''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 Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or Casting (metalworking), cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to ...

of a

runaway slave ''Runaway Slave'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Showbiz and A.G. It was released on September 22, 1992, via Payday/London Records. The album was produced by Showbiz and fellow D.I.T.C. crew member Diamond D. It features g ...

, better known as a maroon, standing in the center of

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

. Completed on September 22, 1967 by Haitian architect

Albert Mangonès Albert Mangonès (26 March 1917 – 25 April 2002), was a Haitian architect. Biography Albert Mangonès was born the son of Fernande Elisabeth Auguste and Philippe Auguste Edmond Mangonès on March 26, 1917, in Port-au-Prince. Like most children ...

, the statue is regarded as a symbol of

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

liberation; commemorating in particular, the rallying cry that sparked the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

and the abolishment of

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

. 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 on both ends). Conchs ...

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

machete A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...

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

1 Maccabees 1 Maccabees, also known as the First Book of Maccabees, First Maccabees, and abbreviated as 1 Macc., is a deuterocanonical book which details the history of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire as well as the founding and earliest hi ...

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 deuterocanonical ...

to be set in

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) 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 pinkish-orang ...

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 the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

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). Then the stamp is affixed 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 Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal D ...

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 Liberty symbols National symbols of Haiti Outdoor sculptures in Haiti Sculptures of slaves Tourist attractions in Port-au-Prince 1967 establishments in Haiti Sculptures of Black people Sculptures of men