Mauritius: Communities of Paradise
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features Mauritius: Communities of Paradise by Aileen Familara Walk down the main streets of Mauritius and one And yet Mauritians would be the first would perceive a striking mixture of peoples. This is a to say that they live in a tolerant society, that people live harmoniously and without fear society that has come out of the grindstone of history of hatred because of their colour or religion. and emerged with a plethora of ethnicities, cultures, Nevertheless, such diversity does have its traditions, and religions. This mélange of identities is a pockets of discontent that is increasingly being expressed as intolerance, hate and even source of pride on one hand and a tripping point of violence. When the mixture is stirred too tensions on another. much, not all things blend, they boil over. 88 Features No.3, 2009 WOMEN IN ACTION Where does this much vaunted much structure and grammar and borrowing notion of tolerance and harmony from the languages of the enslaved peoples: in Mauritian society come from? Kreol became the common language for the islands in the region. Like the spiciness that is the keenest features of its cuisine, Mauritius was cooked from By the early 1800s, the British had set up a various elements, the major ingredients being mode of compensation for landowners to colonisation, slavery and immigration. give up their slaves. To maintain its economic production, “indentured” The islands that comprised Mauritius were labourers were imported initially from China, dormant volcanic chains occupied only by Malaysia, Africa and Madagascar and then tropical vegetation and a diversity of fauna eventually, most labourers were brought in including docile land tortoises and flightless from various parts of the Indian birds. Its isolation from major landmasses and subcontinent. These various peoples its vulnerability to tropical weather made it brought with them their own practices, not viable enough for colonisation, such that belief systems, castes, biases and interests. half-hearted colonisers saw little reason to stay after beating down the dodos, clearing up the Mauritians in communal ebony trees and surviving a few cyclones. identities, unities and divisions Telling Tranquility. Eventually the Dutch were able to set up a Just like the By the time of independence from the muffling winds and colony in the 17th century, bringing in British in 1967, Mauritian society was already waves beyond its sugarcane and slaves. They seem to have stratified and pluralistic. There are Creoles pristine beaches, considered this effort a failure, and so (who are descendants of African slaves), Mauritius is abandoned the island in 1710. A few years Franco-Mauritians (the descendants of white simultaneously later, the French took over the island and Europeans), people of mixed European and enriched and systematised the slave labour system that challenged by the African descent (who are also called Creoles diversity and powered the sugarcane economy and linked but some who consider themselves white to differences among it up to the trading system that connected a greater degree, and who would call its communities. India, the Arab peninsula and Africa. France themselves Coloured), the people of Indian also held naval power in the area through its In photo is the Rodriguez origin (Indo-Mauritian) and the people of beach by B. Navez from colonies in Reunion and Madagascar. Wikimedia Commons. Chinese origin (Sino-Mauritian). Slavery was pervasive that it constituted the backbone of Mauritian society under the French. The slaves were taken either from Slavery was so pervasive that eastern parts of the African continent or Madagascar. This outpost of the French it constituted the backbone empire was resistant to reform. Whereas in of Mauritian society under Paris there was already an abolitionist struggle, the French. More slaves were culminating in a law that abolished slavery in all its forms in 1794, in the colonies, the brought into the country landowners did not even bother to follow this continuously even until the law. More slaves were brought into the country British took the country by continuously even until the British took the country by war in 1810. The slaves developed war in 1810. a form of simplified French, stripped of 8 9 The Indo-Mauritians would distinguish Oonk (2007) observed that the Indo- themselves by religion, thus there are the Mauritians did not begin to think of Tamils, the Hindus and the Muslims. Some themselves as separate Hindi and Muslim notion of caste is also recognised among communities until 1947, when Muslim- the Hindus. In fact, caste becomes visible dominated Pakistan was formed out of India. during election season when political This historical event influenced the thinking observers note that the leaders of parties of Indian diaspora communities in Mauritius seem to come mostly from the dominant to assert differing identities. Meanwhile, some caste. Bhojpuri, a mixture of Hindi, French, Hindus are seeking a kind of idealised identity Pharsi, Chinese among others, was and fostering a kind of extreme Hindu historically the common language among the nationalism similar to that which is on the Indo-Mauritians, but a desire for ethnic rise in India. pride is rekindling an interest in speaking Hindi among Hindus in Mauritius. Membership by descent and by religious affiliation in a community is a source of identity for most Mauritians; thus they refer to their own groupings as the Tamil, Hindu and Chinese communities. In terms Resentments have festered among the of identity, the Creoles exist in their own working class Creoles who see the wealth hierarchy of colouredness and mixed ethnicity; they do not necessarily think in of the Franco-Mauritians as a product of terms of a Creole community, and slave labour and should be redistributed. politically they are referred to as the “general population.” Economic stratification also exists which is linked to ethnicity: Franco-Mauritians are still major landowners and run big industries. Increasingly their ranks are joined by some Indo-Mauritians and Chinese. Resentments have festered among the working class Creoles who still see the wealth of the Franco-Mauritians as a product of slave labour and should be redistributed. Working class Creole sentiment is expressed best in the sega, a music that has hybrid characteristics similar to other African diaspora cultural expressions. The government is making an effort to promote a sense of identity among Creoles, through concerts and cultural festivals that look back towards African roots. Meanwhile, Creole leadership has come Segue to the Arts. mostly from the Roman Catholic church. Sega, an indigenous Creoles, Franco-Mauritians and some Sino- music and dance performance in Mauritius Mauritians are mostly Christian, is actually based on the predominantly Roman Catholic. struggles of resistance by the Creole people. Photo by Lonely Planet- Germany from Wikimedia 9 0 Commons Features No.3, 2009 WOMEN IN ACTION On religious holidays, people from a community share cakes, join festivities, greet Communalism becomes a divide-and- each other: “Bonne fete!” In these instances, conquer tactic when the political a sense of unity falls on the whole island, aided by the rhetoric of the government parties recruit and field their leaders speaking about multiculturalism and candidates while reserving a token harmony between communities on national number of electoral seats for those who television. In the towns, mosques broadcast their daily calls to payer, a few hundred were marginal through what is called a meters away from a colourful Tamil temple, “best-loser” system. and down the road, the Catholic church rings its bells. The schools, which are subsidised and regulated by the state, are run by either “Communalism” is at once a negative word secular or religious organisations, and yet among Mauritians and also an they enrol children from different acknowledgement that diversity does not communities; a law prevents them from always bring harmony. To be communal is discriminating in favour of children from about holding true to the values and traditions a specific community. of your ethnic or religious grouping. At the same time, being communal also refers to a And yet—there are many words that occur sense of intolerance, so that one will uphold in the Kreol language, many of them used the rights, values and traditions of one’s in a derogatory manner: own community at the expense of other’s communities. Nasyon = referring to a Creole In the political arena, communalism becomes Lascar = referring to a Muslim a divide-and-conquer tactic when the political Malbar = referring to a Hindu parties recruit and field their candidates, seemingly employing a calculated sorting to These words do not arise in polite ensure that there would be enough from conversation, except perhaps as banter certain communities to gain the votes while between friends. However, a scan of online reserving a token number of electoral seats discussion groups show how Mauritians for those who were marginal through what (under the relative anonymity of the is called a “best-loser” system. Internet) feel free to call each other derogatory names when talking on Harmony and sharing, or name Mauritian issues. On one discussion group,< calling and hate-mongering? http://www.topix.com/forum/world/ mauritius/TBGFI8UDHR9H989NM> Mauritians tend to be proud of their some Mauritians (many of whom were cultural diversity. They cite many instances apparently not living in Mauritius