''Le Marron Inconnu de Port au prince'', shortened as ''Le Marron Inconnu'' (, "The Unknown Maroon"), also called ''Neg Marron'' or ''Nèg Mawon'' (, "Maroon Man"), is a bronze statue of a

runaway slave In the United States, fugitive slaves or runaway slaves were terms used in the 18th and 19th century to describe people who fled slavery. The term also refers to the federal Fugitive Slave Acts of 1793 and 1850. Such people are also called fre ...

, better known as a maroon, standing in the center of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Completed on September 22 1967 by Haitian architect Albert Mangonès, the statue is regarded as a symbol of

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

liberation; commemorating in particular, the rallying cry that sparked the Haitian Revolution and the abolishment of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. Situated across from the National Palace, it is the nation's most iconic representation of the struggle for freedom.

Description

Mangonès completed the statue on 22 September 1967. It measures 3.60 metres long by 2.40 metres high. It depicts in bronze a near-naked fugitive black man, kneeling on one knee, his torso arched, his opposite leg stretched back, and a broken chain on his left ankle. He holds a

conch shell Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends). In North Ame ...

at his lips with his left hand, his head tilted upward to blow it, while the other hand holds a

machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...

on the ground by his right ankle. Mangonès chose a passage from

1 Maccabees The First Book of Maccabees, also known as First Maccabees (written in shorthand as 1 Maccabees or 1 Macc.), is a book written in Hebrew by an anonymousRappaport, U., ''47. 1 Maccabees'' in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001)The Oxford Bible Comme ...

14:3-9 of the

Jerusalem Bible ''The Jerusalem Bible'' (JB or TJB) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd. As a Catholic Bible, it includes 73 books: the 39 books shared with the Hebrew Bible, along with the seven deuterocanonica ...

to be set in

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

letters on one of the two concrete panels that protect the "eternal flame" of freedom in the square surrounding the statue.

Recognized usage

In 1989, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

adopted the statue as a central icon on

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the f ...

s commemorating Article 4 of 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, ...

that states, "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms."Comité National Pour La Mémoire et l'Histoire de l'Esclavage - Statue du Marron Inconnu

Gallery

File:Le Marron Inconnu, detail 2009.jpg, File:Le Marron Inconnu - April 2018 front 2.jpg, File:Le Marron Inconnu - April 2018 front 1.jpg, File:Le Marron Inconnu - April 2018 side.jpg,

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marron Inconnu 1967 sculptures Art Deco sculptures and memorials Buildings and structures completed in 1967 Bronze sculptures in Haiti Colossal statues Haitian art Liberty symbols National symbols of Haiti Outdoor sculptures in Haiti Slavery in art Tourist attractions in Port-au-Prince 1967 establishments in Haiti