{"id":3212,"date":"2020-09-24T11:34:21","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T09:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/?p=3212"},"modified":"2022-02-21T07:51:45","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T06:51:45","slug":"the-strange-story-of-furcy-madeleine-1786-1856an-exhibition-at-the-villele-museumdecember-11th-2019-april-30th-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/the-strange-story-of-furcy-madeleine-1786-1856an-exhibition-at-the-villele-museumdecember-11th-2019-april-30th-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Strange Story of Furcy Madeleine: 1786-1856\u2019an exhibition at the Vill\u00e8le MuseumDecember 11th, 2019 – April 30th, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

Organised by the Vill\u00e8le Historical Museum, in partnership with the Departmental Archives of Reunion Island, this exhibition retraces the unique history of a slave called Furcy.<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

In 1817, on Bourbon Island (Reunion Island), thirty-one year old slave Furcy brought legal proceedings against his master Joseph Lory before the Saint-Denis District Court, contesting his status as a slave and claiming his \u2018ingenuity,\u2019 or rather his freedom of birth.<\/p>\n

With the help of his free sister Constance Jean-Baptiste, Louis Gilbert-Boucher, public prosecutor at the Royal Court of Bourbon in 1817, and Jacques Sully-Brunet, a young lawyer and hearing officer at the Royal Court of Bourbon, Furcy embarked on a long fight against colonial justice that would lead him to imprisonment on Bourbon Island, exile in Mauritius as a slave, then freedom and legal proceedings in the highest courts of France.<\/p>\n

Furcy’s fight was based on the following arguments: his mother was of Indian origin and not a Negress from Africa; having spent time in France, she should no longer have been a slave. Born after her stay in France, Furcy himself should therefore have been a free citizen at birth.<\/p>\n

This trial lasted twenty-seven years, finally ending on December 23rd 1843 in the Royal Court of Paris with the following decision: \u201cFurcy was born in a state of freedom and ingenuity\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Research into Furcy\u2019s story<\/h3>\n

This exhibition is the culmination of research work carried out by anthropologist and historian Gilles G\u00e9rard, who wrote the script.
\nIt is also based on the work of Sue Peabody, an American historian and academic, author of Madeleine’s Children: Family, Freedom, Secrets, and Lies in France’s Indian Ocean Colonies and of researcher J\u00e9r\u00e9my Boutier, author of a thesis entitled La question de l’assimilation politico-juridique de La R\u00e9union \u00e0 la m\u00e9tropole, 1815-1906 (Universit\u00e9 d’Aix-Marseille) and of several articles on Furcy.<\/p>\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/S\u00e9quence-3-Sue-Peabody-SST.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n
https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Boutier_eng_sub.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The challenges of this exhibition<\/h3>\n
https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Barbier_eng_sub.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

The aim of the exhibition is to use all available sources to give an insight into the unique, prodigious and complex life of Furcy, even if it means re-establishing facts and breaking down a few preconceptions: he was in fact not a militant abolitionist, and would end up with his own slaves, living the rest of his life in relative opulence.<\/p>\n

It also aims to place the strange story of Furcy in the context of the respective colonial societies of Bourbon Island and Mauritius and to put the spotlight on Furcy himself, correcting history\u2019s often misconceived representations of him.<\/p>\n

The visit covers the various events of his 27-year legal battle: abuse of power, forged documents, and pressure exerted on Furcy and his family\u2026<\/p>\n

Archival documents for each of the four sections of the exhibition are highlighted to support the historians’ arguments, and information boards for each room provide further information and facts.<\/p>\n

Alongside this, there is a second section entitled \u2018Furcy Today\u2019, with screens showing interviews with the many artists who have addressed Furcy\u2019s story in recent years.<\/p>\n

Created by designer S\u00e9bastien Sailly, characters are shown as silhouettes throughout the different rooms, helping the visitor to identify all the protagonists of a plot which unfolded across India, Bourbon Island, Mauritius and France: these include Furcy, of which no physical representation is known to this day, his sister Constance, a free black woman, his mother Madeleine born in Chandernagor, Philippe Desbassayns de Richemont, son of Ombline Desbassayns, prosecutor Boucher, and finally Joseph Lory, Furcy\u2019s master…<\/p>\n

Characters, places, documents which have been lost and found, doctored papers: no stone has been left unturned in reveal this strange story to museum visitors.<\/p>\n

Contemporary resonances of the Furcy case<\/h3>\n

In Reunion Island, Furcy\u2019s story may have been revealed to us through the work of historian Hubert Gerbeau in 1990, but it wasn\u2019t until Sophie Bazin and Johary Ravaloson (alias Arius and Mary Batiskaf) created Libert\u00e9 Plastik back in 1998 that Furcy became a symbol of the fight for freedom.<\/p>\n

