---

Mauritians on the Move, American Style

Leader of Chagos Refugees appeals to Americans for help

By Pamela de St. Antoine

Washington Correspondent

Olivier Bancoult came to the United States last week seeking support from the American people for the plight of nearly 2,000 Chagossians who were expelled from their islands 40 years ago to make way for a U.S. military base.

In meetings with small groups in five cities along the East Coast of the United States, Bancoult explained the history of the expulsions and the failure of the U.K. and U .S. governments to acknowledge the injustice of the forced removals.

More than 1,800 islanders were evicted in the late 1960s and shipped to Mauritius and Seychelles when the U.K. secretly handed over the tiny islands to the United States to develop a strategic air and naval base on the island of Diego Garcia. The base has recently been used to bomb Iraq and Afghanistan, and contains important security and intelligence equipment.

As a condition of independence in 1968, Mauritius accepted the deal and agreed to relinquish authority over the Chagos islands.

Bancoult, who left the Chagos as part of the forced evictions when he was 4 years old, said his people have waged a long legal battle largely on their own to win the right to return to the islands. "Everyone is afraid of the U.K. government and of the United States government because they have such power," he told a group of about 50 people gathered at a Washington, D.C. restaurant Friday night to hear his remarks and watch excerpts of a British film on the Chagos called "Stealing a Nation."

Held on the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover, the meeting was called a "Freedom Seder for the Exiled People of Diego Garcia." It was organized by David Vine, an American researcher who has documented the plight of the Chagossians and will publish the findings in a book due out next year.

"The Freedom Seder links the message of Passover to the lives of the Chagossian people who were forcibly exiled form their homeland," Vine said. "When they arrived in Mauritius, they received no resettlement assistance and found themselves homeless, jobless and soon living in abject poverty. Despite receiving two small amounts of compensation five and ten years after the last deportations, most Chagossians have remained deeply impoverished in exile."

Bancoult said the next major step on the legal front will come on June 30 when the House of Lords in London begins hearings on the British government's appeal of a May 2007 court decision that the Chagossians won their rights to retain to the outer islands. Bancoult asked Americans to donate funds to finance the trip to London of about 25 Chagossians who want to attend the hearing. The Chagossians have formed a U.K.-based lobbying and public relations group called "Let Them Return" that presses for the cause of the islanders. (www.letthemreturn.com)

If the High Court rules favorably for the Chagossians and they are able to move back to the islands, resettlement money will be available from the European Community. Michael Tigar, an American university law professor who filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the U.S. government on behalf of the Chagos people several years ago, said he will work with Congress to get additional compensation. This will be difficult, however, given the huge expenses of the Iraq war. Tigar added that the chances of getting attention in Washington to the plight of the Chagossians will improve with the new U.S. president to be elected in November.

For Bancoult, the 40-year struggle is a campaign to restore the human rights of his people as well as their rights to return to their islands. He said Chagossians can co-exist with the American base, especially since resettlement would occur on an out island, far from Diego Garcia. It is not their intention to close the base, he said. A small airport could be developed as well as an eco-tourism industry.

"Even in Mauritius, poor people live in their birthplace, but we are the poor people living in a foreign country because our birthplace has been given away to the United States," said Bancoult, leader of the Chagossians in exile.

Bancoult said he's optimistic for a favorable court ruling, probably due in October, that will allow the islanders to return.

"People without a country is like a tree without roots," he added. "Everywhere I go people encourage me to continue the struggle, and I can assure you that I will never give up."

Looking for ways to increase U.S.-Mauritius educational exchange

Mauritius has been invited to participate in a higher education summit to be held in Washington, DC from April 29-30.

Sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the goal of the Higher Education Summit is to build partnerships among American universities, the private sector and universities in developing countries. Keynote speakers will be Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

The conference will highlight innovative approaches to academic, education and business partnerships through various workshops and presentations, and focus on ways to forge new partnerships.

There will be follow-on regional forums in Africa and the Middle East to encourage further collaborations that will hopefully lead to an increase in graduate study and faculty exchange programs.

Among the higher education presidents from around the world who have been invited to attend is Professor S. Jugessur, Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council at the University of Mauritius.

U.S. Navy ships visits Mauritius

The U.S. Navy had a presence in Mauritius earlier this month when the USS Ashland steamed into port on April 8 on a mission to strengthen maritime partnerships with Mauritius.

While in Port Louis, the ship's crew participated in military information exchanges with the Mauritian Coast Guard, practiced damage control and maritime interdiction operation techniques, according to a press release. The ship also hosted a reception for Mauritian military and government officials. The Ashland belongs to the U.S. Naval Forces Europe and is tasked with promoting maritime safety and security activities in the region.

A highlight of the visit were performances of the U.S. Naval Forces Europe brass quintet in various venues around the island. The group participated in musical exchanges with students from the Francois Mitterand Conservatory in Quatre Bornes, with a young group in Roche Bois, and with the youth community at Cité Florida in Baie de Tombeau. They also gave a lunch-time performance at Caudan Waterfront on April 10.

Celebrating Mauritian culture and Independence in Washington

Two events in Washington in March celebrated Mauritian culture and history.

On March 14, Mauritius participated in the annual "Soirée de la Francophonie" at the French Embassy. As in years past, a group of hard-working and dedicated Mauritians now living in Washington put together a splendid booth at the show which featured Mauritian food, posters of beach scenes, brochures about Mauritian economic sectors and books on Mauritian history. Organizers of the booth were associated with the Washington-based Friends of Mauritius and with the Mauritian embassy.

