For years, the pirates of Reunion have been questioning, intriguing…, even giving free rein to fascinating stories, even pushing some people to go in search of (perhaps) hidden treasures. Pirates whose fascinating stories the city of Saint-Paul tells at the heart of an exhibition located at the cultural center Sudel Fuma. So, embark on a thrilling adventure! (Illustration photo: rb/www.imazpress.com)
Three centuries ago, from 1687 to 1724, renowned pirate captains landed on the shores of Bourbon Island (Reunion). “They sometimes took advantage of the opportunity to disembark dozens of crewmen in search of amnesty and an honest life”, tells us William Cally, author-director and curator of the exhibition “Pirates of Bourbon Island “.
Many of these pirates will never leave. “They will marry and establish a family on the island, thus contributing to its original settlement”, he tells us.
In all, during these few decades, there were nine landings of clearly identified pirate ships. “Genealogical research has also made it possible to unearth island archives, no less than sixty surnames of these amnesty pirates who remained on the island.”
“A famous anecdote relates that the English pirate Henry Avery, nicknamed the king of pirates and to whom Daniel Defoe devotes a chapter in his famous General History of the Most Famous Pirates, landed in Bourbon in 1695 with 70 buccaneers covered in gold. A small ten will remain, benefiting from an amnesty”, specifies Charles-Mézence Briseul, writer expert in pirates of the region, and guide during the exhibition.
Pirates whose descendants are numerous in Reunion. Clain, Picard, Robert, Bachelier, Ducheman, Baillif, Léger… “Our exhibition takes visitors on this fascinating investigation of island settlement, to discover the identity and history of these pirate ancestors. It is often a surprise and an emotion for visitors to Reunion to discover, at the bend of a sign, a pirate ancestor…”, confides William Cally.
– “La Buse”, a legendary pirate –
Among the most famous pirates, Olivier Levasseur known as “La Buse”, whose burial is in the marine cemetery of Saint-Paul.
“His story, which I try to retrace with precision in my book La Buse, the biography of the greatest French pirate, is literally incredible”, confides Charles-Mézence Briseul. “Born in Calais in 1695, Olivier Le Vasseur, known as La Buse, pirate from 1716 in the Caribbean by multiplying the catches but also the disappointments alongside the most famous English pirate captains such as Benjamin Hornigold and Samuel Bellamy”, specifies the writer .
“We then find La Buse in the Gulf of Guinea then in the Indian Ocean where he allies himself, among others, with the English pirate captain Taylor. The catches will be modest and the fate will be on the two accomplices who will lack die of hunger and thirst after being chased from the coasts of India and suffering a terrible storm La Buse and Taylor reached Bourbon in April 1721, where by extraordinary chance they surprised a storm-damaged Portuguese vessel in the bay of Saint-Denis”, says the author.
“On board, the viceroy of the Portuguese Indies and above all an exceptional cargo: gold, precious stones, vases of very great value…”.
“A colorful battle ensued which the pirates won. “It was one of the most important captures of what has been called the golden age of piracy. La Buse and his accomplices then withdrew to Madagascar and then separated. La Buse will end up miserably in Madagascar after having refused the amnesty of the governor of Bourbon and will be captured in 1730 by Lieutenant Dhermitte who brings him back to Bourbon where he will be tried and hanged”, continues the man passionate about pirates.
“Author of a multitude of lootings, this French pirate has built a solid reputation under the disturbing and mysterious nickname of “La Buse”, says the one who is also the curator of the exhibition.
“His career as a pirate is remarkable for its longevity and the number of his captures”, notes Charles-Mézence Briseul.
This pirate has now entered into legend and into the imaginary pantheon of the islands of the Indian Ocean.
– In the secrets of the pirates –
A pirate who contains a few secrets, such as “the cryptocurrency that La Buse would have launched to the crowd before dying with indications of the location of his treasure”, says Charles-Mézence Briseul.
“After extensive research, I have come to the conclusion that it is a historico-literary hoax, very poetic moreover. The first mention of the cryptogram is found in Charles de La Roncière’s book, Le mysterious filibuster, published in 1934… Any attentive reader of this strange little book will only be able to perceive the humor and the irony of its author”, specifies the writer.
But then, these pirates who surveyed the seas of the Indian Ocean and came to Reunion, do they have hidden treasures, other secrets? If we don’t know them, “it may be that they don’t have one!”, Underlines the author.
“All the pirate imagination is largely inherited from the nineteenth century and comes to us from writers like Edgar Allan Poe with his short story The Golden Beetle or Robert Louis Stevenson with Treasure Island. Cinema, by suite, has largely contributed to the development of this romantic and libertarian imagination. The pirate does not hide treasure, he seizes booty which he spends as quickly as possible. It is therefore necessary to try to show proof, as much as to do possible, pragmatism and logic to try to understand the pirates who are above all bandits who play in the margins of the law”, continues Charles-Mézence Briseul.
– Pirates who fascinate with their history –
But then, why do pirates and especially “La Buse” still fascinate Reunionese?
“La Buse” died in Reunion in 1730. “He is therefore linked to our island in a visceral and unwavering way. The fascination for this pirate, whose figure and legend have crossed the centuries, finds its reason in several things according to me,” says William Cally.
“The first thing is that his death by hanging symbolically marked the end of the era of Western pirates in the Indian Ocean – a period of about fifty years – which was brief but particularly thrilling. ” The second thing, “is that this historical figure combines practically all the imaginary clichés of the figure of the pirate. With La Buse, we go from the extraordinary adventurer to the bloodthirsty sea bandit, passing through the myth of a treasure hidden… It’s quite incredible!”
“La Buse” therefore truly embodies the figure of the Pirate par excellence”, launches the author-director of Kapali Studios.
“La Buse fascinates because of the legend or rather the legends that surround it: the treasure, the cryptogram, its false grave in the marine cemetery of Saint-Paul”, notes Charles-Mézence Briseul. “Many people have walked, and continue to do so, the ravines of Reunion in search of its treasure, the most famous of them being Bibique. It is part of Reunionese culture.”
“And if the pirates speak to our child’s soul, they also nourish our political aspirations. We imagine them loving freedom, living far from the laws, recreating in their ship and on their islands a utopian society. The myth of Libertalia, republic an egalitarian pirate who would have existed in Madagascar, is still very much alive. The reality was certainly very different, but that is not the important thing. Pirates help us to know who we are and to know our aspirations. Historical rigor n ‘not forbid myths to live their own life’, concludes the writer.
– The pirates invest the Sudel Fuma cultural space –
The city of Saint Paul – labeled city of art and history – has also decided to put these pirates in the spotlight on the occasion of an exhibition entitled “The Pirates of Bourbon Island”.
An exhibition that takes place at the Sudel Fuma cultural space until September 3, 2023, as part of the 360th anniversary of the settlement of Reunion, organized in collaboration with Kapali Studios.
The opportunity for Reunionese to discover a unique collection of works related to the world of pirates.
ma.m/www.imazpress.com/redac@ipreunion.com
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