1 January 1804 In Gonaïves, J.J. Dessalines proclaims Haiti’s independence, signaling the formation of the world’s first black republic. The Neg Mawon statue is a powerful an artistic representation of a country. Le Negre Marron, or in Creole, Neg Mawon. Translated into English, it’s The Black Maroon. In any language, it's simply amazing.
Commissioned by the Duvalier government to commemorate the landmark slave revolt against France that won Haiti her freedom in 1804, the statue was produced by Haitian sculptor/artist Albert Mangones in the late-1960’s.
It’s an extremely moving piece – the left leg extended with a broken shackle at the ankle denoting the hard-fought freedom, a machete in the right hand showing the strength to fight, and the conch shell at the lips harkening to the old and oft-used method of alerting the masses.
