Like a strong symbol, Lumina Sophie Ruptus, born Marie-Philomène Sophie Roptus and nicknamed Surprise, was born in the year of the abolition of slavery in Martinique, on November 5, 1848 in Le Vauclin. She is known as one of the heroines of the Insurrection du Sud, the first major revolt of the newly freed after the abolition of slavery.
Her mother, Marie-Sophie dite Zulma, had been a slave and was freed when slavery was abolished in 1848. Like her mother, she worked as a farmer in their home garden, as a farm laborer, as a fruit and vegetable merchant and as a seamstress. Like many farm workers of the time, she lived in precarious conditions.
Lumina was endowed with great physical stamina, thanks to the many journeys she made on foot to sell her mother's market garden produce and sewing work, to help with the harvest in the homes or to take part in "koud'min" (in the West Indies, the term koud'min is used for people helping each other during construction work). Her personality, energy and character made her one of the most memorable protagonists of the Insurrection du Sud.
In September 1870, she was 2 months pregnant when the Insurrection du Sud began, but this did not prevent her from taking an active part in the events at Rivière-Pilote. As a merchant, she was quickly made aware of what was happening and, like the other merchants, she relayed the information to motivate as many people as possible to support the insurgents.
From the outset, the women, armed with torches and sticks, set out to defend the insurgents' cause. They marched in the cane fields where they had previously worked, fought, set fire to dwellings, took part in looting, supported the movement by preparing meals for their male partners, and took the initiative to organize the fightback. Over a hundred women took part in the movement, and of the 114 counted, 15 were arrested. Among the women arrested was Lumina Sophie, who received heavy sentences. None was acquitted.
Lumina Sophie is recognized as having been particularly active in the revolt. She was arrested on September 26 at Eugène Lacaille's Habitation and incarcerated at Fort Desaix.
At her trial, Lumina Sophie is referred to by a witness as the "Queen of the Company" amidst the looters and arsonists. For the Governor, she was the "flame of revolt" against the planter aristocracy. The court found her guilty of blasphemy, looting, setting fire to at least 3 Habitations and being in the group that executed Louis Codé, a wealthy white landowner. As a woman, she was also accused of wanting to dominate men, of threatening them, of not conforming to the image of a woman who must be submissive to men and keep to herself.
She gave birth to a baby boy in the Fort-de-France central prison, who was immediately taken away from her. He died a year later in prison.
No leniency was shown by the jury. On June 8, 1871, she was sentenced to forced labor for life and deported to the penal colony of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni in French Guiana. She died at the age of 31 in the bagne where she was being held. She would not have been able to endure the hard labor, extreme living conditions such as isolation, distance from her native island, malnutrition and endemic diseases.