Le Morne
- Maximus Nostramabus
- Nov 15, 2020
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 23
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 basaltic 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 extensively used for the sugar-cane industry, as blogged in Port Louis. In fact Mauritius was notorious in being one of the main slave-trade epicentres, starting from the then under Dutch, French and then British colonial rule. The mountain’s steep cliffs and remote location made it an ideal hideout, allowing maroon communities to survive in isolation. 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 panicked and then scrambled up to the summit of the rock and as the police approached, many elected to leap to deaths and commit suicide, rather than to be recaptured. Hence this rock becomes really a powerful and solemn icon of freedom and humanity against slavery and highlights the historical significance of slavery which shaped modern Mauritius. Though not fully verified by written historical records, this story is deeply embedded in the cultural consciousness of 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 (Mauritian creole: Ti ena plizyer santenn, me mo pep bann maron inn swazir labous lamor, pa lannaz lesklavaz.)'. This extract is inscribed in the plaques of this UNESCO WHS. Le Morne is now a sacred site for Mauritian, especially for the descendants of enslaved and indentured labourers. It is central not only to the abolition of slavery, but to the overall Mauritian identity and collective memory. It also serves as a beacon to honour ancestors who fought for dignity and liberation for the country, bridging the diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds of Mauritian society.
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 has certainly nothing to do with slavery as this name way precedes abolitionism in Mauritius.
See
Le Morne Brabant
The rock is named Le Morne Brabant after the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie) Brabant that capsized there on 29th December 1783 CE on the cliffs.
There is a well-signposted 3.5 km hiking trail which goes through rainforest of green vegetation of gigantic endemic trees and exotic plants. In spite of its short length and well managed route, the trail is very steep, rocky and hence challenging and it took us more than three hours to reach the top.
The peninsula and the rock is a refuge for two rare plants, the Mandrinette and the Boucle d'Oreille.
Underwater Waterfall
The 'underwater waterfall' in Mauritius is a spectacular optical illusion, not a real waterfall. It is caused by the movement of sand and silt off the edge of a submarine plateau, creating the appearance of water rushing down into the depths. Geologically Mauritius is surrounded by a shallow-water shelf, which abruptly drops off into a deep ocean trench. This phenomenon is best viewed from a helicopter or seaplane. To be honest it cannot be seen at all from land or at the beach. The colour gradients of the sea, ranging from shallow turquoise to deep blue, enhance the illusion of a plunging waterfall.
The 'underwater waterfall' is located just a few kilometres near Le Morne on the southwest coast of Mauritius. In fact from the picture above, one can see Le Morne overlooking the waterfall. It has become Mauritius’s most photographed natural phenomenon, alongside Le Morne mountain itself, especially now in our social media age. Unfortunately when I took my seaplane, my then camera was not that good.
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 overhanging waterfalls, especially Alexandra Falls in particular, pictured above. All these provide an excellent 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. The park is however very small and it will not take you more than one hour of visit.
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 and posh hotels are located there and the nightlife is quite vibrant.
Buy and Do
Bagatelle Mall of Mauritius
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 one of its important derivatives is 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.
Sega originated among the enslaved African populations brought to Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues during the 18th and 19th CE centuries. It evolved as a form of emotional release and storytelling, allowing enslaved people to express their sorrows, struggles, dreams, and eventually, their hope for freedom. The genre was traditionally performed during night-time gatherings, often around bonfires, accompanied by simple percussion instruments and spontaneous dancing. The music's traditional form was largely improvised and intensely emotional as the music was originally a tribulation of enslaved people, often featuring a call-and-response singing style with almost no harmony. It is primarily dance and percussion music, often sung in Mauritian creole, and is often used in traditional exorcism practices and rituals.
The word 'sega' seems to originate from the Bantu word 'tsika' meaning 'to dance' or to play music'. Since sega came from enslaved Africans in Mauritius and surrounding islands, and the word seems to have travelled with them.
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.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
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 site combined with Port Louis should be allocated for a weeklong leisure trip to Mauritius.
Taxi is very expensive in Mauritius and is not that easy to be hailed, at least during my time when I visited. Apparently locals do extensive taxi-sharing within the island, almost like a bus, but foreigners are not generally welcomed in this sharing.
Getting a seaplane or helicopter trip to visit the underwater waterfall is expectedly pricey. The trip was around USD $400 for a half-an-hour ride.
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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Please share your thoughts and comments about the blog. If you need suggestions to build a travel itinerary, please let me know. More than willing to help. I would also like to build a bespoke-in-depth travel community around UNESCO WHS and ICH.
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