The 170 th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery

Today, Mauritius is celebrating the 170th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery. It is an occasion for a certain number of slaves? descendants to celebrate their origins. Various activities have been organized all over the island. There will however be three main activities today, beginning with the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to Slaves, at Pointe Canon, Mahébourg, (R) at 10 a.m with the president of the Republic, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, and the prime minister, Paul Bérenger, in attendance. In the afternoon the renovation project of the building which will house the headquarters of the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture will be launched.

The second important event will be the laying of a commemorative plaque at Trou Chenille, Le Morne, organized by Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund to mark it as a ?memory spot.? The Morne project, which the government would like to get on the UNESCO World Heritage list, is not ready yet. Bernard Perrine, the chairman of Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund, says that they are working on the dossier, which should be submitted to UNESCO in February 2006. He insists on the fact that the committee wants it to be ?perfect? to give the project the best possible chances of being listed. He also makes it clear that it?s the committee?s ? and not the government?s ? duty to work on the project.