President Louis Mussington with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron (left) and Minister of Overseas Territories Jean-François Carenco (right) at Châteaux de Joux for the tribute to Toussaint L’Ouverture.
MARIGOT--President of the Collectivite Louis Mussington is currently in Paris where he is attending a series of meetings aimed at advancing St. Martin's issues.
Mussington began his visit on Thursday, April 27, by being invited by President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron to the ceremony organised in honour of Toussaint L’Ouverture at Château de Joux.
Toussaint L’Ouverture was a former slave who rose to become the leader of the only successful slave revolt in modern history, known as the Haitian Revolution.
Mussington changed his Parisian agenda to represent St. Martin at this national tribute in the Doubs as part of the 175th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in France.
As Macron recalled: “Toussaint L’Ouverture started from nothing but defied the world.” The tribute was held at Château de Joux where the Franco-Haitian general was imprisoned until his death.
Mussington was touched by this tribute “in honour of a black man who suffered from slavery as a child, but who as an adult contributed to the emancipation and liberation of oppression in our territories, while he himself formed the slave army and drafted the constitution of St. Domingue in 1801, when he was its governor.”
During his stay in Paris, Mussington will meet with the Delegated Minister of Overseas France Jean-François Carenco, the President of the Energy Regulation Commission, the Overseas France Technical Advisor at the Elysée Palace, the Head of the Department of Success and Equal Opportunity at the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, and the Advisor for the Development of Practices, in charge of Sports and Health.
Mussington will also have the opportunity to meet with his counterpart from St. Barthélemy, President Xavier Lédée.
