Presence 05 – Editorial

We welcomed them first in Mauritius, and then at the Domaine de Bel Ombre, an enchanting place, with its unspoilt countryside and mountains to one side and the sea to the other, remote from the dysfunctions of the modern world. This land of Mauritius is where we’ve build bridges between Europe, Africa and Asia, leading to encounters over the centuries that have led to the people’s distinctive personality and a destiny that sets the country equally apart.

We Mauritians have maintained strong links with our countries of origin. Over the years, it even seems as if our first calling, our destiny, has been to bring unity to diversity. A mix of cultures from the four corners of the world has led to something quite unique, men and women who view the future with serenity and continually surprise by the interest they show in others’ well-being. Mauritians are full of a humanism, an empathy and an authenticity, appreciating the quality of the moment.

It’s not for nothing that Mauritius and its inhabitants have acquired a reputation for a savoir-faire which is far from insular. We have never cut ourselves off from the wider world and have remained very open to outside influences – and we’ve been like that well before people spoke about globalism and the ease of modern-day travel and communications.

There are moments that mark the lives of people and their country and some of those in the short history of our country illustrate its special nature. This year marks the 300th anniversary of the first arrival of the French here. Fifty years after that, in 1765, saw the Domaine de Bel Ombre emerge as a hub in the island’s social and economic life. From 1816 to 1833, the doctor, botanist and pioneering humanist, Charles Telfair, was the personal secretary of the island’s governor, Robert Farquhar. He was also honorary curator of the botanical garden in Pammplemousses from 1826 to 1829.

It was on the Bel Ombre Estate that Charles Telfair and his wife, Annabella Chamberlain, set up their main residence. Two years after his death, a world-famous visitor set foot in Mauritius. That was Charles Darwin who went on to become the founder of the theory of evolution. He was only twenty-two when he arrived here in 1835 – and it made a strong impression on him, not least for the island’s bilingualism. In his notebooks, he remarked that the island was more francophone perhaps even than Calais or Boulogne. He found the countryside to possess a “perfect elegance”. He was amazed by how clean Port Louis seemed and described the everyday life of the capital’s inhabitants in great detail. By the time he left, his notebooks were full of his observations.

That was in the 19th century. The start of the 20th century saw the arrival of a similarly iconic figure, whose impact was to be universal. Coming from South Africa en route for India, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the future Mahatma, landed in Mauritius in November 1901. After spending fifteen days meeting Mauritians and the British authorities, he delivered a message to local people – your future lies in investing in education and remaining united, a message that remains as valid a hundred years later as then.

Another eminent visitor was to set foot here 99 years later – Nelson Mandela. He reminded us that Mauritius is part of Africa and that, without national solidarity, no people can build a future.

Darwin, Gandhi and Mandela – three giants on the world stage all came to this small island. What could be more auspicious for a country seeking to build nationhood!

The Domaine de Bel Ombre was one of three sugar estates to be set up in 1765, during the French period. Since then, the estate and its inhabitants have seen a multitude of developments. In 1971, the Rogers Group, then run by Amédée Maingard, purchased a majority stakeholding in the Compagnie Sucrière de Bel-Ombre. However, by 1999, the estate’s sugar activities had become unsustainable and it ceased operations.