The Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery () is a memorial on the in Nantes, France. The site memorializes the victims of Nantes' active role in the slave trade. The memorial, the largest such site in the world, was dedicated on March 25, 2012.

Description

The memorial was designed by Argentine–American Architect Julian Bonder and Polish artist

Krzysztof Wodiczko Krzysztof Wodiczko (born April 16, 1943) is a Poles, Polish artist known for his large-scale presentation slide, slide and video projections on architectural facades and monuments. He has realized more than 80 such public projections in Australia ...

. The memorial begins with a path along the Loire river banks, between the Anne-de-Bretagne Bridge and the Victor-Schoelcher footbridge. The path is covered in 2,000 spaced glass inserts, with 1,710 of them commemorating the names of slave ships and their port dates in Nantes. The other 290 inserts name ports in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, and the area around the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

. The path and surrounding 1.73-acre park lead to the under-the-docks part of the memorial which opens with a staircase, leading visitors underground closer to the water level of the river, which can be seen through the gaps between the support pillars. Upon entry, visitors are greeted with

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, i ...

and the word "freedom" written in 47 different languages from areas affected by the slave trade. Other etchings of quotes by figures like

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. appear on the slanted frosted glass wall which lined the memorial wall opposite the pillars which open to the river. These quotes come from across the globe, from all four continents affected by the slave trade, and span over five centuries, from the 17th to the 21st. At the end of the hall, toward the exit, is a room with the timeline of slavery as it became abolished in various countries around the world.

History

In 1998, student Lisa Marcault-Dérouard produced and dedicated a statue in Nantes memorializing victims of slavery and commemorating the 150th anniversary of the 1848 Abolition Act. The statue, produced independently of the municipal government was later found vandalized. Recognizing the need for a permanent memorial, then mayor– Jean-Marc Ayrault, imitated a process of official commemoration. The memorial was dedicated on March 25, 2012, at a ceremony attended by Ayrault, former

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Nicéphore Soglo, former First Lady of Benin Rosine Vieyra Soglo,

Christiane Taubira Christiane Marie Taubira (; born 2 February 1952) is a French politician who served as Minister of Justice of France in the governments of Prime Ministers Jean-Marc Ayrault and Manuel Valls under President François Hollande from 2012 until 201 ...

, and

Lilian Thuram Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien (; born 1 January 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began playing football professionally in his homeland with Monaco and played in the top flight in France, Italy and Spai ...

, among others.

References

{{coord, 47.2093, -1.5651, type:landmark_region:FR, display=title Monuments and memorials in France Slavery in France Slavery memorials Nantes