“When the head is too big, it cannot dodge blows” - Mauritius Proverb
(Mauritius Flag (1968-Present))
Mauritius is an island located off of the east coast of the island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
(Map of where Mauritius is located)
Its capital is Port Louis. Port Louis is also its largest city. The country doesn't have an official language but, the most common languages spoken are English, French, Bhojpuri and Mauritian Creole. The country is 787 square miles. There are no official numbers of race in the country but it is assumed to be mostly African. Other races in the country are Asian and European. 48.5% of Mauritius practices Hinduism, 32.7% practice Christianity, 17.3% practice Islam, 0.4% practice Buddhism, 0.2% practice other religions and 0.8% are non religious. The total population of Mauritius is about 1,261,208. Mauritius has a tropical climate with a wet and dry season. Mauritius is a Parliamentary Republic.
(Port Louis, capital of Mauritius)
Mauritius’ cuisine consists of mostly seafood.
(Mauritius Cuisine)
The major musical genre of Mauritius is Sega music. Sega music has origins in slavery on the island, and is usually sung in Mauritius Creole.
(Mauritian people performing Sega music)
The most popular sport in Mauritius is soccer. Their national soccer team is called Club M.
(Mauritius’ soccer team)
The island was at first uninhabited until being visited in the middle ages by Arab sailors who named it Dina Arobi. In 1507 the Portuguese visited the island and established a base. The Portuguese didn't stay long on the island since they weren't interested in it. In 1598 the Dutch came to the island and named it Mauritius, after the current prince of the Dutch Republic. The Dutch exploited ebony trees and introduced sugar cane, domestic animals and deer to the island. The Dutch brought slaves from the mainland of Africa to work on the island.
(A painting of the Dutch bringing Africans to Mauritius)
In 1710 the Dutch abandoned the island. In 1715 the French took control of the island and named it Isle de France. During the Napoleonic Wars, Isle de France became a base from which French corsairs organised successful raids on British commercial ships. On December 3rd, 1810 the British took the island from the French and renamed it back to Mauritius.
(A painting of a naval battle between the French and British over the island.)
A nephew of the king of Madagascar, Ratsitatane, was brought to Mauritius as a political prisoner. He managed to escape from prison and plotted a rebellion that would free all the slaves on the island, but he was betrayed by one of his associates and was caught by the British forces. He was then beheaded by the British and his head was put on display to place fear in the slaves of Mauritius.
(A drawing of Ratsitatane)
In 1835 slavery was abolished in Mauritius and slave owners were compensated 2 million pounds. In 1885 a new constitution was introduced to Mauritius.
(Mauritius flag (1810-1968))
In 1903, motorcars were introduced in Mauritius. The electrification of Port Louis took place in 1909. Due to World War I there was a boom in sugar prices which was great for Mauritius’ economy. In 1939 when World War II began many people from Mauritius volunteered under the British military. During World War II the country suffered hardships due to the prices of commodities doubling but the salaries of workers increasing only by 10 or 20 percent. There was civil unrest in the country. Labourers went on strike in 1943 and police officers eventually fired on the crowd of labourers, and killed three labourers. The 1st general elections were held in Mauritius on August 9th, 1948 and were won by the Labour Party. In 1965 it was clear that Great Britain wanted to relieve itself from owning Mauritius. Mauritius adopted a new constitution and independence was proclaimed on March 12th 1968.
(Mauritius flag (1968-Present))
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam became the first prime minister of an independent Mauritius.
(Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam)
In 1969 the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) led by Paul Bérenger was founded. In 1971, the MMM, backed by unions, called a series of strikes in the port which caused a state of emergency in the country. The MMM leader was later imprisoned. In 1975 thousands of students tried to enter Port Louis over the Grand River North West bridge and clashed with the police. An act of Parliament was passed on December 16th, 1975 to extend the right to vote to 18 year olds. This was seen as an attempt to appease the frustration of the younger generation. In 1982 an MMM government led by prime minister Anerood Jugnauth was elected.
(Anerood Jugnauth)
In 1983 the new MSM party, led by Aneerood Jugnauth, was elected to power. In 1985 there was a boost in tourism. On March 12th, 1992, Mauritius was proclaimed a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations. Dr Navin Chandra Ramgoolam was elected as prime minister in the 1995 election. In 1999 the country experienced a brief period of civil unrest due to the popular singer Kaya being found dead in a prison cell. There were 4 days of riots.
(Mauritian singer, Kaya)
Aneerood Jugnauth of the MSM returned to power in 2000 after making an alliance with the MMM. In 2003, the prime ministership was transferred to Paul Bérenger of the MMM. In the 2005 election, Navin Ramgoolam, leader of the Labour Party, was brought to power.
(Navin Ramgoolam)
In 2008 boxer, Bruno Julie gave the island its first Olympic medal.
(Bruno Julie)
Navin Ramgoolam was again elected in May 2010. The country’s parliament remained closed for the most part of 2014. Aneerood Jugnauth became the PM for the sixth time in 2014. The number of visitors to the island reached 1.1 million in 2015.
(European tourists dancing with the Mauritian people)
Today marks the 49th anniversary of Mauritius’ independence and we would like to say happy independence day Mauritius.
Videos of Mauritius Independence
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