Mauritius

Mauritius sits at a crossroads of culture; between Europe, Africa, India and China. The island state - independent since 1968, member of the Commonwealth and now a republic - retains shades of old Europe following the early years of colonisation; sounds of Africa in the numerous descendents of slaves brought to the island, most coming from Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania and West Africa; and tastes of the orient with later settlers from India, Pakistan and China. Most people on the island speak French and English along with Bhojpuri, Tamil, Cantonese and other traditional languages, the common mother tongue is Creole, a mix of all these. You might say that Mauritius is the world in one tiny island!

One of the most popular musical genres in Mauritius is sega; singing and dancing to the tune of 'ravannes' (wooden drums made of goat skin) around a huge fire on the beach. Sega has evolved over the years and many contemporary artists now produce seggae (a mix of sega and  reggae) as well as local forms of rap and hip hop, ragga kreol (Creole raga) and ragga Indiz (Indian ragga). This musical innovation and diversity reflects the positive cultural diversity of the island.

Poetry in Mauritius has been associated for a long time with the written form only. However, over the last few years, performance poetry and slam have emerged as a new way of expressing thoughts and ideas for young people.

As Mauritius faces great challenges on the world economic scene, many believe that the empowerment of local artists will enable the latter to help the island shift from agriculture and tourism to cyber economy and manufacturing. Remember, what is a country without its spirit!' Clyde Vacher, British Council Mauritius