Le Marron Inconnu
| Coordinates | 18°35′39.822″N 72°18′26.757″W / 18.59439500°N 72.30743250°W |
|---|---|
| Location | Place du Marron Inconnu, Champ de Mars, HT6110 Port-au-Prince, Haiti[1] |
| Designer | Created by Haitian sculptor Albert Mangonès |
| Height | 3.60 metres (11.8 ft) and 2.40 metres (7.9 ft) tall |
| Completion date | 22 September 1967[2][3] |
| Dedicated to | Abolishment of slavery and freedom of all black people |
Le Marron Inconnu de Saint-Domingue,[4] shortened as Le Marron Inconnu (French pronunciation: [lə ma.ʁɔ̃ ɛ̃.kɔ.ny], "The Unknown Slave"), also called Le Nègre Marron or Nèg Mawon (Haitian Creole pronunciation: [nɛɡ ma.ʁɔ̃], "Maroon Man"),[5][6] is a bronze statue of a runaway slave commemorating the abolishment of slavery and is located in the capital of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Designed by Haitian sculptor and architect Albert Mangonès (1917–2002) and completed on 22 September 1967, the sculpture serves a reminder of the call to rebellion in the colony of Saint-Domingue against the slave-holding France in 1791. It has become the nation's iconic symbol of freedom[1][7] and is viewed in the world as a symbol for the freedom of black people.[8]
Description
Construction of the statue was completed on 22 September 1967 by Albert Mangonès.[2] It measures at 3.60 metres long by 2.40 metres high.[9] The bust depicts a bronze near-naked fugitive, kneeling on one knee, torso arched, opposite leg stretched back, a broken chain at its left ankle, while holding a conch shell at its lips with its left hand, head tilted upward, while the other hand holds a machete at the ground to its right ankle.[5][6][9]
Mangonès chose to use a passage from 1 Maccabees 14:3-9 of the Jerusalem Bible in the background of his sculpture on one of the two concrete panels that protect the "eternal flame" of freedom on the square surrounding the statue set in copper letters.[9]
Recognized usage
In 1989, the United Nations adopted the statue as a central icon on postage stamps commemorating Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that states, "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms."[1][7][10][11]
References
- 1 2 3 Comité National Pour La Mémoire et l'Histoire de l'Esclavage - Statue du Marron Inconnu (French)
- 1 2 Alphonse, Roberson, ed. (15 May 2012). "Le Marron inconnu vandalisé et la flamme éternelle éteinte". Le Nouvelliste. Retrieved 9 March 2016. (French)
- ↑ Press, ed. (1 January 2010). "1979-2009 - Les 30 années de l’ISPAN" (PDF). Bulletin de l’Ispan (UNESCO). p. 6. Retrieved 9 March 2016. (French)
- ↑ Roberts, Neil (2015). "Freedom as Marronage". University of Chicago. p. 12. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- 1 2 Bell, Beverly, ed. (2013). Fault Lines: Views across Haiti’s Divide. p. 32. ISBN 9780801452123. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- 1 2 Mukherjee, Jola Dr, ed. (20 March 2010). "History May Be Haiti’s Greatest Resource". Huffington Post. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
- 1 2 Press (Obituaries, PASSINGS), ed. (27 April 2002). "Albert Mangones, 85; His Bronze Sculpture Became Haitian Symbol". LA Times. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ↑ Embassy of the Republic of Haiti - Haiti's Landmarks.
- 1 2 3 Lorraine, Mangones (ed.). "Le Marron Inconnu (The Unknown Runaway Slave)". Directions. 4; No. 1: 62. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ↑ United Nations - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- ↑ Mangonès, Fréderick, ed. (8 July 2014). "Le Marron Inconnu d'Albert Mangonès". Le Nouvelliste. Retrieved 9 March 2016. (French)