Belfast-born Charles Telfair, first arrived in the Indian Ocean as a naval surgeon aboard a ship sent to blockade the Isle of France during the Napoleonic Wars.After the conquest Telfair settled on Mauritius. He helped to found the Natural History Society and established a worldwide network of correspondents. He received and forwarded seeds and cuttings of plants and… Continue reading The Remarkable Story of the Banana
Month: May 2011
A Casualty of 1810
Tomb’s inscription: SACRED to the MEMORY of JOSEPH YATES Esq Commander of the Honorable East India Company’s SHIP CITY OF LONDON, Who having volunteered his Services and those of his Crew to assist at the Attack fo the French Forces on this Island DIED of excessive fatigue in the zealous execution of the duty… Continue reading A Casualty of 1810
History & Heritage
Capitulation of Mauritius, 1810 1810 was a year of immense significance to Mauritius and Mauritians. The ongoing Anglo-French wars had not only helped a handful of merchant-adventurers to amass huge profits; the activities of the corsairs brought in their train people of diverse origins: traders and agents from neutral nations, captured seamen, dispossessed Indian Ocean travellers, so… Continue reading History & Heritage
‘Repiblik Zanimo’
Is it possible to separate art and politics? Is it possible to put aside the environment and the political events surrounding an artist’s career or work? In terms of comic strips and books, it seems obvious that the answer is negative. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the policy of « Zaïrianization » and the setting up… Continue reading ‘Repiblik Zanimo’
Companions of Misfortune
BOOK REVIEW Companions of Misfortune: Flinders and Friends at the Isle of France, 1803-1810 In 1803, Captain Matthew Flinders, returning from an important voyage of discovery, was imprisoned on the then French island of Mauritius. This book tells the story of his 6 ½ year exile and of the men and women there… Continue reading Companions of Misfortune