Le Marron Inconnu (Port-au-Prince, Haiti)
Dublin Core
Title
Le Marron Inconnu (Port-au-Prince, Haiti)
Subject
Subject (Topic)
Abolition of slavery
Enslaved persons--Emancipation--Haiti
Haiti--Port-au-Prince
Maroons--Haiti
Public art
Public sculpture
Slavery--Haiti
Transatlantic slave trade
Abolition of slavery
Enslaved persons--Emancipation--Haiti
Haiti--Port-au-Prince
Maroons--Haiti
Public art
Public sculpture
Slavery--Haiti
Transatlantic slave trade
Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture
Commemorative sculpture
Description
The bronze sculpture depicts a man, clad only in torn shorts, kneeling on his right leg. His left leg is outstretched behind him; a broken iron chain lays on the ground around his left foot. He arches his torso back as he holds a conch shell to his lips with his left hand, tilting his head upward. His right hand holds a machete at the ground. The statue was created to commemorate the abolition of slavery in Haiti.
In 1989, the United Nations used the image on postage stamps to commemorate Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms."
In 1989, the United Nations used the image on postage stamps to commemorate Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms."
Creator
Mangonès, Albert, 1917–2002
Source
Photograph: Wikipedia
Date
September 22, 1967
Contributor
François Duvalier (patron); Amerigo Marco Montagutelli and art students at the Académie des Beaux-Arts; Andrisson Fils-Aimé (model)
Rights
Ministry of Culture and Communication, Haitian Copyright Office (BHDA), 31, rue Cheriez, Canape-Vert, Port-au-Prince, Haiti (West Indies)
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Visual Arts-Sculpture
Coverage
Place du Marron Inconnu, Champ de Mars, HT6110 Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Alternative Title
Neg Marron; Nèg Mawon
Has Part
Bronze plaque on front of statue:
Text derives from a passage from Book of Maccabees (3:3–9).
Ce fut lui qui accrut la grandeur de son peuple. Lui, qui s’arma du glaive et de la torche, tel un géant ; Lui, qui fit de ses armes un abri pour les siens. Semblable au lion, par ses grandes actions ; Il harcela partout ceux qui le tourmentaient ; brûla leurs champs, détruisit leurs demeures ; Ses exploits irritèrent des rois ; mais firent, cependant, la joie de tout un peuple ; Sa mémoire sera éternellement en bénédiction…
Dr. François Duvalier
Président a Vie de la République
22 September 1967
English translation:
It was he who increased the greatness of his people. He who armed himself with sword and torch, like a giant; he who made his weapons a shelter for his people. Like a lion in his great deeds, he harassed those who tormented him everywhere, burned their fields, destroyed their homes. His exploits angered kings, but brought joy to an entire people. His memory will be blessed forever...
(L'histoire controversée du Marron inconnu, https://ayibopost.com/lhistoire-controversee-du-marron-inconnu/)
Text derives from a passage from Book of Maccabees (3:3–9).
Ce fut lui qui accrut la grandeur de son peuple. Lui, qui s’arma du glaive et de la torche, tel un géant ; Lui, qui fit de ses armes un abri pour les siens. Semblable au lion, par ses grandes actions ; Il harcela partout ceux qui le tourmentaient ; brûla leurs champs, détruisit leurs demeures ; Ses exploits irritèrent des rois ; mais firent, cependant, la joie de tout un peuple ; Sa mémoire sera éternellement en bénédiction…
Dr. François Duvalier
Président a Vie de la République
22 September 1967
English translation:
It was he who increased the greatness of his people. He who armed himself with sword and torch, like a giant; he who made his weapons a shelter for his people. Like a lion in his great deeds, he harassed those who tormented him everywhere, burned their fields, destroyed their homes. His exploits angered kings, but brought joy to an entire people. His memory will be blessed forever...
(L'histoire controversée du Marron inconnu, https://ayibopost.com/lhistoire-controversee-du-marron-inconnu/)
Extent
141.72 x 94.44 in. (359.97 x 239.88 cm)
Medium
Bronze
Bibliographic Citation
Payton, Claire Antone. "The Political Lives of Haiti's Marron Inconnu." Radical History Review, issue 152, (May 2025): 70-90.
Bell, Beverly. "Chapter 4: Maroon Man: Social Movements Throughout History." In Fault Lines: Views Across Haiti's Divide, 32-40. Cornell University Press, 2013.
Conduru, Roberto. "Transnational Counter-monuments: Anti-Slavery and Pro-Freedom Memorials." ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, July 30, 2021. Accessed January 28, 2025. https://revista.drclas.harvard.edu/transnational-counter-monuments/.
Rights Holder
Renée Ater
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Sculpture
Physical Dimensions
141.72 x 94.44 in. (359.9688 cm x 239.8776 cm)
Collection
Citation
Mangonès, Albert, 1917–2002, “Le Marron Inconnu (Port-au-Prince, Haiti),” Contemporary Monuments to the Slave Past, accessed October 1, 2026, https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1141.