Mauritius, at the crossroads of culture

09.06.2024 - 22:35 / euronews.com

Centuries of migration and colonial influences have shaped the island of Mauritius to make it one of the fascinating countries on earth.

Ruled at various points in its history by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and the British, it is nowadays home to a variety of ethnic groups, each contributing to the social and cultural fabric of the island.

Its festivals, languages, religions and cuisine reflect this eclectic mix of influences, while its museums and architecture offer a fascinating insight into a complex history of colonialism, sugar plantations, slavery and, ultimately, independence.

Famed throughout the world for its virgin beaches and extraordinary biodiversity, Mauritius has far more to offer the visitor than its natural assets.

The island’s capital, Port Louis, is a living patchwork of cultures, which is nowhere more evident than in its Chinatown quarter, sitting next to the ornate white Jummah Mosque. The friendship gates and streets of Chinese groceries come alive during the Chinese New Year, with parades and dragon dances under strings of lanterns.

Nearby is the covered Central Market, where you’ll find everything from tomatoes to t-shirts. Pick up the ingredients for a picnic, sample the street food in its food hall or simply take in the sights and smells.

Also in Port Louis is the Blue Penny Museum, which houses two of the rarest stamps in the world, the Mauritian ‘Post Office’ stamps – issued in 1847 and worth millions of dollars. A philatelists’ paradise, it also doubles as a history museum, with a collection of antique maps, paintings, sculpture and photos that tell the history of Mauritius’ colonial past.

One of the more poignant reminders of the island’s history is the UNESCO-protected Aapravasi Ghat, also in Port Louis, which once functioned as the immigration depot for Indian labourers shipped in under Britain’s indentured-servant scheme and sent out to sugar plantations throughout the Empire.

The majority of Mauritians are descendants of these Indians, so the site has profound significance for local people.

 Another moving reminder of the past is Le Morne Brabant, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. A small but difficult to access mountain, it was once a refuge for runaway slaves, known as ‘maroons’.

Nowadays visitors can hike to the peak with guides, who tell the story of the tragic day in 1835 when soldiers climbed the hill to tell the maroons that slavery had been abolished, but the slaves saw them coming and threw themselves from the top in fear.  

Examples of colonial architecture are dotted across the island, but a couple of the best are the Creole house-museum Eureka(which now also houses a restaurant) in Moka, and the stunning Château de Labourdonnais. This 19th-century