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Our project | Reunion Island | New Caledonia | Other... |
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| Cham in Reunion Island |
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AIMS
Through its actions in Reunion, CHAM aims to:
- raise awareness of the necessity to protect and enhance Reunion’s heritage as an essential part of the cultural and economic development of the island
- encourage islanders to feel more responsible for the preservation of their own heritage
- initiate and train youth concerning the historic heritage and its restoration
- develop heritage volunteer projects through a multiplier effect with local authorities and organisations concerned with their historic environment
Villele Sugar Factory
From the beginning of the 19th century, Reunion became a sugar island. The sugar factory at Villele, built in 1824 and abandoned in 1918, was one of the most important sugar plants. In 1990 its ruins were hidden under rubble and damaged by ivy and other plant growth. Used as a rubbish tip, this historic site was not only difficult to interpret but was also dangerous. The factory is the only one on the island to have been conserved and presented in total respect of its original layout and character.
The operation at Villele had specific goals as the owner, the county council, asked for CHAM to work with people without qualifications, having suffered setbacks in their schooling or careers. The idea was to facilitate their social and professional integration, training them in traditional masonry and stone-hewing techniques so as to give them new prospects for their futures. The initiative also aimed at acknowledgment and appreciation of Reunion’s industrial heritage.
THE PROJECT
From 1990 to 1995 over one hundred local volunteers, coordinated and led by CHAM officers, worked on the factory ruins as part of a permanent work-training project, as well as volunteer projects at weekends and during school holidays.
At first the work consisted in digging and removing all rubble in order to uncover traces of the buildings for the different stages of processing sugar cane. Then 90% of the remains of the stone walls were consolidated and stabilised. Two sugar tables were restored and an archaeological study and architectural survey carried out. Work was done taking care to use original materials and techniques, in order to preserve the site’s authenticity.
Through open days organised along with the museum education service, a large number of schoolchildren were received on site.
Five years’ work resulted in the site’s complete transformation so that visitors could visit it in security and understand its layout. Another outcome of the site’s rehabilitation was its listing as a Historic Monument. A study on the sugar factory’s presentation and enhancement recommended the setting up of an educational discovery trail and using the site as an open-air theatre and for other cultural activities. Since last year CHAM volunteers are once again operating on the site, at the request of the county council.
PARTNERS
- Reunion District Council
-The French Ministry of Culture
- The French Youth and Sports Ministry
- Villele Museum
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