DEV VIRAHSAWMY
5, Edwin Ythier Street, Rose Hill, 71368, Mauritius
limemsa@gmail.com https://boukiebanane.com

THE 2024 MAIN ISSUE

In 1967 the main issue was independence or not. The main issue in the forthcoming general elections will be the battle between Hindutva and Mauritianism or, in clearer terms, between those who want to make of our home island an appendage of ‘Maha Bharat’ (Great India) to be known as ‘Chota Bharat’ (Small India) and those who reject the ideology of those who claim that Mauritius is little France and that of those who are striving to make of Mauritius Little India. They are the Mauritianists.
The Maritime Republic of Mauritius or the Mauritius archipelago (Mauritius, Rodrigues, Agalega, the Chagos archipelago and other outer islands) has its own identity and culture which we refer to as Mauritianism and Mauritianist and which embodies, among other things, 1. a vast maritime space in which are found several Creole Islands (as defined by Megan Vaughan in her book “CREATING THE CREOLE ISLAND, Slavery in Eighteenth-Century Mauritius”); 2. a very vibrant common language made up of 3 mutually understood varieties, Mauritian, Rodriguan and Agalegan; 3. all these islands are peopled by people who have a common history for they are all immigrants from Africa, Europe and Asia, specially India and China; 4. there has been the emergence of a special cuisine which borrows from Africa, Europe and Asia to create something which can only be tasted and appreciated in the Maritime Republic of Mauritius.
For practical reasons we use the terms Mauritianism and Mauritianist to refer to the following:
• The people of the Maritime Republic of Mauritius;
• The language and culture of the people of the Maritime Republic of Mauritius;
• Cultural and biological metissage;
• Secularism. All religions are equal and conversion must be prohibited. People should be free to worship the Almighty the way they want or not to worship at all.
• Mauritian (Mauritian Creole) and Rodriguan (Rodriguan Creole) should be used as medium of instruction, accompanied by English in grade 1 to 6. In grade 7 to 13, English should become the medium, accompanied by Mauritian and Rodriguan. This course in BILINGUAL LITERACY is possible for English is also a creole language.
• We live in the Mauritius Creole Archipelago and the population is made of Indo-Creoles, Afro-Creoles, Islamo-Creoles, Euro-Creoles, Sino-Creoles etc.
Proponents of Hindutva are very active and powerful while Mauritianists are unable to organise themselves into a coherent force. Do I have to tell you who will wear the crown in 2024 and for a long time to come?
I pray Jesus, an avatar of Vishnu, to bless us. Will I continue to preach in the desert? My answer is “yes”, as long as I still have some breath left.
09.02.23