Tribute to the Departed Souls of TJC: Boraine, David & Moutou
Dr Jimmy Harmon
The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is commemorated on 23 August each year. I would like to pay a special tribute to three members of the Truth & Justice Commission (TJC) who are no longer alive. These departed souls are Dr Alex Boraine, Jacques David and Benjamin Moutou. In post-independence Mauritius, intense sensitization and awareness campaigns about the history of Mauritius and the contribution of enslaved people and indentured labourers by academics, municipalities and village councils, leftwing political parties, Afro-Kreol identity affirmation movements and green reparation movement (e.g. Les Verts Fraternels or commonly referred to as ‘Michel Brothers’) led the government under former Prime Minister Ramgoolam to set up the Truth and Justice Commission (TJC) by an Act of Parliament in 2008. Members were Dr Alex Boraine (Chairperson), Dr V.Teelock (Vice-Chairperson) and three commissioners namely Palma Veerapen and Jacques David and Benjamin Moutou. The mandate of the commission was to undertake an inquiry into the legacy of slavery and indentured labour in Mauritius since colonization (1638) to date; to determine appropriate measures to be extended to descendants of enslaved people and indentured labourers; and to investigate complaints of the dispossession of land.
Departed ‘Just Souls’
The term ‘just souls’ comes from Greek philosopher Plato who considered that the human soul is tripartite. The three parts are ‘reason’ (logic) by which we learn, know, calculate, the ‘spirited’ which is the emotional part and in particular the seat of anger and indignation and motivates self-defence and the ‘appetitive’ part to which a miscellany of sense-based desires and cravings belong. However, the three parts need to be in equilibrium. In fact, our soul is in a just state when there is a correct order. When reason is in control, the soul has the virtue of wisdom. When the spirited part assists the rational part, it exhibits the virtue of courage. When the appetitive part exercises moderation, the soul has the virtue of temperance or moderation. For Plato, all the higher virtues stem from letting the better part of your nature rule the worse part. So the just person – as is true for the wise person or the good person – must have reason ruling over appetite and spirit. Plato believed that justice is the health of the soul. Therefore, a ‘just soul’ is someone who has been able to seek truth and justice in life.
Departed ‘Just Souls’
The term ‘just souls’ comes from Greek philosopher Plato who considered that the human soul is tripartite. The three parts are ‘reason’ (logic) by which we learn, know, calculate, the ‘spirited’ which is the emotional part and in particular the seat of anger and indignation and motivates self-defence and the ‘appetitive’ part to which a miscellany of sense-based desires and cravings belong. However, the three parts need to be in equilibrium. In fact, our soul is in a just state when there is a correct order. When reason is in control, the soul has the virtue of wisdom. When the spirited part assists the rational part, it exhibits the virtue of courage. When the appetitive part exercises moderation, the soul has the virtue of temperance or moderation. For Plato, all the higher virtues stem from letting the better part of your nature rule the worse part. So the just person – as is true for the wise person or the good person – must have reason ruling over appetite and spirit. Plato believed that justice is the health of the soul. Therefore, a ‘just soul’ is someone who has been able to seek truth and justice in life.
The mandate
The mandate of the TJC was for two years (2009-2011). The mode of investigation adopted different methodologies of enquiries into history of slavery and indenture such as public hearings, consultations, ethnography interviews and research in archives. In terms of staffing, the Commission comprised a research unit (25 consultants + 45 researchers), Administrative (2) & Ancillary (3). Government earmarked a budget of MUR 60 million ($ 1, 512, 294.60). The work of the TJC was unique as it dealt with socio-economic class abuses and attempted to cover more than 370 years (1638-present), the longest period that a truth commission has ever attempted to cover. Late Chairperson Dr Boraine and the two departed commissioners David and Moutou like their colleagues Dr Teelock and Prof. Veerapen had to listen (empathetically) and examine issues originated from human greed like land dispossessions (340 claims), structural racism and discrimination, nepotism and cronyism.
Content
In 2011, the commission released its report. The report comprises five volumes which document the economics of colonialism, slavery and indentured servitude, experiences, legacies and continuities. In order to promote national reconciliation, the report makes 290 recommendations encompassing memorializing slavery through the setting up of an intercontinental slavery museum and other initiatives; a better understanding and more inclusive account of Mauritian history and culture; a better and increased protection of Mauritian heritage; a less racist and elitist society; a more democratic public life; empowerment of Mauritians of African and Malagasy origin; and to increase economic and social justice, particularly related to land issues and equitable and judicious use of the environment.
Conclusion
The most visible and concrete implementations of the TJC report are the introduction of Kreol Morisien in primary and secondary education as optional languages and the setting up of the Intercontinental Slavery Museum. These two actions are far from reaching the goal of transitional justice which aims to provide recognition to victims, enhance the trust of individuals in State institutions, reinforce respect for human rights and promote the rule of law, as a step towards reconciliation and the prevention of new violations. For an in-depth critical analysis of the TJC, readers must delve into the academic paper ‘The Mauritian Truth and Justice Commission: Legitimacy, Political Negotiation and the Consequences of Slavery’ (see reference list) which was published in 2017 by the African Journal of International and Comparative Law (Edinburgh University). The paper examines the origins, processes and outcomes of the Mauritian Truth and Justice Commission (MTJC)focusing on its treatment of slavery, asking how illuminating ideas from ‘transitional justice’ theory are.
