Le Jardin des Pamplemousses: A case study into the role of botanical gardens in post-colonial Africa
Master Thesis
2018
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University of Cape Town
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The Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden of Mauritius, commonly known as "Le Jardin des Pamplemousses" was founded during the French occupation in 1770. Then it was the first tropical botanical garden in the world in addition to being the first botanical garden in the southern hemisphere. "Pamplemousses" has been acclaimed for its wide collection of palms and spices, which have fascinated tourists and locals for centuries. However, the value of this botanical garden that was once a pearl of the Indian Ocean has depleted. The garden shows traces of neglect accumulated over decades, which has resulted in a typically negative reputation locally. The botanical garden is a unique landscape typology. Primarily it can be understood as a natural theatre where items are collected and exhibited and secondarily as a laboratory where new techniques are explored. Today botanical gardens are faced with new challenges as the environmental crisis reaches new proportions. Furthermore, Le Jardin des Pamplemousses, established under French rule, is also confronted by the challenges that arise from its colonial identity in post-colonial Africa. The 'botanical' and 'post-colonial' can therefore be understood as the 2 main identities of the garden - ones that should be interrogated symbiotically in order to uncover the garden's development and future. This Research Project is an investigation of the past role, current state and envisioned future responsibility of Le Jardin des Pamplemousses based on a critical interrogation of its botanical onus and its colonial legacy. The investigation is supported by an inventory of the botanical gardens of Africa which acts as a contextualizing benchmark study, a literary review, in addition to specialized and public interviews carried out on site which aim to unpack the contemporary perception of the garden, and finally a mapping exercise which facilitates an assessment and evaluation of the present state of the garden. The Research Project condenses and resolves this information to allow for an informed interrogation of the future of Le Jardin des Pamplemousses, both as a botanical garden and as a remnant of colonial infrastructure in post-colonial Africa.
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Marie, Y. 2018. Le Jardin des Pamplemousses: A case study into the role of botanical gardens in post-colonial Africa. University of Cape Town.