Silent symbol

The battered statue in the middle of a war zone

Tom Phillips, Etienne Côté-Paluck

The Unknown Maroon faces west towards a wasteland of bullet-pocked buildings and litter-strewn streets. To the statue’s left, armoured cash transit vans race towards Portau-Prince’s waterfront as the sound of gunfire rings out. To its right sits a deserted school, whose principal was not long ago kidnapped, and a dilapidated concrete panel that once held a plaque honouring the rebel slave celebrated by the bronze sculpture. “In his deeds he was like a lion … and his memory will be blessed forever,” that tribute used to read. Nearly 60 years after its unveiling, the statue of the Unknown Maroon – or the Nèg Mawon as Haitians call it in Kreyòl – stands almost entirely alone on the frontline of a forgotten conflict. He has become one of the most powerful…

You're reading a preview of

Guardian Weekly (Digital) - 1 Issue, 21 March 2025

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.