Our Departed ‘Just Souls’
Dr Alexander Boraine (1931-2018)
Alex Boraine was born in Cape Town and studied at Rhodes, Oxford and Drew Universities. He was appointed as the youngest-ever president of the Methodist Church in 1970. He entered politics and served as MP for 12 years before resigning from parliament in 1986. In 1995, he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela as deputy chair of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, serving under Chairman Archbishop Desmond Tutu. As chairperson of the Mauritius TJC, Boraine, 78 years old, was a man of determination and a perfectionist.
Jacques David
(1947-2017)
Jacques David started his career as a French Language teacher at Saint Joseph’s College and later worked as journalist for several newspapers (L’express, Le Mauricien, Advance) and chief editor of Le Quotidien. In 2006 he was Officer-in-charge of Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund with specific responsibility for monitoring of the nomination Dossier for the Inscription of Le Morne on the World Heritage List. From 1998 to 2000 he was Advisor to former Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam. His publication Mauritius The Slave Legacy (2010) is a notable reference book. As Commissioner, he dealt more specifically with land dispossession.
Benjamin Moutou
(1933-2017)
Moutou graduated with Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, (Paris IV), Sorbonne. He was a senior civil servant at the Ministry of Fisheries and Cooperatives. After his retirement, he became a public figure while alerting to the marginalization of the Creoles. He published extensively but Les Chrétiens de l’Ile Maurice (1996) is a seminal work in social anthropology on the history, cultural heritage, social, economic and political evolution of the different Christian groups in Mauritius. Moutou argued for the change of the appellation ‘General Population’ for ‘Creoles and other Christians’. As Commissioner, he showed keen interest in the study of the evolution of social justice.
Intercontinental Slavery Museum (ISM),
Mauritius LTD
Official Launch: Launched by the Prime Minister Hon. P. Jugnauth in November 2020.
Milestones: Cabinet decisions setting up ISM (April7, 2016, para.4); Concept Committee (May 17, 2019, para 9); Special Purpose Vehicle (December 20, 2019, para.8) for implementation of Phase I and Phase II; taking note of outcome of Public Consultation Process and recommendations (July 8, 2021, para.12)
Location: Original site of the Labourdonnais Military Hospital, Port Louis. Built in 1740 under the administration of Mahé de Labourdonnais, the Military Hospital was part of a fortified area called Bastion Labourdonnais. At that time, two cannons were placed at each entrance. The final design of the hospital was such that it could easily be converted into a warehouse if required. Thus, between 1736 and 1740, 40 Mozambican and Malagasy slaves and some West African slaves, belonging to the French East India Company, were brought to Isle de France to build the hospital. A dozen Indian masons and carpenters from Pondicherry and Karikal as well as French workers were also brought in. The main materials used in the erection of the hospital were corals and clay bricks and argamassa.
Board of Directors: Chairperson & Directors from Prime Minister’s Office (1), Ministry of Finance (1), Ministry of Arts & Cultural Heritage (1) & Experts related field (3).
Staffing: Officer in charge / Technical Coordinator (1), Administrative Assistant (1), Curator (1), Research Assistants (4), Researcher (1), Conservation workers. (2)
Objectives: Cultural preservation and scientific study of the phenomenon of slavery and slave trade in the Indian Ocean; promotion of cultural exchanges, culture of peace and union among peoples of several continents; curricular development, scientific research, as well as the production of educational and pedagogical materials; collection, inventory and preservation of oral traditions; better understanding of the transformations and cultural interactions that the tragedy of slavery generated; Human Rights and a more inclusive society; developing of cultural tourism across the South West Indian Ocean by the creation of slave heritage trails.
Website (in progress): Informative website since July 12, 2023 (https://ismmauritiusltd.govmu.org/)
Key events to date: Temporary Exhibition & Public Consultation Process (2020-2021), Bicentenary of execution of Ratsitatanina (1822-2022), slave ship Le Rubis and the enslaved people with first settlement of French colonizers (1722); Intl Human Rights Day with NGO ADAM (Alliance des Descendants Africains Malgaches); exhibition ‘Le Code Noir, Un édit déshumanisant’, talks on Toussaint Louverture, The Black Spartacus (Sudhir Hazareesingh) ; webinar on genealogy; launch The Dutch Slave Conspiracy in Dutch Mauritius, Part One by Joel Edouard.
Coming event: Grand Opening ‘Exposition de Préfiguration’.
References
https://www.unesco.org/en/days/slave-trade-remembrance
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ancient-soul/
Croucher, R., Houssart, M., Michel, D. (2017). ‘The Mauritian Truth and Justice Commission: Legitimacy, Political Negotiation and the Consequences of Slavery’. African Journal of International and Comparative Law 25.3 : 326-346, Edinburgh University Press.