Exhibition presented by the Shackles of Memory opens in Paimboeuf
Tuesday, 29 June 2010 17:55 Written by Jessica Goetz
"FROM AYITI TO HAITI, FREEDOM GAINED"
TOWN OF PAIMBOEUF
As part of its partnership with the town of Paimboeuf and the “Quai des Arts et du Patrimoine paimblotins” Association ( Association for the Arts and the Cultural Heritage of Paimboeuf) , the Shackles of Memory Association recently set up an exhibition about slavery and the slave trade in Paimboeuf, a member town of the Shackles of Memory Alliance.
In addition to the « From Ayiti to Haiti, Freedom Gained» Exhibition, which is currently showing in the Pays-de-la-Loire Region , the Shackles of Memory Association gathered substantial information on Paimboeuf's role as a town engaged in the slave trade and incorporated a number of didactic panels from its pedagogical exhibition on the history of slavery.
This choice of combining the retrospectives of the past of a European region which used to be a driving force in the slave trade and of a country whose history is so deeply related to slavery, made possible the creation of a fascinating exhibition, rich in topical debates.
This project was conceived upon three main themes:
- « From Ayiti to Haiti, Freedom Gained» , an exhibition which recalls the history of Haiti from its origins to its independence in 1804
- The « Paimboeuf at the heart of the slave trade » Exhibition, which introduces the visitor to the cities of Nantes and Paimboeuf, the transatlantic journey (focusing on Africa, the crossing proper, and America), and the heritage
- the current situation in Haiti
A whole scenographic setting, enriched with a profusion of decorative plants providing a good insight into the various species that were shipped as merchandise across the Atlantic Ocean, as well as audiovisual and audio materials, enable the visitors to immerse themselves a little more deeply in the exhibition.
The « Quai des Arts et du Patrimoine paimblotins » (Association for the Arts and the Cultural Heritage of Paimboeuf) contributed to the project by lending several reproductions of postcards dating back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, thus providing an interesting account of Haitian daily life of that time.
The exhibition opened at the Paimboeuf tourist center on Friday, June 18th at 6.30 pm. The evening began with two Haitian songs about slavery which were performed by pupils of the school of Paimboeuf, and went on with the speeches of a number of local political figures, such as:
- Mr Michel BAHUREL, Mayor of Paimboeuf
- Mr Yvon CHOTARD, President of the Shackles of Memory Association
- Mr Daniel CUTULLIC, President of the Quai des Arts et du Patrimoine paimblotins Association
- Mrs Yanick LEBEAUPIN, Councillor for the Canton of Paimboeuf, President of the Commission on Sustainable Development, and Town Councillor of Saint Brevin
- Mr Patrick NAIZAIN, Regional Councillor of the Pays-de-la-Loire Region and 8th Deputy Mayor of Couëron for Sustainable Development and Participatory Democracy in the Regional Council of the Pays-de-la-Loire Region.
The hundred or so guests were then invited to walk round the exhibition proper while enjoying cocktails offered to them by the City of Paimboeuf.
The first reactions the visitors shared were their emotion on discovering that aspect of Nantes and it's region's past. The reconstitution of the steerage, the sectional scale-model of the slave ship « L'Aurore », and the trading logbook of the 19th century ship "La Bonne Mère" made a particularly strong impression on them.
This whole event attests once more to the important role played by the projects of the Shackles of Memory Association and its partners on the work of memory and the comprehension of contemporary identities linked to the slave trade and slavery.
After being presented in Paimboeuf, the «From Ayiti to Haiti, Freedom Gained» Exhibition is to be shown in Guadeloupe in the course of the year 2011.
