Dhuny Store in Vacoas is located at the beginning of the John Kennedy Avenue and forming part of the main town centre. The Store is among the oldest and earliest trading activity of the town and is still standing even today, in 2014. Back in the 1960s, the street had quite some commercial activities that …
The Special Mobile Force is a paramilitary unit that serves as the main internal security force in Mauritius. As Mauritius has no dedicated military, mainly due to the cost that it would incur, the SMF forms part of the Mauritius Police Force, with its personnel on long term rotation from the police force. In the …
Announcing the Sugar Cane Harvest Season as from June, today the manual sugar cane cutting has nearly disappeared, and has been replaced by machines. At the time, those hard workers would strive to earn their living in those fields, though not being compensated for the merit, they must be thanked for the development of …
Curepipe during the ‘Far West’ days… The ladies gossiping, horse-carriages here and there and a lively animated street view. Days of the early development for the town of Curepipe and the upper lands of the country. Viewed like that we could picture a western movie taking place somewhere in the United States, or Europe. The …
The provision of postal services dates back to the year 1772, during the colonisation by the French. The first postal service was introduced on 21 December 1772. From the ‘noir facteur’ to information technology driven communication platforms and going through barouche, train, ship and airplane, the postal service has always been present in the transformation …
Old souvenirs of Port Louis will certainly include these old chinese and traditional shops of the Royal Street, today, which of most have been replaced by new buildings. At the south entrance of the street, Triangle Rouge was among those tennants of the colonial building which was acquired by the Mauritius Commercial Bank for their …
Forming part of a recent tradition and celebrated every year now, China Town in Port Louis organizes this Festival whereby the chinese culture is much emphasized. During this festival, traditional chinese foods and snacks are sold to the public at a lower price that usual and the variety is mouth watering. Additionally, this event is …
The Traditional Milkman/Milk Seller with his bicycle in front of the harbour at Place D’Armes in Port Louis. This method of selling and distributing milk has completely phased out of the country since the late 1980s, and the interesting part is how the milk was stored in those iron tanks placed on those classic bicycles. …
It is 5:30 in the afternoon and while most people are back from work, certain people are just starting daily work. Among those extinct traditional jobs, like, the milkman, the mercantile seller, the coal seller etc, there are a few that still remains, even though becoming very rare. The bread seller and the newspaper selling …
Horse Racing in Mauritius dates back since the early British Colony and every Saturday the Champ de Mars welcomes all these fellow turfists during the Horse Racing Season. An activity that is certainly entertaining to the general public and profitable to those lucky betters! The average Mauritian will certainly agree that Horse Racing as the …
Found just opposite the east entrance of the Curepipe Municipality, the Saint Therese Church is one magnificent architecture that has known quite some changes through time. Today if we take a look at the church it definitely shows how much development has been made to the building. Built in 1868, the catholic church has been …
Today when you want to wash your clothes, you just use the washing machine… but how did they do back then when the washing machine did not exist? Well, cultural practice, long ago people had different traditional methods to do their laundry. Among the most common, families had in the corner of their dwellings a …
Another magnificent Colonial/Creole Style house which also knew a sad faith is certainly that one of Forest Side in Curepipe, The Henri Fraise House, also known as the Mancini House. Existent since the early 20th century, this big house was among the best looking in that region. Later with time, the place became an ‘entrepot’ …
The Place D’Armes, famous for its taxi stand with these vintage old cars has always made this spot a main access in Port Louis. On one side facing the Government House and on the other facing directly the harbour, the Place D’Armes is a window on the city. Dating back to the french period, this …
Some decades back children were not technological geeks as compared to those of this new generation. There were no electronics, no computer, no internet, and no… mobile phones… but there was an active outdoor life. Games were played outdoor in the yard or the backyard, in the soil, on the grass, on the trees, everything …
The Taylor Smith Football team back in 1968/69, Champions of the time. Football during the 1950s – 1980s has been one of the most praised sports in the island, both as a sporting activity and as an entertainment for its audience. Stadiums during those times were full and the thrill of the moment was something …
Mobile trades exist since the ancient of times and even now this activity is still being practiced. However, with time, the content of the trading activity has evolved drastically to the point that some have completely disappeared. In Mauritius, the milk seller (milkman), the coal seller, the tin-can seller, and some others are no longer …
The Old Curepipe Market back in the late 1960s. After the cyclone of 1975, Gervaise, the Curepipe Market which was once a magnificent colonial structure was so severely damaged that it had to be pulled down and was then redesigned and built as the current one we can still see today in 2014. Even though …
The Cane Harvest Season usually starts in the month of June every year and since the old times, harvest seasons announce a lot of work, both for the local labourers, and the sugar factories. At the time, the ox-cart was a common medium of transportation to carry sugar cane from the fields to the factories …
Descendants of the early Indian immigrants in the country in the early 1930s. At that time, indentured labourers were brought from India to work in the fields and on the Sugar Estates which were knowing an economical boom. These immigrants left their native lands in the search for a better life, but not all of …