The publication of Mohammed A\u00efssaoui’s book, L’affaire de l’esclave Furcy, (Prix Renaudot 2010), is another element to be taken into account to understand the appearance in the 2000s of the collective movement Lib\u00e8r nout’ Furcy, (Free Our Furcy) and the emergence of various creations by artists from here and abroad: Hassane Kouyat\u00e9\u2019s play L’affaire de l’esclave Furcy, Fer6 by Francky Lauret and Erick Isana, the draft of an animated film by Laurent M\u00e9d\u00e9a, the song L’or de Furcy by musician Kaf Malbar, or the sculpture by Marco Ah Kiem at the Barachois in Saint-Denis.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Libert\u00e9 Plastik
\nArius and Mary Batiskaf<\/em>
\n1998<\/h4>\n

From May 1998 to May 1999, Arius and Mary Batiskaf (whose real names are Sophie Bazin and Johary Ravaloson) toured around Reunion Island with a stage re-enactment of Furcy\u2019s trial, with actors performing from within a cage, travelling around to perform in ten different venues. Conceived and written by Johary Ravaloson, around hundred actors helped to bring this trial to life.
\n150 years after the abolition of slavery, Furcy\u2019s story painted the hero in a positive light, highlighting the various power struggles which were not always clear.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Ravaloson_Eng_Sub.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

L\u2019Affaire de l\u2019Esclave Furcy
\nMohammed A\u00efssaoui<\/em>
\n2010<\/h4>\n

L’affaire de l’esclave Furcy is a historical essay by French writer and journalist Mohammed A\u00efssaoui, published in 2010 by Gallimard. The book has received numerous awards, including the 2010 Renaudot Prize for historical essays and the 2010 RFO Book Prize.
\nIt was this fictionalised account by Mohammed A\u00efssaoui’s that first revealed Furcy\u2019s story and his fight for freedom to the general public.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/aissaoui_eng_sub.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

L\u2019Affaire de l\u2019Esclave Furcy
\nDirected by Hassane Kassi Kouyat\u00e9 and <\/em>
\nPatrick Le Mauff. With Hassane Kassi Kouyat\u00e9.<\/em>
\n2013<\/h4>\n

\u201cHassane K. Kouyat\u00e9 describes the trial and the research carried out by journalist Mohammed A\u00efssaoui. As an actor, he plays in turn the many characters of this astonishing affair in a raw and compelling way\u201d. (Jeune Afrique)<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/KOUYAT\u00c9_ENG.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

LorDeFurcy
\nKaf Malbar<\/em>
\n2014<\/h4>\n

Hailing from the \u2018Cow-Boy\u2019 district of Le Chaudron (Saint-Denis, Reunion Island) Singer Kaf Malbar\u2019s song pays tribute to Furcy\u2019s battle. His popularity, particularly among young people, has helped to spread the story of Furcy across Reunion Island even further.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Kaf-Malbar_ENGREMASTERED.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

L\u2019affaire de l\u2019esclave Furcy
\nTiktak Production<\/em>
\n2015<\/h4>\n

Reunionese company Tiktak Production acquired the rights to adapt Mohammed A\u00efssaoui\u2019s book, L\u2019Affaire Furcy. Directed by director Serge \u00c9lissalde using real images from Reunion Island, the scenes were shot using different techniques developed for the occasion. Furcy’s face is inspired by the features of actor Camille Bessi\u00e8re.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Medea_eng_sub.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fer6
\nWritten by Francky Lauret, played by \u00c9rick Isana<\/em>
\n2016<\/h4>\n

Novelist Francky Lauret creates a dialogue between Furcy and other slaves sharing his cell in the Juliette Dodu prison in Saint-Denis. Alone on stage, \u00c9rick Isana takes on the role of each of the characters.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Francky-Lauret-et-Erick-Isana_ENGREMASTERED.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sculpture of Furcy
\nCreated by Marco Ah-Kiem<\/em>
\n2018<\/h4>\n

The sculptor from Ilet Quinquina (commune of Sainte-Clotilde, Reunion Island), and creator of numerous works on the subject of slavery, celebrates the memory of Furcy with a sculpted ensemble piece, erected on the Barachois seafront of Saint-Denis (Reunion Island).<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Ah_Kiem_Eng_sub.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Furcy collection in the Departmental Archives of Reunion Island<\/h3>\n

Historical research about Furcy has been notably furthered thanks to the purchase of the \u2018Furcy Collection\u2019 by the Departmental Council back in 2005. This collection is in fact the documents and papers of Louis Gilbert Boucher, Attorney General of the Royal Court of Bourbon, Furcy’s main supporter.<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Organised by the Vill\u00e8le Historical Museum, in partnership with the Departmental Archives of Reunion Island, this exhibition retraces the unique history of a slave called Furcy.   In 1817, on Bourbon Island (Reunion Island), thirty-one year old slave Furcy brought legal proceedings against his master Joseph Lory before the Saint-Denis District Court, contesting his status … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “\u2018The Strange Story of Furcy Madeleine: 1786-1856\u2019
an exhibition at the Vill\u00e8le Museum
December 11th, 2019 – April 30th, 2020″<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portail-esclavage-reunion.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}