The Journal of Negro History, Volume 6, 1921Various
History
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 6, 1921
Various
African Americans -- Periodicals
It was agitation of this type which brought about what may be
considered the definite contributions of Remy Ollier to Mauritian
life: the creation of the Municipality, the Chambers of Commerce and
Agriculture, the opening of credits to the Negroes by the Mauritian
Commercial Bank, the reforms at the Royal College respecting the
English Scholarships, and the employment of men of color in the
departments of the government. His attacks upon capital punishment and
barbarous prison treatment resulted in laws which mitigated the former
harsh conditions, and his criticism of the banking institutions in the
crisis of 1843 led to considerable reform in that quarter. His bitter
attacks on political and social conditions made many enemies. One
evening, he was waylaid by several assailants and given a whipping. He
was imprisoned, but he wrote in prison as well as elsewhere.
His political activity was short, for in the early part of 1845, about
two years after his appearance in journalism, he died at the early age
of 28 years, after a short illness due to an inflammation of the
intestines. Stoically he bore the bitter effects of his courageous
utterances; and when death came to him after only a short period of
endeavor, both in the interests of his own people, and also of the
weaker classes of all groups, the success of his efforts had just
begun to appear. The name of Remy Ollier in Mauritian history,
therefore, symbolizes perseverance in the face of great obstacles,
agitation as an instrument of social progress, patriotism as it
relates to the island of Mauritius, and justice respecting all classes
and races. In 1916, the centenary of his birth was celebrated in Port
Louis. Then it was that the city and island demonstrated its love and
gratitude for Ollier, because of the services which he rendered the
colony in general and the population of color in particular. Remy
Ollier was one of the unknown leaders in the cause of freedom.
CHARLES H. WESLEY
FOOTNOTES:
[1] This sketch is drawn largely from a pamphlet, presented to the
Association for the study of Negro Life and History by the author A.
F. Fokeer. The author states that he has not had access to all the
material which he desired to use, for when he applied to the
municipality for one of the books concerning Ollier, he received an
answer stating "that books written by Mauritians, and published in the
colony are by no means to be lent to anybody." Therefore, the source
from which most of our information is secured is _A Biographical
Sketch of the Life, Work and Character of Remy Ollier_ by A. F.
Fokeer, published by the General Printing and Stationery Cy. Ld., 23
Church Street, Mauritius. 1917.
[2] Earlier figures are not available.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account