March 17 - The infamous Devil’s Island, French Guiana

Today we spent a day anchored off one of the three islands, the Îles du Salut, which formed the French Devil’s Island prison complex from 1852 to 1952.  Ironically the name Îles du Salut means salvation islands which these most certainly were not.  Nowadays the islands look like lush tropical paradises. In fact I could easily picture them as locales in a movie about the South Pacific.  Back when they were in operation the trees had been cut down so that there were no hiding places for prisoners and the conditions were brutal.

Beautiful now, not so much in the past

There was a zodiac tour to look at the local wildlife and one walking tour which involved walking up a steep path to the top of a hill.  I opted not to do either and instead walked around a path on the shoreline.

I’ll tell you a little about what it was supposed to be like here.  There was a movie called Papillon starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffmann (there’s since been a remake but I won’t count that) as two convicts who escape from the penal colony.  Probably the most famous inmate was a French army officer named Alfred Dreyfus who was accused of treason and sent here.  The real reason for his trial and conviction was anti-semitism and his cause was taken up by the author Émile Zola. Public pressure about the scandal finally resulted in the French president granting Dreyfus a pardon after having spent several years at what must have been hell on Earth.

There were different categories of prisoners and “accommodations” for them. Île Royale, which was the island to which we tendered was the reception center and the island where some prisoners were allowed moderate freedom.  As a side note, there was little chance of escape because the shoreline is rocky and the waters are shark-infested. This latter condition was enhanced when the prison was in use because the bodies of dead inmates were simply tossed into the surrounding sea to be food for the sharks.  A second island, Saint Joseph Island, was for inmates who were to be kept in solitary confinement.  They were housed in cement cells with no windows or ventilation and into which light only came for a few minutes a day.  Bear in mind that this place is only a few degrees north of the Equator so the heat and humidity had to be unbearable in what were literally cement ovens.  The third island was Devil’s Island which was reserved for political prisoners like Lt. Dreyfus.  The inmates there were kept in cement cells with iron bars for roofs so that guards could walk above them to keep watch.  Thus, these prisoners were subject to all the elements, both torrential rain and unrelenting sun.

The ruins of what was probably an administration building

Of the approximately 80,000 prisoners sent to the complex only a small percentage survived and returned to France.  It was reported that some of the survivors told such terrible tales of their treatment that would-be criminals decided to change their lives.  The French stopped sending prisoners there in 1938 and closed it down completely by 1963.

The islands are now part of the CNES, the French National Study for Space Studies.  Most of the remaining buildings are in ruins but they can be visited by tourists.  As I said, I walked on a path along the perimeter of the island.  There was no beach below; it was covered with big black boulders with waves crashing on them.  Along the path there were lots of coconut husks which had fallen from the many palms around.  There were bougainvillea bushes and hibiscus plants growing wild along the way.  It was an almost idyllic place which was ironic given the things that went on here only 75 years ago. There are monkeys in the trees, peacocks strutting around and agoutis (the largest species of rodent, foraging.  I came upon a bench on a shady point and sat for a while just listening to the sounds of the waves and enjoying the breeze before returning to the ship.  I know it sounds boring but it was a nice interlude and it was actually nice to be alone for a little while.  I love the socializing I’ve been doing with my new friends, but sometimes a little solitude is good too.

An agouti looking for lunch

What a pretty boy!

A white faced monkey

on the move

Since it was St. Patrick’s Day we of course had to have a fitting celebration.  Before dinner there was a St. Patrick’s Day- Jailbreak (get the connection?)  Party in the club.  There was a crazy mixture of songs from Molly Malone and Danny Boy to Jailhouse Rock and lots of green drinks served.  There was another show after dinner with a talented pianist playing.  Dinner was also wonderful.  I sat next to the magician and after we’d finished eating he did some card tricks.  Even sitting next to him and watching intently, I can’t for the life of me figure out how he did any of them.  In one trick he even managed to stick a folded card that I had picked from a deck under my Apple watch on my wrist and I never felt a thing.  It must be magic!

That’s all for now.  Another sea day tomorrow.