Visitors to the booth were able to taste vanilla tea, gateaux moutaille, gateaux piment and pate de fruits. On display were stamps from Mauritius and samples of products including Mauritian rum from Starr Rum, St. Aubin and Bon Espoir, pate de fruits and jams from Labourdonnais, and Thon des Mascareignes seafood. The Mauritian Shopping Paradise was helpful in providing many of the samples.

Also on display was a collage made by Ghislaine Dalais Dittberner showing the French names of towns and cities in Mauritius: Rose Belle, Terre Rouge, Poudre d'Or, Plaisance…

The Soirée attracts thousands of visitors each year to sample the culture and food of more than 50 French-speaking countries, including Switzerland, Madagascar, Benin, Morocco, and France, among many others.

The other event was the 40th anniversary of Mauritian independence. The Mauritius Embassy in Washington held a reception at a Washington hotel that brought together a diverse community of people with ties to Mauritius. The guest of honor was Dr. David King, who was the first U.S. ambassador to Mauritius at the time of independence. King and his wife represented the United States at the ceremony marking the accession of Mauritius to Independence on March 12, 1968.

Mauritian ambassador Kailash Ruhee praised the economic path taken by Mauritius since Independence and said that the country's political and economic achievements "would not have been possible without the support of our traditional friends and allies - including the prominent role of the United States." He also acknowledged the positive role of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Of the relationship with the United States, the Ambassador said "it is one based on a bedrock of fundamental values: democracy, human rights and the sanctity of the human being. This is a relationship that has stood the test of time, and is being continuously strengthened and reinforced by closer economic ties and also by the bonds of international diplomacy."

In his remarks, Ruhee also encouraged the Mauritian diaspora - those now living overseas - to "give something back to the land that nurtured us."

"In today's fast integrating world, we consider all of you as an important and integral part of our human capital base," the ambassador said.

Mauritius coral reefs spared worst of global warming

Recent studies have found that global warming caused by human activities are killing coral reefs around the world, but the reefs around Mauritius remain healthy - at least for now.

Rising sea surface temperatures in recent years have been killing off the algae that give reefs their often spectacular colors, leaving bleached skeletons built by colonies of thousands of corals, researchers say.

Also having an impact is the growing acidity of the oceans, caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide in the water. This interferes with the biological processes that permit corals to create their limestone structures.

One study released in February by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Syntheses in Santa Barbara, California, found that greenhouse gas emissions, nutrient runoff and fishing threaten ecosystems around the globe. The areas under the most stress are the North and Norwegian seas, South and East China seas Eastern Caribbean, North American eastern seaboard, Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, Bering Sea and the waters around Sri Lanka.

An earlier study, in 2004, estimated that global warming had destroyed 20 percent of the world's reefs since the 1950s. Another 24 percent are under imminent threat of collapse, and a further 26 percent face eventual destruction. Since that study, researchers have found that some corals seem to resist warming temperatures better than others do.

This seems to be the case around Mauritius. "In terms of coral, Mauritius has some of the best reefs in the Indian Ocean at the moment," said Tim McClanahan, senior conservation zoologist at the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society's Kenya office.

"In relation to the rest of the region, Mauritius is the lowest vulnerability of the Indian Ocean," he said, most likely due to geography and temperature histories.

Another paper recently published in a scientific journal documented how investigators developed a model and mapped the distribution of stressful conditions for corals in the Indian Ocean. They found that much of the northern Indian Ocean is very stressful for corals and that half of the marine parks with the strictest regulations are found in these areas. The least stressed reefs are found in the area east and just north of Madagascar, including those in Mauritius and Rodrigues. These reefs have now been identified as the highest priority for conservation.

McClanahan said that there is little coastal pollution around Mauritius, as currents help move pollutants out. "There was localized pollution - near the ports, close to the hotels - but generally I thought the water quality was good," he said in an interview. The biggest problem is overfishing around the island, and he urged better management of the inshore fishery.

In cooperation with the Mauritius Oceanographic Institute in Quatre Bornes, McClanahan participated in a study that examined the bleaching of reefs around Mauritius in 2004. The researchers found that coral reefs in Mauritius "appear to have been spared much of the disturbance that has affected the larger tropical western Indian Ocean," according to their report.

The coral cover around Mauritius has actually increased, compared to declines in other areas of the western Indian Ocean such as the Maldives and Seychelles. "Consequently, increased efforts to conserve them and their resilience are of regional importance," the study concluded.

McClanahan says he plans to return this year to update his studies and evaluate the fisheries and reefs around Mauritius and this time include Rodrigues.

"Mauritius," the play, from Broadway to L.A.

The play "Mauritius," which had a great run on Broadway last year, is now set for a premiere on the West Coast.

The Pasedena Playhouse, Pasadena, California, will be the venue for the play from Oct 17-Nov. 23.

The play centers on the drama and intrigue of tow half-sisters as they vie for the rights to a recently inherited a valuable stamp collection that includes the Mauritius blue penny. The story throws fast talking con-artists and the sisters into a double-dealing scam, and includes some dialogue about the geography and history of Mauritius. It shows the sinister side of stamp collecting, hinting that collecting might not be as genteel and innocent as one might think.

Rebeck said she stumbled across the idea for the play one day while surfing the internet. She came across a page itemizing the soon-to-be auctioned stamp collection of a Spanish lord. "I became really fascinated by how beautiful the stamps were, and how strange and historic and utterly valuable," she said in an interview in October with the New York Times. She began further research into philately, and was intrigued by the fascination that collectors have for their stamps. "It became clear that there was some kind of hunger in these people that the collection of objects answered. I found that mysterious and moving - why that thing would satisfy your spirit in a deep and meaningful way."

Written by American playwright Teresa Rebeck, "Mauritius" had a three-month run in New York late last year, after a successful debut in Boston.

a m e r i c a n   s c e n e

WEEK-END --- dimanche 27 avril 2008