A Production of Michigan State University
Director's Note
The film follows the tenacious journey of Martinican sculpture artist Laurent Valère who set out since 1997 on the trail of an 1830 slave shipwreck that occurred during a tropical storm on the shore of the city of Diamant, in Martinique. This ship illegally deported enslaved Africans after the 1815 Vienna abolition of the slave trade. Laurent Valère is the first to tell the story of African victims of this historical tragedy through visual art with his monumental sculpture "Le Mémorial CAP 110". Le Mémorial CAP 110 became one of Martinique’s most important public memorial landmarks since its inauguration in 1998, on the occasion of France's 150th anniversary of the 2nd abolition of slavery.
Valère’s quest takes us to a vibrant polyphonic transatlantic meeting of influential cultural change-makers in the Francophone black diaspora to highlight the ways that the story of the 1830 slave shipwreck, that of maroons and that of slave resistance have been for decades, and continue to be, prominently brought to light in the public sphere thanks to an incredibly rich body of transatlantic exchanges and alliances that have developed over the years. The rich array of sounds, sights and transatlantic encounters captured within the pilgrimage of Afro-descendant artists to memorial sites in Senegal, France, Guadeloupe and Martinique open a door to understanding how this fraught history plays out in their cultural and artistic responses to contemporary forms of systemic inequities and human rights abuses, as they aspire to imagine and build better, more just, more inclusive worlds for everyone.
Copyright © 2024 by Michigan State University
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Le film revient sur le parcours hors du commun du sculpteur martiniquais Laurent Valère qui part depuis 1997 sur les traces du naufrage d'un navire négrier survenu en 1830 lors d'une tempête tropicale sur la côte de la ville du Diamant, en Martinique. Ce navire déporta illégalement des captifs africains après l’abolition de la traite négrière de Vienne en 1815. Laurent Valère est le premier à raconter l'histoire des victimes africaines de cet événement historique par le biais de l'art avec sa sculpture monumentale "Le Mémorial CAP 110". Le Mémorial CAP 110 est devenu l’un des lieux de mémoire publique les plus importants de la Martinique depuis son inauguration en 1998, à l’occasion du 150e anniversaire de la seconde abolition de l’esclavage en France.
La quête de Valère nous transporte vers une rencontre transatlantique polyphonique vibrante d'acteurs culturels influents de la diaspora noire francophone pour mettre en lumière la manière dont l'histoire du naufrage des captifs africains en 1830, celle des marrons et celle de la résistance de noirs esclavagisés gagnèrent de plus en plus en visibilité dans la sphère publique grâce à une série importante d’échanges et d’alliances transatlantiques féconds qui se sont développés au fil des années. La riche galerie de sons, d'images et de rencontres transatlantiques captés lors du pèlerinage d'artistes d'origine africaine vers des sites de mémoire au Sénégal, en France, en Guadeloupe et en Martinique ouvre une porte à la compréhension de la façon dont cette histoire chargée se joue dans leurs réponses culturelles et artistiques aux formes contemporaines d'inégalités systémiques et d'atteinte aux droits humains, alors qu’ils aspirent à imaginer et à construire des mondes meilleurs, plus justes et plus inclusifs pour tous.
Copyright © 2024 by Michigan State University
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CAST BY ORDER OF APPEARANCE IN TRAILER | PERSONNALITÉS INTERVIEWÉES & COMÉDIENS PARUS DANS LA BANDE-ANNONCE
Rita Ravier, Giovanni Germany, Patrick Hierso (Actors, Martinique)| Laurent Valère (Artist,Martinique)| Jean-Marc Ayrault (Former French Prime Minister & Mayor of Nantes)| Patricia Donatien (Artist, Martinique)| Serge Larcher (Former Mayor of Diamant, Martinique) | Moussa Touré (Filmmaker, Senegal)| Imaniyé Dalila Daniel (Writer, Martinique)| Éloi Coly (Curator, La Maison des Esclaves, Senegal)| Pascal Blanchard (Historian, France)| Dominic Thomas (Professor, UCLA)| Malcom Ferdinand (Researcher, Environmental Engineer, Martinique)| Barbara Olivier-Zandronis (Journalist, Guadeloupe) | Laurella Rinçon (Curator, Mémorial ACTe, Guadeloupe)| Ibrahima Thioub (Historian, Senegal) Ken Bugul (Novelist, Senegal) | Nadia Chonville (Sociologist, Martinique) | Elizabeth Landi (Historian, Martinique)| Joël Jernidier and Betty Williams (Actors, Guadeloupe) | Jigeen Ni (female orchestra, Senegal) | Watabwi (Conch music group, Martinique) | Boubacar Ndiaye (Griot artist, Senegal-France)| Juliette Fievet (France 24 Journalist)| Rokhaya Diallo (Journalist, Filmmaker, France)| Maboula Soumahoro (Professor, France) | Claudy Siar (RFI Journalist)| Younousse Seye (Artist, Senegal)| Aimé Charles-Nicolas (researcher, Martinique)
The sea is what connects us. The mystery of the sea – it’s always the same story. The sea is the greatest witness to everything that had happened here. Over 4,800 ships left Nantes for Africa before heading for the American colonies ... with a human cargo of slaves. So, Nantes became rich through the slave trade. This monument and other monuments are here to remind us that... this story isn't over. Sometimes I ask myself, "When will it ever stop?" What this means is that they didn't want to hear
about it. It was not a source of pride for them, so they wanted to forget it. It is total silence. Anyone who enters this space is overwhelmed by it. It's as though they left their souls here. One can sense that there are still souls here calling for reparation. The very existence of the House of Slaves is a reminder to the world ... of just how fragile freedom is. As a land of human rights... France doesn't believe that it could have done anything wrong in the colonies since it abolished slave
ry. It sees itself as a nation of liberators. Être français noir est une catégorie problématique en France... car soit on est français soit on ne l'est pas. To be black is to also live in a world... that doubts whether blacks are human. A world where one doesn't count as a complete human being. Thank you, Lord, for your Love, for your Kindness... Thank you for everything... we turn to you with grateful hearts. There is a whole part of society that remains invisible. The Haitian Revolution clearl
y shows that it was slaves themselves... who took up the matter of abolition historically. People forget the role women played in all this. Above all, our people are survivors. We’re fighters, too. For example, women fought hard to send their children to school. Artists are the ones who can ultimately make these stories more visible. It's a tribute to women in my family. We will have certainly endured so much injustice... but there shall be victories, too. What I’m most proud of today is succeed
ing in making my voice heard, in a very hostile public space. Succeeding in creating something beautiful in these places that have seen so much horror... for me, that's the true triumph of humanity. The freedom that we need is the freedom to build a world that brings us together and reflects who we are. We must keep faith! It's the energy of love and peace that makes us come alive, together. When we look back at the past... we see something that inspires hope for the future. We must dream. Human
ity is calling upon us to dream. And together, we shall dream.
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