Slave revolts on the high seas and maritime maroonage in colonial Mauritius
UNESCO's International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition was first commemorated in Haiti on August 23, 1998, and in Senegal in 1999. Mauritius began commemorating and recognizing the day's historical importance in 2005. The quest for freedom by enslaved ancestors included resistance to capture and revolts on slave ships, despite the overwhelming odds against them. These revolts were often unsuccessful due to the heavily armed and numerous crew members. One notable revolt occurred on July 29, 1783, aboard the French slave ship 'Pintade' near Guilwa, Mozambique. Two hundred forty-three enslaved people revolted, injuring the second in command and killing his servant. Many insurgents escaped in a canoe, while others remaining on board were killed. In May 1780, on a Portuguese brig en route to Ile de France, enslaved individuals led by Bororo revolted. The ship's pilot, Le Bel, suppressed the revolt, killing many and executing Bororo. Thirty-seven insurgents died. Another revolt happened on November 2, 1803, on the French slave ship 'Navigateur,' where four captives threw themselves into the sea. Beyond shipboard revolts, enslaved people also resisted through auto-destruction, preferring death to enslavement. Maritime maroonage, or escaping by sea, also occurred in colonial Mauritius, similar to the Caribbean. However, in Mauritius, many attempted to return to their homelands rather than other islands. Dutch records from 1706 indicate enslaved individual
