By BREEJAN BURRUN & PEARLISHKA BURRUN
On 24 August next the world celebrates the birth anniversary of William Wilberforce (1759-1833), the famous British abolitionist. The day before, 23 August, is International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. In this article we will see how he and the Anti-Slavery Society (ASS) managed to fight this evil and how, indirectly their vision changed the course of things as regards slave trade and, eventually, the abolition of slavery in Mauritius. 
William Wilberforce never came to Mauritius, but the movement he initiated and sponsored in Great Britain – firstly, to put an end to slave trade and, secondly, to abolish slavery in all British colonies, had a ripple effect in Mauritius and on the slave-owners. Moreover, William Wilberforce, well informed about slavery in Mauritius through Generals Hall and Darling who were posted in Mauritius, brought the British government to institute a commission of enquiry on (a) the illegal slave trade practised in the Indian Ocean, (b) the conditions of living of slaves in Mauritius which would prove beyond doubt that slavery was absolutely evil.
The anti-slavery campaigner and social reformer Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, acting as the mouthpiece of William Wilberforce presented in the House of Commons, “a full rehearsal of the scandal”(1), the British government instituted in 1826 the Eastern Enquiry Commission (EEC) to investigate into slave trade in Mauritius. The commission spent two years to gather evidence about slavery in Mauritius. In 1829, the EEC produced a voluminous report indicating that nearly a third up to a half of the slave population which numbered 60 000 individuals, that is “ between 20,000 to 30,000” (2) were introduced illegally in the island. The ASS reacted promptly pursuant to that terrible finding and, adopting a radical stand, “tried to persuade the British Government to order all slaves in Mauritius to be freed immediately without indemnity.” (3)
The abolitionists opt for a complete abolition of slavery in Mauritius
The damning report of the EEC compelled the ASS to harden its position and move for a complete abolition of slavery in the colony. As a matter of fact, the abolitionists had strong reasons to have a commission of enquiry on the island of Mauritius, the more important being that this would help to better understand the mechanisms underlying the running of a slave society. “The Society singled out Mauritius because it was an easy target, a colony inhabited by former enemies of England, foreigners who had few friends in the British Parliament to defend them; one slaves in Mauritius had been freed without indemnity, then it might be easier to set free without indemnity slaves in other colonies such as the West Indies, whose leading inhabitants had many friends in Parliament.” (Ibid)
The campaign led by ASS on several fronts and the invaluable knowledge obtained on the running of a slave society, particularly in Mauritius, the island being a British colony, were crucial in convincing abolitionists that, whatever reforms or amelioration policy introduced to humanize the slave society, the latter was simply not redeemable. The Mauritian case was like an open book where the abolitionists could identify the malfunctions of the system and collect all data to justify their stand in favour of the abolition of slavery.
The ASS criticizes the insufficiency of the ‘Amelioration Policy’
The abolition of the slave trade was definitely a step towards the abolition of slavery itself. The idea that the supply of slaves being stopped at the source, slavery would die of its natural death. Moreover, the abolitionists were bent upon bringing an end to slavery on the ground that the ‘Amelioration Policy’, supposedly in favour of the improvement of the working and living conditions of slaves, was in fact a sham.
“The abolitionists in Britain led by William Wilberforce, reasoned as follows – slaves died young because of bad living and working conditions. The slave masters did not care much about the death of slaves because it was easy to import slaves to replace those who died. If the slave masters could not import slaves, they would have to see that their slaves lived longer. Hence they would have to provide better living and working conditions.”(Ibid)
While taking all its time the British administration applied systematically a number of measures meant to stop slave trade. « Le 14 janvier 1813, il (Farquhar) étendit à la colonie la prescription de la traite négrière. Il sévit contre les contrevenants, commandants de vaisseaux ou commerçants pris en flagrant délit. En 1814, il instaura la Cour de Vice-Amirauté pour connaître des délits de la traite. Le 7 novembre 1820, il publia l’ordonnance promulguant une loi anglaise de l’année précédente, sur l’enregistrement des esclaves et leur déplacement sur le territoire.»(4)
23 AUGUST
International Day for the Remembrance
of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
« It is time to abolish human exploitation once and for all, and to recognize the equal and unconditional dignity of each and every individual. Today, let us remember the victims and freedom fighters of the past so that they may inspire future generations to build just societies. » (UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay)
The Director-General of UNESCO invites the Ministers of Culture of all Member States to organize events every year on that date, involving the entire population of their country and in particular young people, educators, artists and intellectuals.
On the night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in Saint Domingue, today the Republic of Haiti, saw the beginning of the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
It is against this background that the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is commemorated on 23 August each year. It was first celebrated in a number of countries, in particular in Haiti (23 August 1998) and Gorée Island in Senegal (23 August 1999).
This International Day is intended to inscribe the tragedy of the slave trade in the memory of all peoples. In accordance with the goals of the intercultural project « The Routes of Enslaved Peoples », it should offer an opportunity for collective consideration of the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of this tragedy, and for an analysis of the interactions to which it has given rise between Africa, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean.