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  3. 97300 Cayenne

  4. Statue of Victor Schoelcher

Statue of Victor Schoelcher

Statue of Victor Schoelcher

    1 Place Victor Schoelcher
    97300 Cayenne
Statue de Victor Schoelcher
Statue de Victor Schoelcher
Statue de Victor Schoelcher
Statue de Victor Schoelcher
Statue de Victor Schoelcher
Crédit photo : Raybx973 (d ·contributions) - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1800
1900
2000
1848
Abolition of slavery
1896
Creation of the statue
14 juillet 1897
Inauguration in Cayenne
1995
Historic Monument Protection
2017
First degradation
juillet 2020
Statue scrubbing
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The statue of Victor Schoelcher, in its entirety, including its base, located in Victor Schoelcher Square, at the intersection of Louis Blanc Streets, Dr Sainte-Rose and Christophe-Colomb, a non-cadastre building, located on the AC section: classification by order of 9 March 1999

Key figures

Victor Schoelcher - Abolitionist and politician Inspiring the decree of abolition of 1848.
Louis-Ernest Barrias - Sculptor Author of the statue in 1896.
Gustave Leblanc-Barbedienne - Founder Responsible for bronze cast iron.
Henri Éloi Danel - Governor of Guyana in 1897 Inaugurate the statue.
Patrick Chamoiseau - Writer Criticism of schoelcherism and statue.

Origin and history

Victor Schoelcher's statue in Cayenne is a tribute to his role in the abolition of slavery in France in 1848. Made in bronze by Louis-Ernest Barrias in 1896, it was inaugurated in 1897 on Victor Schœlcher Square, then French colony. The work depicts Schoelcher, dressed in a redingote, guiding a free slave, dressed in a simple pagne, symbolizing the freedom found.

The statue has been protected from historical monuments since 1995, but has been criticized for its paternalistic aesthetics, minimizing the role of slaves in their own liberation. Between 2017 and 2020, she was vandalized on several occasions, notably in response to social movements in Guyana and the murder of George Floyd. In July 2020, it was debunked and removed from its location.

Originally installed on a strategic square near the former Banque de Guiana, the statue was a gathering place to celebrate the abolition of slavery and the national feast. Since 2020, it has been stored in a municipal warehouse awaiting restoration, while its empty base remains on the square. The original plaster of the statue is exhibited at the Bourbon-Lancy Museum in Saône-et-Loire.

The statue was classified as a historic monument in 1999, but its iconography was criticized for its colonial and assimilationist approach. It illustrates tensions around the memory of slavery and the decolonization of public space. In 2024, a temporary statue representing the peoples of Guyana was installed at its former location, reflecting a desire for historical re-appropriation.

Victor Schoelcher, although little related to Guyana, was honoured for his role in the commission to abolish slavery. The decree of 27 April 1848, promulgated in Guyana on 10 June, is commemorated every year. The statue of Cayenne, first erected in his honour, inspired other similar monuments in the Caribbean, also disputed.

The deterioration of the statue is part of a broader context of questioning colonial symbols. In 2020, Christophe-Colomb Street, adjacent to the square, was renamed Rue des Peuples autochtones, marking a recognition of Amerindian populations and a distancization with colonial heritage.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum

Nearby establishments