FRG26 MC SHARE Liberty Macte visit

The ACTe Memorial, located in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, champions freedom through its history, architecture, exhibitions, and the universal message it conveys. Inaugurated in 2015 on the former site of the Darboussier sugar factory, this Caribbean center for the expression and remembrance of the slave trade and slavery was conceived as a place of memory, reflection, and empowerment. Its primary objective is to recall the suffering caused by slavery while highlighting the struggles waged for human dignity, equality, and freedom. As part of an Erasmus project dedicated to the values ​​of Olympism, citizenship, and cultural openness, students and teachers had the opportunity to visit the ACTe Memorial on May 2, 2026. This educational outing was a highlight of the project, allowing participants to discover an emblematic site in Guadeloupe's history and to reflect together on the universal values ​​of freedom, respect, and solidarity. During the visit, the students explored independently using audio guides that presented the various exhibition rooms. Through historical documents, audiovisual presentations, period artifacts, and works of art, they gained a better understanding of the living conditions of slaves, the workings of the slave trade, and the resistance movements of enslaved people. The ACTe Memorial primarily champions freedom by placing the memory of African slaves deported to the Americas at its heart. For centuries, millions of men, women, and children were deprived of their freedom, torn from their land, and enslaved. By recounting this painful history, the museum refuses to forget and gives a voice to those who were silenced. This historical recognition is a form of liberation, as it allows the descendants of slaves to better understand their past, their identity, and the struggles that led to the abolition of slavery. The very architecture of the building symbolizes this quest for freedom. The ACTe Memorial is covered by a vast black metal structure representing the roots of a cursed fig tree, a symbolic tree of the Antilles. These roots evoke both the suffering of the past and the deep roots of Caribbean peoples in their history. But at the center of the building, the silver color symbolizes light, hope, and rebirth. This contrast between darkness and light represents the passage from oppression to freed Through its permanent and temporary exhibitions, the ACTe Memorial also demonstrates that freedom is a universal struggle. The museum does not simply recount the history of slavery in the French West Indies; it connects this history to other forms of oppression around the world: colonization, segregation, racism, discrimination, and human rights violations. This approach allowed the students to link the museum to the themes explored in their Erasmus project, particularly cultural diversity, human rights, and the development of a European citizenship open to the world. The ACTe Memorial also champions cultural and identity freedom. By celebrating Afro-Caribbean cultures, traditions, languages, music, beliefs, and the resistance of peoples descended from slaves, it affirms that these cultures have survived despite oppression