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A symbol of the slaves' fight for freedom
Le Morne Brabant is a natural monument located at the southwestern end of the island of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean. It is a mount that symbolizes the resistance to slavery since it was used as a refuge by slaves who, after running away, hid on its sides and cliffs.
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.
The values of the property, to the shelter of the maroons and their attempts to escape to freedom, extend beyond the main bulk of the mountain to the foothills and coast. Only the mountain is in the property and its spiritual qualities extend well into its surroundings. Preserving the integrity of the mountain means considering the property and buffer zone as a management unit. There is no doubt over the authenticity of the remains of maroon settlements on the mountains nor of the strong associations between the maroons and the mountains which are now known and valued far beyond the area.
