‘Nou Capav!’ The December 2014 election in Mauritius generated a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement. So many Mauritians made an investment, be it financial, emotional, or physical – displaying their political affiliation in clothes, in songs and slogans. Elections can be life-changing events for citizens, however, many people in Mauritius who dream of a… Continue reading Nou Capav!
Category: History
Exhibition: Fire-Fighters, 1893…
The Blue Penny Museum at Caudan, Port Louis, will soon be hosting an exhibition on the history of fire-fighters, and the fire brigade, on the island of Mauritius. This remarkable institution, which has been of great service to the islanders and country dates from the very end of the 19th century, to a time when a great fire,… Continue reading Exhibition: Fire-Fighters, 1893…
World War 1 centenary tribute to the Anderson and Blackburn family ancestry of Mauritius
World War 1 centenary tribute to the Anderson and Blackburn family ancestry of Mauritius World War 1, known as the Great War, officially commenced on 28 July 1914 and lasted four years until 11 November 1918. The United Kingdom entered the Great War on 4 August 1914, which in turn implicated all British Allied… Continue reading World War 1 centenary tribute to the Anderson and Blackburn family ancestry of Mauritius
Extraordinary Lives – Slave Voices
This collection of stories shows the extraordinary lives of some people who venture to better their life condition in a political climate/context that was to some degree unfavourable to them. This book, the first one in a series, shows us that there are positive aspects from the past that we can be proud… Continue reading Extraordinary Lives – Slave Voices
Last Voyage of Le Coureur
Last Voyage of Le Coureur The Wreck of a Slave Ship off the Mauritius Coast View of the wreck site March 1821. Night had just fallen and there was a full moon. A small lugger was waiting offshore to deliver a cargo of slaves to French colonists residing on the British colony of Mauritius. Unfortunately,… Continue reading Last Voyage of Le Coureur
An eye witness account of the 1968 riots
An eye witness account of the 1968 riot Plaine Verte is a suburb of the capital of Mauritius. Until 1968, it was home to a heterogenous community of Muslims and Christians. This closely intertwined community of two ethnic/religious groups who co-existed for over a century found itself at the centre of the riots which took… Continue reading An eye witness account of the 1968 riots
The Biharis of Mauritius: Past and Present
The Biharis of Mauritius: Past and Present To be a Bihari, or a person of Bihari descent, may seem a simple concept, free from confusion or distortion. Yet the state of Bihar itself has undergone modifications, whilst the absorption of other minority ethnic groups into the present-day self-defined community of Biharis has been a… Continue reading The Biharis of Mauritius: Past and Present
Captain Matthew Flinders at the Isle of France [Mauritius], 1803-1810
Captain Matthew Flinders at the Isle of France [Mauritius], 1803-1810 On 15th December 1803 Captain Matthew Flinders sailed into a quiet bay of the Isle of France, a small French outpost in the southwest Indian Ocean, in the Cumberland. Only a few weeks earlier, a French ship had brought news of the rupture of… Continue reading Captain Matthew Flinders at the Isle of France [Mauritius], 1803-1810
Why is ‘Grand Port’ important?
Why is ‘Grand Port’ important? History will always be a key subject for study because of the lessons the past can teach us, but the study of history will and should always engender discussion and controversy because of the many ways in which a single event can be interpreted. The bicentenary has provoked a… Continue reading Why is ‘Grand Port’ important?
WRONGFUL ENSLAVEMENT: THE HEARTFELT PLEA OF FURCY
It was, unfortunately, not that uncommon for individuals of Indian and African origin to be tricked into slavery in the early 19th century Mascarenes. There were cases of Indians embarking on ships as crew only to find themselves sold as slaves in Mauritius, while the story of Furcy, recounted below in his own letters, raised… Continue reading WRONGFUL ENSLAVEMENT: THE HEARTFELT PLEA OF FURCY