Mauritius having been a British Colony between 1810 and 1968 (until Indepedence) has received quite some Royal Visits all along: 1870, 1901, 1927, 1956, 1972, and 1976, and each of these different personalities brought their own royal touch to the country. The Royal Visits to Mauritius are listed as follows: 1870: The Duke of Edimbourg …
The Mauritian Sea and territories counts the unfortunate events of over 600 ship wrecks in its naval history and this one is among the many that didn’t manage to reach safe port, the ship wreck of the SS Tayeb Cargo ship. The dramatic event occured on the 12th of February 1972 after the passage of …
Ene peuple ki pa kone so passé li couma ene puit sans delo L’histoire de Maurice ne se réduit pas à des piles de livres sur une étagère. Elle correspond aussi au sang qui coule dans nos veines, c’est la vie qui est transmise dans nos familles, c’est la façon dont les gens vivent dans …
This little island in the Indian Ocean, small as it appears on a world map, Mauritius, has had some many interesting visits throughout its history, and this ranging from: famous poets and writers (Charles Baudelair, Mark Twain etc), well-known navigators (La Perouse, Livingstone, Bougainville etc), Royal visits (Duke of Edimbourg, Duke of Manchester, Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, Princess …
Everyone living in Mauritius (and abroad also) should, in a way or another, have certainly encountered traditional hawkers from different trade activities. In many regions of the island, most of these traditional activities were very common and even now some can still be seen here and there. Traditional activities include the mobile milkman, the newspaper …
Away from the buzz of urbanism, this little family of the 1970s living in a straw house somewhere in a village in Mauritius didn’t ask for much. This simple lifestyle was rather common in the years before and it could be said that living as such brought a different happiness. Probably if we try to …
This part of history is somewhat unfamiliar, but during the second World War (1939 – 1945), the No. 174 (Mauritius) Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron that was a fighter-bomber unit in World War II. The squadron formed on the 2nd March 1942 at RAF Manston and equipped with Hurricanes and then rocket armed Typhoons in April 1943. It was involved in attacks on shipping and V-1 flying …
Back in March 1972, Mauritius received the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. While this was indeed a very special event, everything was highly organized that this 3-days tour of Her Majesty was memorable. The Queen was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and arrived from their previous visit, the Seychelles. The Royal Yatch …
There is this Mauritian song which says that the ‘Rum is not good’ (Rhum la na pa bon mem), but still it can’t be helped to avoid its consumption. Trades of the time, the big notice written on this, most probably chinese, shop or ‘tavern’ saying that they are selling rum! “Here we sell rum” …
Found in Mahebourg, the Chateau de Robillard or Gheude Castle was the dwelling of the Robillard family since the colonies and has been later taken over by the Government and now converted into the Naval Museum of Mahebourg. Whilst writing about private family matters isn’t much our ‘theme’, this image shared by Marie-Helene Letellier Oliver …
One of the Mauritian Music Bands rocking the days of the late 1970s worth mentioning is certainly the STRENGTH band. Whilst many might not know of them they sure had a lot of fans (proof in the pictures)! The band was formed by a group of Royal College of Port Louis students and was quite …
The Guard of Honour of the King during the early colonial times parading on La Chaussée street towards the Government House in Port Louis. Definitely looks like a ceremonial procession. It is somehow difficult to derive more information on this ceremony but another interesting observation is certainly how La Chaussée street looked like during those …
Mauritius has been cultivating tea since the french colonial times and even today tea is still being cultivated around various upper lands of the country. True to say that the number of Tea Factories have certainly declined but the plantations have remained. As most societies around the world, tea forms part of an important part …
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 …
In March 1972, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Mauritius and this was one big event for the country. This event gathered so many Mauritians and was announced 6 months before hand. A living souvenir for many to see the Queen visiting the country and people gathered in mass at different regions of the country …
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 …
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 …