the essential
Saturday June 15 in the afternoon, the bronze bust of the leader of the Haitian revolution, Toussaint Louverture, was officially presented to Jean Dionis du Séjour, mayor of Agen.
It is to Sylvie Laurent-Pourcel that we owe the finalization of a project which led to the creation of this striking work. Particularly attached to Haitian culture, the director of the Au Bout des Fingers theater worked for nearly six years so that the sculptor Woodly Caymitte, known as Filipo, accompanied by the visual artist José Midi, could create this work. “A difficult story with ups and downs as it is true that it is not easy to find funding for cultural projects,” Jean Dionis of Le Séjour was to point out.
The future location is becoming clearer
It now remains to find the place where the bust of General Toussaint Louverture will be enthroned who, although he had never been to Agen, has strong ties to our town through his family, in particular his wife Suzanne who died there in 1816. The backyard of the town hall, recently renovated, seems to be unanimously appreciated. A neighboring building was the home of Agenais Jean-Baptiste Chaudordy (diplomat and deputy for Lot-et-Garonne 1781-1849) who warmly welcomed the family of Toussaint Louverture. It is the Municipal Council which will decide on the location. The town hall of Agen will finance the base as committed by the mayor of Agen.
In the coming weeks, the work will be exhibited in the Municipal Archives before moving to its final location.
“A family of slaves was welcomed in Agen. We must maintain this memory of our history of welcome,” insisted Claude Florentiny, municipal councilor, who dreams of seeing a full-length statue of Suzanne Toussaint Louverture be, in turn, erected in Agen.
