In MAO: The Story of a Personal Quest
It was on Good Friday that I decided to explore the An Mao Heritage site. I was warmly welcomed by Mr. Pierre-Yves Panor and his charming wife. This history enthusiast, who had returned to his hometown, began to question his own history and started researching his ancestors. He was able to find in the Lise archives the person who gave birth to his family. This discovery led to a series of questions: “Who was she? What was she like?” This ultimately resulted in the creation of the An Mao Heritage site. Where does the name An Mao come from? This name inherited from the past simply refers to the Mao. I learned that there were three types of Mao: the maonwe, the maoblan, and the maobaba. It is a space that welcomed runaway slaves (the term “marron” refers to a runaway slave), a true place of memory, transmission, and reflection for a more beautiful humanity through the eyes of a passionate Marinois.
My discovery of the site
I was lucky enough to visit this place in the company of a very friendly group of tourists. From the entrance, the tone was set: “I reject any history that confines me to the past, resentments, desires, and violence, the desire to punish or avenge. The only history I accept is the history of human progress. The history that I make my own is that of all those who have fought for the triumph of freedom and fraternity.” The tour begins with a brief history lesson on the abolition of slavery, the triangular trade, and the spice trade. I selected what I considered to be the highlights of this visit, starting with the garden that gathers medicinal plants used by the ancients in the hills (Job’s tears to tonify the spleen and drain moisture in case of water retention, Fonsan for insufficient menstruation and tension, Sidjin to protect oneself from the sun, and the root was used to make Caribbean baskets…), I discovered some plants that I didn’t know, but that now belong to Martinique’s heritage, our famous rimed razié that can now be purchased at the pharmacy. Then we entered the garden of love (you can write a wish on a leaf and throw it in the air, the plant that will grow from this leaf will strengthen your love according to the ancestors’ legend), I found it very romantic, of course I played along, but I won’t tell you my wish. Mr. Panor also wanted to pay tribute to Aimé Césaire, the founder of the concept of “negritude,” who inspired him in his quest for identity with the corner of the balisiers (the logo of the Martinican Progressive Party being represented by a stylized balisier flower), the memorial to the abolition of slavery, and the utensil garden. We were honored to have a musical interlude from Mr. Panor himself. The visit ended with a little tour of the souvenir shop run by his charming wife. I must admit that I didn’t see the time go by.
You will have understood that more than a simple tourist visit, it is a human experience that I am sure will enrich you.
