Myth of poisoning slaves: the Ozenne high school teacher publishes his first historical thriller “The Shadow of Makendal”

Professor of History and Geography at the Ozenne high school in Toulouse, after passing through Mirande in the Gers, Jean-Louis Donnadieu published his first historical thriller with Éditions du 81. “L'Ombre de Makendal”, a captivating work anchored in the prosperous colony of Santo Domingo in the 18th century, explores the mysteries of a series of poisonings that struck the population. The protagonist, Doctor Vincent-Olivier Gouzenne, is called upon to investigate these disturbing deaths, gradually revealing a little-known part of French colonial history. “The history of Toussaint Louverture and the slave trade was taught to me by my African teacher, in CM1 in Benin, it never left me” remembers Jean-Louis Donnadieu. This specialist of the first French colonial empire has notably published a biography of Toussaint Louverture and signed scientific articles, “when I taught in the Gers, I was surprised to see that no one knew the history of Toussaint Louverture and the Count of Noé (born in Santo Domingo), while Toussaint Louverture's cane is in the Mirande museum.”

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A fictional and documented story

The teacher therefore decides, with his historical thriller project, to reach a wider audience. “The Shadow of Makendal” transports readers to the heart of slave plantations where, a few years before the French Revolution, tension between masters and slaves was at its height. In the background, the shadow of the infamous poisoner Makandal, executed fifteen years earlier, still looms large. “Most of the situations are inspired by real events” underlines the author. This historical setting offers an immersive and documented look at life in Santo Domingo, at a time when the colony dominated the global market for sugar and coffee. Jean-Louis Donnadieu thus offers a work combining entertainment and education, to discover a past which, although distant, finds resonance locally. “The Shadow of Makendal” is the first opus in a series on which the Toulouse resident is already working.