until the 27th May 1848, when Governor Laurel proclaimed the immediate abolition of slavery on the island.
Architecture and aims
Silver roots on a black box. The slave trade memorial, built up in a dismissed sugar refinery has a modern and innovative architecture. Two box houses decorated with quartz are a tribute of the victims of slave trade while the metallic structure that covers the building it’s called “the silver roots” and it suggest the search of origins induced by the slavery. A concept is reminded also in the central patio where a big metallic tree represent the core of the roots. The Memorial ACTe wants to keep memory alive and be a site of reconciliation with history. The symbolism of the structure and the contents of the Memorial creates a strength liaison between history of slave trade and present showing the capacity of the Gaudeloupian society to rise above the wounds of history.
“Koulèv an tòch pa ka gra” is written on a post-card of the Memorial ACTe Shop. It’s Creole, it means: Only movements take us forward; opposition to change leads nowhere.
