LOGA-DEV VIRAHSAWMY
60 AN ANSAM
(60 YEARS TOGETHER)
Mersi Vishnou-Zezi, Bondie Lamour
Ki pa zis donn lamour me fer lamour
Mersi ou finn fer nou de sime zwenn
Ena swasant an peryod gran lapenn
De zenes tinejer bien ordiner
Tilom ti enn andikape fizik
Ki ti pe sibir sikane piblik
Ki ti apel li tilame-moyon
Lame zouzout garson-demiporsion
Tinengres la ar problem sikiatrik
Ti pe fer fas boukou mokri tipik
So lalev epe so seve boukle
Ti fer dimoun apel li mazanbik
Ni bote klasik ni zelev sikse
Se so bonker ki ti fer so bote
E ziska zordi malgre swasant an
Loga finn res enn dimoun sanpoursan
Bon zenere akeyan ek frengan
Vishnu-Jesus God of love, thank you for showing us the path of love some 60 years ago. He, a polio-victim was the object of mockery and she with some African features was ridiculed. Her beauty was in her kindness. Nobody saw that. But I did.
Mersi Vishnou-Zezi ki’nn montre nou
Evit sime plen ar pikan partou
Pa les mesanste vinn kas nou konte
E anpes nou ranz nou lavi ade
Kre ansam enn fami malgre dife
Ki ti pe fane otour nou partou
Par seki ti kont lamour-liberte
Thank you, Vishnu-Jesus for helping us through rough weather in a world where love is not prized.
Ler mo gagn enn plas liniversite
Pou fer letid literer avanse
Ala palab rekoumans fann pikan
Bann zoli fam blan pou kas so lelan
Li pou rod enn fam mem nivo ki li
Enn senp siniore pa pou bon pou li
When I was admitted to Edinburgh University, gossipmongering flared up again. He will soon forget her.
Me nou de nou ti ena nou prop plan
But we had our own plan.
Sakenn so kote nou pou travay dir
Fer lekonomi pou ranz lavenir
Rezwenn apre enn an pou nou marye
Lwen ar palabrer dan lentimite
Lamitie vre ki pa bizen flafla
Ki trouv so boner dan boner lotla
We would both work hard, save as much as we could and meet in London after a year for a simple wedding in the company of people who loved us.
Pandan enn an nou finn manz nou margoz
Boukou sakrifis pa lavi anroz
Loga etidie metie sekreter
Mwa mo kontinie letid literer
Zoli rezilta pou nouvo marye
Dan Skerry’s ek dan liniversite
Enn zoli job dan Chamber of Commerce
Aster kapav pans pou plonz dan resers
Lor lang Morisien kan so ler vini
Exitasion gran pa kapav tini
Apre M.A direksion lengwistik
Apre lengwistik kikfwa politik
The first year was financially difficult but we had a good life together and at the end of it Loga obtained her Secretarial Diploma at Skerry’s College and was given a secretarial job at the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce. Lean days were over. I started to plan research work on Mauritian Creole.
Dan liniversite Moris vites
Loga ti montre konpetans san zes
Anmemtan li ti pe swiv kour distans
Metie zournalis lir liv feminis
Letansa mo ti travay profeser
Profeser Angle ek literatir
E ansam nou ti okip edision
Bann liv literatir anMorisien
Edision Boukie Banane ti ne
E ziska zordi li pe kas pake
Loga finn ed mo bann aktivite
Ki li lengwistik ki li politik
Ki li literer ou pedagozik
Back in Mauritius, Loga was employed by the new University of Mauritius and I started work as a secondary school teacher. Soon we set up a publishing house to publish works in Mauritian Creole. Edision Boukie Banane was born and is still active. Loga helped me with my political, linguistic, literary and pedagogical work.
Kan nou de tifi nepli ti zanfan
Nou toulede anmemtan ti konpran
Ki li ti nou responsabilite
Tras nouvo sime pou rann zot ere
Nou toulede nou ti demisione
Kot nou ti ena plen sekirite
Pou kre enn lekol spesialize
Dan lang Angle ek so literatir
Pou permet nou ed nou prozenitir
Fer zot letid tersier dan Langleter
E okip travay pratik literer
Jennder non-biner lir-ekrir-konte
Dan nou de lang Morisien ek Angle
Soon we realised that to ensure a bright future for our 2 daughters we had to change course. We resigned where we were working, started an afternoon/evening/weekend school specialising in the teaching of English Language and literature. It was hard work but very successful. Saskia and Anushka were thus able to study in prestigious English institutions while we were still able to fund our favourite militant activities.
Devwar familial ek devwar imen
Toulede neseser me bien bizen
Enn bon balans ant sa de devwar la
Lor vites Loga ti konpran tousa
Militan jennder lokal rezional
Enternasional finn gard tabliye
Mama yer granmer aster fam devwe
Loga quickly understood the need to keep a balance between our family and social responsibilities and the local, regional and international gender activist kept her mother, grandma and wife apron alive.
Aster nou toulede nou ase vie
78 an lor zepol Loga
80 banane foul lor pou mwa
Lasante nou 2 toultan lok-loke
Me kapav tini pa gagn drwa plengne
Today we are quite old. She is 78 and I am 80 and health wise there are problems but we can’t complain.
Kisannla pou al premie li ou mwa
Kan mo pans tousa tristes anvlop mwa
Ki pou ariv li si enn gramaten
Li pa pou tann bonzour gate to bien
Ki pou ariv mwa si enn gramaten
Mo pa trouv sourir ki dir mwa bonzour
Kouma depi swasant an toulezour
Who will go first? How will she feel if one morning she does not hear, “Good morning, love! You’re, okay?” How will I feel if one morning the smiling face is no more?
O Visnou-Zezi Bondie nou lamour
Apel nou 2 anmemtan pou touzour
Oh Vishnu-Jesus, our God of Love, please call us both back to you together, at the same time, forever.
19.12.22