Africa

[Visited: February 2018]

It is dark when I arrive at the gate of my hotel in Mahébourg, and I have to force it open to get to him. It is 4.45am and my driver is already waiting for me, as promised the day before, when his sister called him after I inquired about transportation. Climbing Morne Brabant was one of the things I wanted to do in Mauritius, and when I learned that the abolition of slavery is celebrated on February 1, it was easy to decide to climb on this very day. Coincidentally, it also happens to be the birthday of my own sister, who will be on my mind frequently today. For Mauritians, Le Morne Brabant is a symbol of the abolition of slavery, making this the perfect day to visit the basalt rock at the southwestern tip of the paradisical island. After driving through darkness for an hour, the sky high above us gets a hint of dark, dark grey, and slowly, contours of the mountains above us appear. Then, we see the white of the surf on our left, and the ominous silhouette of Morne Brabant straight ahead of us. I now know I will be on time. Actually, after paying my driver, who tries to convince me to hire him for the ride back to Mahébourg, it turns out I am early. It will take a little while before a few other participants, and the guide show up.
Instead of hiking straight up from the northwestern meeting point, we drive half around the base of Le Morne Brabant, park the cars under the trees, and get ready for the hike. The guide explains that we are climbing on a special day: on February 1, 1835, slavery was officially abolished in Mauritius, and this event is celebrated every year. We enter a small camp with rasta flags: rastas have their own celebration of the abolition of slavery here, and there is a small plaque as well. After hiking through their camp, we continue through the woods, and when we reach an open spot in the forest, we start to get a view of the bay below us. Higher up, we reach an open space, which allows us a clear view of the mountain range of Le Morne Brabant; close by, there is a viewpoint from where we can see both the bay with Ile aux Bénitiers as well as the bay directly east and south of the mountain. The guide now explains the rest of the climb: after crossing a fence, we enter the steeper section where we have to thread carefully on the rocks. We meet quite a few people climbing illegally: there must be holes in the fence somewhere. The steep section brings us to even better viewpoints, and after some more climbing, we find ourselves standing next to an iron cross, which marks the highest accessible point of the climb. I am slightly disappointed that we cannot go all the way to the real summit, but for this, climbing equipment would be necessary. We take off our bags, drink water, and look down. It looks as if there is no water between the reef and the island: we can see right through to the bottom of the sea. To the east, the green mountains of Mauritius rising up from the Indian Ocean below.
After taking the inevitable pictures, it is time to descend, and our guide instructs us how to best do that using our bum. With our back to the mountain, it is even better to enjoy the views now, so I stop ever so often to take in the views. More people are making their way up now, and I am happy we went up so early. The rastas are awake now, and we chat with them. Time to say goodbye to the others; the mute German guy in the group drops me off at the abolition of slavery monument where a ceremony is going on. I wait until the hotshots have left, and try to enter the area, with the red carpet still lying on the ground. At first, the officials try to block me, but when others also want to enter, we claim that precisely today is not the moment to close this monument, we are allowed in. "There were hundreds of the, 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": this refers to the legend that, when slavery was abolished, the maroons using Le Morne Brabant as a shelter and escape, thought the arriving soldiers were there to capture them, and leaped off the mountain to escape. It is this legend that makes Le Morne Brabant still such a strong symbol of the abolition of slavery. When I walk around the base of the mountain, I meet several groups of people marching, with flags, and in the first village, see big tents where celebrations are being held, and speeches spoken. Standing on the small beach, Le Morne Brabant rises steeply from the ocean: it will continue to be a beacon for bravery, for the end of an ugly part of history, for the freedom of humankind.

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Le Morne Brabant (Mauritius)

Le Morne Brabant > Mauritius > Africa

[Visited: February 2018]

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