Statue de François Mahé de La Bourdonnais in Saint-Denis

The Monument à François Mahé de La Bourdonnais is a monumental bronze statue located in Saint-Denis, Réunion. It represents Admiral Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, who served as governor of the islands of France and Bourbon from 1733 to 1746. Created by sculptor Louis Rochet between 1852 and 1855, the work was exhibited at the 1855 Universal Exhibition and erected on August 15, 1856, in the Place du Gouvernement. It has been listed on the additional inventory of historical monuments since August 14, 2000.

Starting in the 2010s, the statue became a point of contention. Activists frequently vandalized it with paint to protest Mahé de La Bourdonnais's role in the slave trade. The collective Laproptaz Nout Péi denounced the statue as an exaltation of crime. The Mayor of Saint-Denis, Ericka Bareigts, noted that the number of slaves on the island rose from 648 in 1735 to 2612 in 1740 under Mahé's rule. While she argued the statue should be kept, she believed it should be moved to a different location.

In April 2023, local authorities announced the statue would be moved to the Caserne Lambert to house the headquarters of the Southern Indian Ocean Armed Forces. The association des Amis de Mahé de la Bourbonnais protested the move and sought legal action. Following a permit for renovation, the statue was moved on December 4, 2023. While the association Fort Réunion attempted to annul this authorization, the request was rejected by the administrative court in February 2024.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons