The process of choosing artists for the creation of a national slavery memorial in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris has come to a standstill. At issue: the registration of 200,000 names of freed slaves which was not sufficiently taken into account.
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The call for applications for the creation of a national slavery memorial in the Tuileries Garden in Paris was canceled on Monday March 8, 2021. Several associations opposed the projects proposed by the artists selected by the Ministry of Culture.
At the heart of the controversy: the registration of 200,000 names of freed slaves which was not sufficiently taken into account by artists. An element of the specifications which is nevertheless essential for Emmanuel Gordien of the Marche 98 Committee.
The activist therefore said he was satisfied with the decision taken by the Elysee and now expects a strong gesture from the President of the Republic.
The least we can do is write the names since we have all found them through hard and titanic work by the activists of my association. I do not understand that we can select artists who have not taken into account this major factor. And for me it’s a good thing that the president blocked all of this.
Gaëlle Choisne, Franco-Haitian visual artist
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Gaëlle Choisne, Franco-Haitian visual artist, was one of the five finalists for this memorial project. She had imagined an original device while showing her desire to take into account the specifications.
I had suggested a way to include some names. Not 200,000 but with a sound installation. I am currently working with an association which teaches French to asylum seekers. So the idea was to get them to collaborate and offer to say the names.
The artists are not out of the race but the project must be reviewed, said the Elysee, a few days ago to the newspaper Le Monde. In the meantime, Emmanuel Gordien has another date in mind, May 23, when he awaits a strong statement from Emmanuel Macron.
Let France say here “I put in the honor these people whom France considered as slaves despite the declaration that we had enacted and voted”
The call for nominations for the memorial dedicated to the victims of slavery should be re-launched soon.
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