February 1 : Freeing of the Slaves

01 Feb 2015

1 reply

161 views

2 users

0 likes

luanovapessoa 01 Feb 2015

Dear Clever Dodo,

I understand February 1 [1834] is Freeing of the Slaves Day in Mauritius.

How does it feel to be in the avant-garde of Abolitionism, well ahead of the USA and Brazil freeing their slaves and Russia freeing their serfs?

Best Wishes!

1 Comment

Ask the Mauritians

Sharing local knowledge to make information more accessible to Mauritians, expats and tourists

Get help with your own questions, find what's new and talk with people on the same journey

This is a premium community exclusive to our members to discuss all things Mauritius where some of the discussions have been made public but read-only for you to get a taste of what it's like on the inside. Membership is £2.99 (approx. Rs135) for 30 days access, collected through Paypal and can be renewed or cancelled as you see fit.

1307 members . 1838 topics . 5966 posts

Join Community

gices 03 Feb 2015

It was 1st Feb 1835 for the abolition of slavery in Mauritius, not 1834.

Although slavery was against the law from that date onwards, many people still had slaves and didn't want to give them up.

And slaves would sometimes commit suicide if they thought they were being chased even when the slave trade was abolished.

So all in all, it was a good move for humanity but the fear the slaves live in took a lot more time to go away.

What's your take on it?