Le Morne: Jump To Freedom
[et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="section" background_image="http://between-borders.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-07-at-19.26.53.png" inner_shadow="on" custom_padding="50px|0px|0px|0px" disabled_on="off|off|off"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" custom_padding="-50px||0px|" column_padding_mobile="on" parallax_method_1="off"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_divider admin_label="Divider" height="203" /][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" text_orientation="center" max_width="1750px" header_font_size="60px" header_font_size_phone="35px" header_font_size_last_edited="on|phone" text_font="PT Sans||||" text_font_size="72" text_font_size_tablet="52" text_font_size_last_edited="on|desktop" text_text_color="#1d1d1d" text_line_height="1.1em" custom_margin="10px||-20px|" saved_tabs="all" inline_fonts="Bitter"]
LE MORNE -JUMP TO FREEDOM
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Current AffairsWords By: Luc HinsonIllustrated By: Tom Shotton
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" text_orientation="center" text_font="neuzeit|on|||" text_font_size="11" text_text_color="#bababa" text_line_height="1em" custom_margin="||0px|" custom_padding="||0px|" inline_fonts="Bree Serif" /][et_pb_divider admin_label="Divider" height="30" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="Section" transparent_background="on" custom_padding="0px||0px|0px"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" make_fullwidth="on" custom_padding="30px|0px|0px|0px"][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" disabled_on="on|off|off" header_line_height="1.2em" text_font_size="60px" text_line_height="1em" custom_margin="0px|50px|0px|" custom_padding="500|||"][/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" max_width="3000px" text_font_size="15px" text_line_height="1.8em"]As I͛m writing this I͛m on holiday in Mauritius, I͛m reconnecting with my mother͛s homeland, my mother͛s culture which through my inheritance is also my culture. So far, the trip can truly be described as cultural enrichment. I͛ve learnt more about Mauritius, and my Creole background in the last few days than in my previous 22 years of life. It͛s truly been a joy, experiencing the language, the music, the weather, the food and the people. I can now see why, when my Father married a Mauritian woman he said he felt like he͛d gained the entire island as his extended family. They truly are a welcoming and friendly bunch of peeps.Having said all that, this visit has also opened my eyes to the true nature of British (and French) colonial rule. The brutal side of our empire that seemingly goes untouched in History lessons at school, historical amnesia. It seems particularly poignant especially given the presence of slave markets being discovered across at least 9 locations in Libya. But whilst on a trip to the beach in Le Morne I stumbled across the Slave Route Monument, at the base of Le Morne mountain. Now I was familiar with British, French and Dutch colonial rule on the island but this monument was the first tangible indication of the bloody, horrific and inhumane side of colonial rule in Mauritius.The monument sits adjacent to the Valley of death aptly named because runaway slaves or Maroons who used the mountain as a refuge would jump to their death when they saw colonial forces coming to recapture them. Simply put, they would rather jump and find freedom in death than return to slavery on the islands sugar plantations. At the base of the mountain, amongst the collection of statues there lies an inscription on the floor, in four different languages. The English reads:"There were hundreds of them but my people the maroons chose the kiss of death over the chains of slavery never must we forget their noble deed written in the pages of history for the sake of humanity"[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="Row" make_fullwidth="on" custom_padding="35px|0px|35px|0px" parallax_method_1="off" parallax_method_2="off"][et_pb_column type="1_2"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_divider admin_label="Divider" color="#eaeaea" show_divider="on" /][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" disabled_on="on|off|off" header_line_height="1.2em" text_font_size="45px" text_line_height="1em" custom_margin="50px|50px|50px|" custom_padding="0px|||" saved_tabs="all"]"THERE IS NO UNDERSTANDING THAT BRITAIN FINANCED ITS INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND ENJOYED A PROSPEROUS EMPIRE THROUGH A MURDEROUS AND BARBARIC SLAVE TRADE."[/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider admin_label="Divider" color="#eaeaea" show_divider="on" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="row" make_fullwidth="on" custom_padding="8px|0px|0px|0px"][et_pb_column type="1_2"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" max_width="3000px" text_font_size="15px" text_line_height="1.8em"]For me it was incredibly moving, I felt ashamed that in my 22 years of life as a proud 2nd generation Mauritian I knew so little about this side of Mauritius, of the evils of colonial rule. This visit has taken place in December of 2017. We are well in the depths of the 21st Century. The slave trade has been abolished by the UK since 1833 that͛s over 180 years. And yet here we are, humans are being bought and sold as if their life could be quantified, as if their worth could be calculated, as if their future could be exchanged for as little as $400. We are supposed to be living in a Liberal age of peace and an era of Human rights. Yet the most fundamental Human right, the right to life is being undermined right before our very eyes in Libya. The Migrant crisis is enduring and relentless, and now these people without shelter, without refuge and at times all they own are the clothes on their back are being further exploited in truly the most inhumane way.George Santayana's most recycled quote seems pretty relevant here: ͞if we do not learn from the mistakes of history we are doomed to repeat them. Seemingly humankind has learnt so little from that dark era of history, that dark era that has crept into the present. Britain suffers from historical amnesia, in schools at A-level you do not learn a line of colonial history, the slave trade is taught as a separate topic. There is no understanding that Britain financed its industrial revolution and enjoyed a prosperous empire through a murderous and barbaric slave trade.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label="row" make_fullwidth="on" custom_padding="20px|0px|20|0px"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://between-borders.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/INT-Libyan-Slave-Trade1.png" force_fullwidth="on" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="Section" custom_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px"][et_pb_row admin_label="Row" make_fullwidth="on" custom_padding="20px|0px|0px|0px"][et_pb_column type="1_2"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_2"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" max_width="3000px" text_font_size="15px" text_line_height="1.8em"]The situation in Libya Is dire, put pressure on your government, your regions government, the UN. Follow the link below and sign as many petitions as you can. Spread awareness, attend demonstrations, do what you can to stop this modern-day atrocity, and don͛t let it become another disposable news story.https://www.change.org/search?q=libyaFor Britain, we must come to terms with our history, we must start teaching not only the benefits of British Imperialism, but its dark and oppressive side. Because if we don't learn the lessons of our history then we are doomed to repeat them.Peace[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" max_width="3000px" text_font_size="15px" text_line_height="2em" /][et_pb_sidebar admin_label="Sidebar" area="sidebar-1" disabled_on="off|off|on" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built="1" admin_label="Section" custom_padding="||0px|" transparent_background="off" allow_player_pause="off" inner_shadow="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="on" make_fullwidth="off" use_custom_width="off" width_unit="on" make_equal="off" use_custom_gutter="off"][et_pb_row admin_label="row" make_fullwidth="on" custom_padding="0px|0px|0px|0px" use_custom_width="off" width_unit="on" use_custom_gutter="off" allow_player_pause="off" parallax="off" parallax_method="on" make_equal="off" parallax_1="off" parallax_method_1="off"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" header_text_color="#ffffff" header_letter_spacing="19px" text_letter_spacing="1px"]
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