The Plantation Era: Sugar and Suffering

Coffee cultivation initially drove Réunion's economy, but sugar soon dominated. The plantation system's brutality matched Caribbean horrors while adding Indian Ocean specificities.

"Slavery here mixed French colonial law with practices from Dutch Cape Colony and Portuguese India," explains Dr. Sudel Fuma, a specialist in Réunionnais slavery. "The Code Noir applied, but isolation allowed particular cruelties."

By 1848, Réunion's population included: - 60,000 enslaved people (mostly African and Malagasy) - 45,000 free people (white colonists and free people of color)

Resistance took distinct forms: - Marronage: Escaped slaves fled to the island's inaccessible interior, creating independent communities in the cirques - Cultural preservation: African and Malagasy traditions survived through music, healing practices, and spiritual beliefs - Daily resistance: Work slowdowns, tool breaking, and subtle sabotage

"My ancestor Cimendef was a famous maroon leader," shares mountain guide Jean-Yves Fontaine. "He lived free in the cirque for 20 years. That spirit of independence defines us."

The 1848 abolition created labor shortages, leading to the engagés system—indentured workers from India, China, Madagascar, and the Comoros. Though technically free, these workers faced harsh conditions barely better than slavery.

"My great-grandfather came from Gujarat in 1885," recounts shopkeeper Devi Vellaydon. "The recruiter promised riches. He found seven years of near-slavery on sugar estates. But he survived, saved money, brought his family. We're still here."