Monuments to visit Diamonds

Fifteen statues look out over the sea and the Diamond Rock, their shoulders slumped and their gaze lost. This monumental triangle-shaped ensemble (evoking the triangular trade) was created in 1991 by the sculptor Laurent Valère for the 150^th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. It evokes the shipwreck of a slave ship in 1830 off the baie du Diamant. The chained slaves could not escape, and the survivors were sent to prison…

At the bend in the road between Le Diamant to Anses d'Arlet, take the time to dive into the story of Médard Aribot, a talented sculptor and convict in his time. Upon his return from French Guiana, he fell in love with this piece of land perched above the water, in the shadow of Morne Larcher and erected a small house of terribly reduced proportions. He spent the rest of his life sculpting, decorating and living in it before silently disappearing in 1973. Despite restoration campaigns, the house is threatened by time and vandalism.

When the colonial past of the region is evoked, it is the “Maison du Gaoulé” that springs to mind: dissatisfied with the “royal commercial executive" - the obligation to trade with France - the inhabitants organized the first open rebellion against metropolitan tutelage in 1717. After a meal served in the house of Gaoulé, in the O'Mullane district, the planters kidnapped Governor La Varenne and Intendant Ricouart, representatives of King Louis XV.