位于毛里求斯首都路易港(Port Louis)北部的阿普拉瓦西加特历史遗址(Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Site)是免费向公众开放的。这处面积约1640平方米的建筑群在1849年至1923年间,见证了约45万名从印度等地抵达的契约劳工在这里完成入境登记。作为联合国教科文组织于2006年列入名录的世界文化遗产,它不仅是几座石质建筑的残骸,更是现代毛里求斯近七成人口祖辈落脚的第一站。如果你打算在路易港市区逛逛,这里是了解这个岛国多元文化起源最直接的去处。
遗址最具有象征意义的部分就是那组通向码头的16级玄武岩石阶。19世纪中叶,满载劳工的船只停靠在 Trou Fanfaron 码头,人们走上这些台阶,就意味着正式踏入了所谓的“伟大实验”(The Great Experiment)之中。这种实验旨在证明契约劳动能够取代奴隶制。现在的石阶虽然看起来有些斑驳,但依然维持着当年的原貌,站在这里能清晰看到海港的忙碌景象,这种古老与现代的视觉重叠感非常真实。
穿过入口往里走,你会看到保留较为完好的医生办公室(Medical Officer's Office)。当年的劳工抵达后,第一个流程就是接受体检,防止传染病进入岛内。现在这些房间被改造成了展示室,陈列着当时挖掘出的生活用品,比如陶罐、玻璃瓶甚至是劳工戴过的首饰。墙上挂着的入关登记表复印件值得仔细看看,上面详细记录了劳工的年龄、种族、出发港口以及雇主姓名,这种档案式的展示让冷冰冰的遗址有了人的气息。
在遗址的空地一侧,分布着当年的共用浴室(Bathing Area)和厨房。虽然现在只剩下低矮的围墙和石基,但通过现场的示意图可以联想到几百人挤在一起生活的局促感。这里的建筑大多使用石灰、沙子和糖浆混合而成的灰浆砌成,由于靠近海边,海水的腐蚀对这些百年石块考验不小。不少游客会忽略掉厨房角落里的一块黑色焦灼痕迹,那可能是当年烟火留下的最后一点物证。
阿普拉瓦西加特遗址虽然面积不大,但大部分区域是露天的,路易港的阳光在中午十一二点时非常毒辣。建议把这里排在早上九点开门时的第一站,或者下午三点之后再去。整个参观过程大约需要45分钟到一小时。遗址内部配备了比较现代化的解说中心(Interpretation Centre),那里的冷气开得足,如果外面实在太热,可以先在室内看一会儿多媒体展示。值得提醒的是,这里周日通常不开放,周六也只在上午半天接待游客,出行前一定要算好日期。
遗址的位置就在路易港北站(North Bus Station)旁边,如果你是从大湾(Grand Baie)或者其他北部海滩坐大巴过来,下车走两步就到了。看完遗址,建议顺着海边走五分钟去寇丹广场(Caudan Waterfront)吃个午饭。两者的氛围截然不同,一个是静谧沉重的历史纪念碑,一个是繁华现代的购物区。这种在短短几百米内完成的跨时空转换,正是路易港迷人的地方。另外,遗址门口偶尔会有兜售小商品的人,如果不感兴趣直接走开就行,他们通常不会过度纠缠。
目前这个遗址是不收门票的,这对旅行预算比较紧的朋友非常友好。虽然不收钱,但现场通常会有非常专业的讲解人员。如果有幸遇到他们,建议跟着听听。虽然墙上有不少中英文对照的介绍牌,但讲解员口中那些关于劳工后代的真实家庭故事,是死板的文字给不了的。如果你是带着孩子来,讲解员还会重点指引一些互动性的展品,比如旧式的称重仪和指纹采集卡,这对理解那个时代的管理方式很有帮助。
普通散客不需要预约,直接在开放时间内进入即可。如果是超过10人的团体,建议提前通过官网或者邮件联系管理处以便安排专人讲解。目前参观是完全免费的,但在入口处通常需要在一个访客本上登记你的国籍和基本信息,这主要用于数据统计。
非常适合,虽然它是历史遗址,但内部有很多多媒体互动展示。有一个区域专门模拟了劳工在船舱里的生活空间,孩子们可以通过触摸和视觉展示直观理解那段历史,而不是枯燥地读课本。遗址内道路平整,推婴儿车也比较方便。
最简单的办法是走路,从市中心的中央市场出发大约走10分钟就能到,沿途还会经过著名的邮票博物馆。如果你在远处,可以打车定位到 Trou Fanfaron。由于路易港市区堵车严重,如果距离在3公里内,步行往往比坐车更快。只要顺着邮局旧址(General Post Office)往北走,看到那片标志性的黑色玄武岩围墙就是了。
遗址内部没有餐厅,只有一个非常小的礼品区,出售一些关于世界遗产的书籍和明信片。如果你需要补给,出门右转不到两百米就有当地的小卖部,或者步行几分钟到码头区,那里有大量的西式餐厅和毛里求斯当地小吃摊。建议自备一瓶水,因为遗址内的自动饮水机偶尔会停用。
René Guerra Salazar A must (and free) visit while in Port Louis, if not Mauritius, this very informative museum and archeological site tells the story of the ancestors of 70% of the island's population, indentured labourers brought to the island primarily from India. Indeed, the English started the "experiment" of indentured servitude in earnest in Mauritius after abolishing the genocidal crime of slavery in the early 19th century. You'll learn this and much more here. I do wish that the museum shared more about the resistance by indentured labourers to the practice's many injustices and to their efforts to have the system abolished in the early 20th century. Still, the site is a very worthy visit. Don't forget to visit also the Museum on Transcontinental Slavery next door!
Harsh Chandra (IPM-2014 -19 Batch) The Apravasi Ghat is of very much traditional importance to Mauritius. There is no fee for entry and there is free parking also. However, the place is only open till 4pm so plan accordingly. The place is renovated and provides a very good spectacle of the history of the island and its people. People are very friendly here. There is a Slavery museum and a post office museum also nearby here. A small booth for souvenirs is also available though I would personally recommend to buy souvenirs from the post office museum
Vishnu Bharadwaj Palagiri Sai Nice place to understand the history of mauritius, modern slavery, sugarcane production, how mauritius was exploited throughout 19th &20th century. You can see the place where the first boat landed here with labour. It's free to visit. Definitely worth visiting for people who are intrested in history.
Keven Vyapooree A must visit for history lovers. No fees required it is free. A nice museum with videos and lots of information concerning our ancestors from which countries they came, the tools they were using and house they built at that time. You can find old photos of how life was on the sugar estates.
Gerhard Volz Very important part of Mauritian history. The museum explains how the British "Great Experiment" was planned and under which condition indentured labour force, mainly from India, was brought to the island. Well designed exhibition, interesting pictures and maps, a ship model and good descriptions; the visit is definitely worth it!