The whole world seems to be gathered on this small, tropical island in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius has no indigenous population. Most of the people who lives here today, are descendants of people from Europe, Africa and Asia. Together they have created an island of multi-ethnic diversity. All these peoples brought with them their traditions, religious beliefs, language, cuisine etc.. All of this has mingled in this multicultural meltingpot, where you will see temples, churches and mosques next to each other. The different ethnic groups seems to live in harmony with each other.
One of the things I like to do, is to take the local bus and go to Port Louis, the capital to just wander around from Chinatown to the Muslim quarter to enjoy the bustling city and street food. This is a selection of photos from different visits.
The government in Mauritius has a way of dividing the population into four ethnic group: Hindus, Chinese, Muslim and everyone else that don't belong to any of these. They make up the fourth group. When people on the island talk about one of the ethnic groups, they also use the same terms. I have learned to do exactly the same when I talk to people.
Until Arabs found the island some hundred of years ago, the island had no human inhabitants. Some time later the Portuguese discovered the island, but no one started to acctually settle before the Dutch arrived in 1598. They started the colonization. Sugar plantations became the source of income and slaves were imported from Africa to do the work. In 1735 the French took over the colony and then the British around 1800. Under British rule slavery was abolished and laboures were imported from India. Port Louis has a museum and a UNESCO Heritage Site - Aapravasi Ghat - which functioned as an immigration depot where more than 460.000 indentured labourers arrived between 1830 -1910.
To day the Hindus make up the largest group. More than half of the population decends from India. The decendens after the first French settlers, makes up the largest of the Europeans. The Chinese imgrated mostly from a particular region in China where the Hakka language is spoken, though many of the young generation learn Madarin to day.
So how do they manage to live together in a melting pot of so many ethnic groups, cultures and religions? It's probably about accept, respect and tolerance. They have an inclusive common culture. I experience that they share a lot across, such as food traditions, holidays etc. It is not just the Chinese who celebrate Chinese New Year.
All the different ethnic groups have somehow found a balance between being Hindu, Muslim, Chinese or Creole on the one hand. On the other hand, they also have a common national identity. After all, they are all Mauritians as well. But will that last? I hope so.
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Latest photo shoot, check out :
The World of XPILAR - LANDSCAPE/SEASCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY AND ART CONTEST WEEK #068 - Hiking the Himalayas
U.J
Kristiansand, Norway
All the photoes are mine, Ulla Jensen (flickr, Instagram and facebook)
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