Mauritius: The 15th Anniversary of the Inscription of Le Morne Cultural Landscape on UNESCO’s World Heritage List was marked by a ceremony yesterday, at the International Slave Route Monument, opposite Le Morne Public Beach, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.
The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Louis Steven Obeegadoo; the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Avinash Teeluck; the Secretary-General (SG) of the Commonwealth, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC; the Secretary-General of World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili; and, other dignitaries were present at the ceremony.
In his keynote address, Prime Minister Jugnauth stated that UNESCO recognises the outstanding universal value of the Le Morne Cultural Landscape as an exceptional symbol of the enslaved people’s fight for freedom. In 2008, he pointed out that Le Morne became a world heritage property, placing the permanent protection of the property at a higher standard.
The Prime Minister remarked that Le Morne stands out as a symbol of the high price humans had to pay to retain their freedom by confronting frightening heights and narrow pathways.
He emphasised the significant cultural heritage value the site holds to African countries as they are deeply linked to slavery, highlighting that the enslaved people came mainly from mainland Africa, Madagascar, India and South East Asia.
Prime Minister Jugnauth also elaborated on the International Slave Route Monument, a UNESCO Project launched on 1 February 2009. He observed that the landscape has layers of history with tangible and intangible heritage. The site, he said, has been further enhanced with the opening of the Trou Chenille Open Air Museum in February 2020.
Speaking about the tourism industry, the Prime Minister indicated that it is one of the key pillars of the Mauritian economy and that the site has extreme potential to attract tourists with its splendid landscape comprising luxurious hotels, water activities such as kite surfing and dolphin watch, and beach tourism activities.
Government, he highlighted, in collaboration with the private sector, is working to promote the region as a privileged destination for cultural, historical and eco-tourism.
Le Morne Cultural Landscape is one of Mauritius’s most pristine places, and preserving its green wild countryside has economic potential, stressed the Prime Minister. He dwelt on the significant contribution of tourism to the development of the village in terms of modern infrastructure, preservation of cultural and historical heritage as well as economic opportunities for local communities.
He expressed the wish for the site to become a prime example of outstanding heritage, conservation and sustainable tourism. Prime Minister Jugnauth also thanked the UNWTO for awarding Le Morne and Grand Port as the best tourism villages.
As for the DPM, he stated that the commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the Inscription of Le Morne Cultural Landscape on the World Heritage List coincides with the most important meeting of African tourism, bringing together some 20 African tourism Ministers to Mauritius, thus making the celebrations more significant.
He highlighted that the location is a reminder of the despair and sacrifices of our ancestors, the horror of slavery, and their indomitable spirit of resistance for freedom.
As for Minister Teeluck, he stated that Le Morne is a site of profound significance for Mauritius, adding that the country has two sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, namely the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Site and Le Morne Cultural Landscape.
The Maroon history is part of the Mauritian history and cultural landscape, and the Ministry will leave no stone unturned to preserve and promote this historical site, underpinned by Minister Teeluck.
As for the Commonwealth’s SG, she described Le Morne Cultural Landscape as a beacon of hope and freedom for a better life, a monument of the most heinous crimes in the history of humanity, and a symbol of resistance and sacrifice.
She pointed out that painful shadows are still overarching, and the fight for equality is not over yet. She hoped that Africa would craft a new future based on common interests and shared values of equality, justice, fairness and democracy.
Le Morne was proclaimed a National Heritage on 24 January 2006 and was inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage List on 10 July 2008. It is now known as the Le Morne Cultural Landscape.
Le Morne Cultural landscape represents the combined works of nature and humans. With its physical attributes of a natural fortress, Le Morne Brabant Mountain became a natural monument when during the 17th and 18th centuries, groups of slaves escaped the control of their masters to seek refuge on the mountain.
