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1723 Letters patent
Exhibition at Villèle museum
19th December 2023 – 31st March 2024

To mark the Gran 20 désanm 2023 (20th December celebrations for 2023), the Villèle historical museum and the Reunion departmental archives are presenting the 1723 letters patent, more commonly referred to as the Black Code for the islands of Ile de France and Bourbon.

This legal code, consisting of 54 articles inspired by the one drawn up for the Caribbean islands in 1685, became applicable on Bourbon island as from 1723. During the period of slavery, the document determined the relations between masters and slaves as regards rights and obligations of each of the groups, including repressive measures. The main provisions concerned the recording of births, marriages and deaths, the exercise of religion, work and the civil incapacity of slaves.

The exhibition, presented in the gardens of the Villèle museum, can also be visited on line.

Visit the exhibition

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20 désanm (20th December)
Public holiday on Reunion island
1983-2023

A booklet created by the historian Gilles GAUVIN.

Since it was first celebrated in 2018, ‘Gran 20 Désanm’ (20th December celebrations), organised by the Departmental Council of Reunion on the site of the Villèle museum, notably aims to ensure wide dissemination using a range of supports, informing the public of the history of slavery on Reunion, its abolition, the traces it has left and also the celebration of the end of this dark period of our history.

The booklet is a contribution to this process. It was published to mark the 40th anniversary of the law of 30th June 1983, which led to the date of the announcement of abolition on Reunion Island becoming a public holiday.

The analyses made by the historian Gilles Gauvin throw light on these four decades that have seen the 20th December celebrations progressively and calmly becoming a part of the official calendar on the island, from both the cultural and memory point of view.

Consult the booklet