Napoleon’s troublesome legacy
On the bicentenary of the former emperor’s death, those in France’s overseas territories remember a tyrant who reversed the abolition of slavery
REUNION, FRANCE, REUTERS
When France commemorates the bicentenary of Napoleon Bonaparte’s death today, Aurelie Ramassamy will remember a tyrant who reversed the abolition of slavery rather than an emperor often lionized as a hero for his battlefield triumphs.
Like most Creoles on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, one of France’s overseas departments, Ramassamy is a descendant of slaves. Family folklore says her mother’s ancestors were shipped to the island to labor on its coffee and sugar plantations.
In France s overseas territories, Napoleon s legacy has a more troublesome side reuters.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from reuters.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.