{"id":1061,"date":"2013-02-26T17:10:40","date_gmt":"2013-02-26T17:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/?p=1061"},"modified":"2013-04-05T09:13:53","modified_gmt":"2013-04-05T09:13:53","slug":"1061","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/?p=1061","title":{"rendered":"Accorit\u00e9"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Accorit\u00e9<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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by Emmanuel Richon<\/p>\n

The author Emmanuel Richon, in his latest book entitled \u2018Accorit\u00e9\u2019 offers a new concept to explain interculturality in the Mauritian context.<\/p>\n

In his analysis, the author deconstructs the concept of interculturality [the interaction of persons of various cultural backgrounds], within the Mauritian perspective, to show us that at the core of it lies what he terms Accorit\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The author raises very important questions, and also points to the fact that the Mauritian media is dealing with what is perceived to be a tangible paradox in the everyday life of the population. \u00a0Is it really the ideal paradise (image) we continuously sell to tourists or does this mask a reality which in some ways equates to a living hell for the citizens of the island? Whether an intercultural society is, in the long term, a recipe for disaster is not an idea that most of us would support, but Mauritian author Issa Asgarally believes this to be the case and has written of a coming cataclysm.<\/p>\n

Richon tackles the question of whether there is really conflict in such an amalgam of cultures as Mauritius represents, and agrees that, without a doubt, conflict is present. According to Kantian theory, \u00a0we are naturally bound to have discord in order to have accord. This process of discord and accord is natural and important, otherwise society will lack the constant, continuous, impetus\/dynamics for it to progress with equilibrium and enrichment in its evolution. It also helps to bring about a rapprochement<\/em>, a better understanding of the different cultures; and in the course of it, all the cultures involved enrich each other.<\/p>\n

Richon posits that this process has, at the core as well as on the surface, begun a very long time ago. He explains that we do not have to think \u2018intercultural\u2019 to become intercultural. This is the mistake that some intellectuals and government officials make when they attempt to impose on people the notion that there is an ultimate \u2018good\u2019 – sonnum bonum<\/em> –\u00a0 for them to strive for.<\/p>\n

The author poses the question as to whether this policy leads to alienation as people are forced into embracing a concept that they themselves find intangible and elusive. \u00a0Richon instead asks, should not the people feel free to embrace (as they already have) \u2018otherness\u2019, without the opposition of this constant, continuous, rhetoric and demagogical discourse?<\/p>\n

Richon contends that people have already been living, experiencing, and feeling the entente cordiale<\/em> amongst themselves \u2013 between neighbours. Interculturality has in such respects taken place a long time ago, and has taken place through various aspects of Mauritian society. He offers numerous concrete examples to demonstrate that this practice is already in the here and has been taking place from the very inception of this relatively new nation. \u00a0The period of slavery, for example, created a new context common to all which was conducive to seeing oneness in otherness.\u00a0 The author illustrates this through a discussion of the habits\/customs of the various population groups on the island; and confirms that Mauritians already have a mosaic\/plural identity.<\/p>\n

He further explains that we ought not to think of interculturality as a fixed ensemble of individual cultures, juxtaposed, and impermeable. Just as \u2018no man is an island\u2019, a cultural identity needs, borrows and relies on other cultures. A culture evolves, it does not remain fixed and stagnant. And the fact that there was no indigenous culture, has ensured that the various groups who settled on Mauritius have learned to cope, adjust and adapt to their new environment. \u00a0And as all the different cultures converged in this new context, there was only one way to progress, to move forward and they found it in Accorit\u00e9.<\/em><\/p>\n

M. Richon explains that the word Accorit\u00e9 itself has been invented on the island of Mauritius, where there was a need for it. \u00a0L\u2019Accorit\u00e9 is a Mauritian Creole culture,\u00a0 it encapsulates the art of living together. As a concept it continuously places \u2018otherness\u2019 before \u2018sameness\u2019 and the process consists of a radical movement from \u2018sameness\u2019 towards \u2018otherness\u2019 \u2013 hence Accorit\u00e9. This concept of Accorit\u00e9 survived well until the 1980s, believes Richon, at which time the economic boom brought about an individualistic mentality. Nevertheless Mauritius remains a society built on mutual respect and also on tolerance, which is seen as a choice rather than an innate attitude.<\/p>\n

In his latest book Emmanuel Richon has been at pains to explain the Mauritian psychology to his readers and in so doing he has not only underscored his profound understanding of the nation\u2019s\u00a0 psyche, but has offered a remarkable discourse on the origins and development of this entente<\/em> between cultures \u2013\u00a0 Accorit\u00e9. All that remains, for us to do, argues Richon, is to consciously embrace what we have held dear through decades of progress, and continue to enjoy this rich and beautiful society that we live in. Let us hope that this remarkable work will be discussed and disseminated not only in the schools and universities of Mauritius but more widely in this increasingly globalized and intercultural world.<\/p>\n

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***<\/p>\n

\u00a9MauritiusMag<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Accorit\u00e9   by Emmanuel Richon The author Emmanuel Richon, in his latest book entitled \u2018Accorit\u00e9\u2019 offers a new concept to explain interculturality in the Mauritian context. In his analysis, the author deconstructs the concept of interculturality [the interaction of persons of various cultural backgrounds], within the Mauritian perspective, to show us that at the core… Continue reading Accorit\u00e9<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[30],"class_list":["post-1061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books-misc","tag-multicultural-mauritius-accorite","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1061"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1061\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1065,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1061\/revisions\/1065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiusmag.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}