PROF., DR PRETIDEV RAMDAWON

🇲🇺 𝐌𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐓 𝟓𝟖: 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐃, 𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐈𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒

🇲🇺𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐲, 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬.
Mauritius at 58 is a remarkable story — a small island that has repeatedly reinvented itself, survived exploitation, and still manages to radiate cultural richness and resilience. And yet, the legacy of colonialism didn’t evaporate on 12 March 1968. Political independence is one thing; psychological, economic, and structural independence is another.

🇲🇺 𝐌𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟓𝟖: 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬

𝟏. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐖𝐨𝐧 — 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝

Independence gave Mauritius the right to self-govern, but it didn’t erase the centuries of extraction, hierarchy, and trauma that shaped the island.

• African slaves were denied humanity.
• Indentured Indian labourers were denied dignity.
• Chinese and Muslim traders navigated a system designed to exclude them.
• Creole communities inherited the deepest scars with the fewest reparations.

The flag was raised — but the structures remained.

𝟐. 𝐍𝐞𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐥𝐞

Neocolonialism doesn’t look like ships and whips. It looks like:

𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲

• Foreign corporations owning strategic sectors
• External investors shaping land use, housing prices, and even food systems
• A tourism model that often benefits global capital more than local communities

𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲

• Preference for foreign expertise over local talent
• Imported beauty standards, lifestyles, and aspirations
• A lingering belief that “foreign is better,” a psychological residue of colonial hierarchy

𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

• Global powers exerting pressure through trade agreements, aid, and diplomacy
• International institutions shaping policy directions
• Local elites sometimes aligning with external interests over national ones

𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲

• The Chagos tragedy remains the most painful symbol of neocolonial injustice
• Ongoing land concentration in the hands of a few
• Communities still displaced or marginalized by historical land grabs

𝟑. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

Colonialism didn’t just take resources — it reshaped identity.

• Creole communities still battle the intergenerational effects of slavery
• Indo-Mauritians carry the memory of indenture and the pressure to “prove” worth
• Franco-Mauritians navigate privilege tied to a painful past
• Mixed communities often feel invisible in the national narrative

Mauritius is peaceful, yes — but beneath the harmony lies a complex emotional landscape.

𝟒. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞: 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞

True liberation today means:

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲

• Supporting local entrepreneurship
• Reducing dependency on foreign capital
• Building industries that serve Mauritians first

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

• Celebrating Creole language without shame
• Valuing local knowledge, local art, local beauty
• Teaching history honestly, not sanitised

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲

• Continuing the fight for Chagos
• Ensuring equitable land distribution
• Protecting the environment from extractive interests

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦

• Healing intergenerational wounds
• Challenging internalised colonial mindsets
• Building a society where dignity is not inherited but guaranteed

𝟓. 𝐌𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐈𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠

Despite everything, Mauritius is a miracle of coexistence. A place where:

• Descendants of slaves and indentured labourers built a stable democracy
• Multiple religions share space without violence
• A tiny island became a global financial hub
• A diverse people forged a unified identity

The struggle continues — but so does the resilience.

A Thought to Carry on Independence Day

Mauritius is free on paper.
Mauritians are still becoming free in spirit, in economy, in identity.

𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.
𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺.

𝐃𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐯 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐨𝐧
𝘋𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴
𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