GRAND CASE--The official part of the Victor Schoelcher Fête, also known as the Grand Case Fête, will go down on Sunday as one of the shortest with just two speeches, as President of the Collectivité Louis Mussington, some territorial councillors and other usual key speakers were on holiday.
It was therefore down to Third Vice President Dominique Louisy and Préfet Vincent Berton to deliver the speeches marking the occasion, focusing on the legacies of abolitionists Victor Schoelcher and François-Auguste Perrinon.
“The Grand Case Fête became the Victor Schoelcher Fête at a time in the history of our islands when everyone was singing the praises of Victor Schoelcher as the great liberator who put an end to slavery in the French territories of the Caribbean,” said Louisy.
“But in addition to Victor Schoelcher, there was François-Auguste Perrinon from Martinique, an abolitionist [Member of Parliament – Ed.] MP who, at the end of the 19th century, settled in Saint-Martin, in the Grand Case salt works,” she reminded. “It was here that he began observing slave labour and drew conclusions, which he used to demonstrate that free labour was possible.
“Slavery was not a necessity. He wrote that ‘morally untenable, slavery is economically an aberration.’ This document was decisive in contributing to the abolition of slavery in the French West Indies in 1848.
“Today, I think it's more important to focus on the Fête de Grand Case, the district, its people and its history, and to dwell on the traditional and political dimension of what we're celebrating together today.”
Earlier, before the parade, the elected officials and members of the Grand Case community attending the ecumenical church service were able to see first-hand the restoration work already done in the “Mary Star of the Sea” Catholic Church. Work will be fully completed at the end of this summer.
A presentation of the development work carried out by the Collectivité allowed the public to discover the future landscape promenade that will create a green corridor all around the church, which will have shaded green spaces.
President Mussington, in his absence, congratulated the architect and the various contractors, each in their own trade. “We will very soon be able to launch actions to promote and conserve the heritage of the Grand Case district, as it has long been called for.”
