Mauritian Creole People
Encyclopedia
Mauritian Creole people are the people of Africa
n and Malagasy
origin who live in Mauritius. However, the Creole people today also includes minorities of people that have both African and Malagasy origins with Indian, Chinese, French and/or British backgrounds.
and Seychelles
), the slaves were Malagasy
or East-African and were brought mostly from Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia.
s form the largest ethnic groups in Mauritius. They are divided into two main groups in Mauritius (which are not exclusive but were used very often in the past): Mulattos and Blacks. Among the community, there is much multiracial variances, from dark-skinned Creoles to near-white ones. Hindus and Creoles have identified with opposing political parties and groups.
The political competition between these two ethnic groups has continued for decades, starting from Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
and Gaëtan Duval in 1960s and 1970s, passing through Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Paul Bérenger
in the 1980s and 1990s, and lastly between Navin Ramgoolam
and Paul Bérenger
in the 2000s. The demographics and population of Hindu well settled throughout the country always maintain their position and the Hindu-dominated parties always win. Ramgoolam and Jugnauth are the two Hindu clans that have been in power since independence. Bérenger and Duval are the two Creoles who have fought for the Christian electorate; they have been allied with the Labour party or MSM in order to be able to gain positions in government.
Despite the rivalry between the two ethnic groups (Indian origin people and Creoles), both sides live peacefully beside each other. The main struggle is to be the most well set community within the Island. Both groups encourage their children to perform well at school and the adults work hard to improve the quality of their lives. The groups generally agree on issues of national priority. For example, Dr Navin Ramgoolam (Indian origin PM) worked hard to have 'LE MORNE' designated as a World Heritage sites, as the LE MORNE site is important to both the Creole community and Mauritians in general. The friendship and unity of the two groups is also seen when Mauritian athletes compete at international level for the country.
(mostly Catholic
with Protestant minorities including Seventh-day Adventists
). Recently, influences from other communities of African origin, particularly the Caribbean, have influenced a significant number of Mauritians to become Rastafarian. There is also a non-religious minority as well as some Islamic converts. The language spoken at home for the majority of Creoles is Mauritian Creole
; most also speak French
and English
.
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n and Malagasy
Malagasy people
The Malagasy ethnic group forms nearly the entire population of Madagascar. They are divided into two subgroups: the "Highlander" Merina, Sihanaka and Betsileo of the central plateau around Antananarivo, Alaotra and Fianarantsoa, and the côtiers elsewhere in the country. This division has its...
origin who live in Mauritius. However, the Creole people today also includes minorities of people that have both African and Malagasy origins with Indian, Chinese, French and/or British backgrounds.
Origins
Brought in as slaves to work the plantations of Mauritius (as well as RéunionRéunion
Réunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
and Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
), the slaves were Malagasy
Malagasy people
The Malagasy ethnic group forms nearly the entire population of Madagascar. They are divided into two subgroups: the "Highlander" Merina, Sihanaka and Betsileo of the central plateau around Antananarivo, Alaotra and Fianarantsoa, and the côtiers elsewhere in the country. This division has its...
or East-African and were brought mostly from Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zambia.
Creoles today
The Creoles and the Indo-MauritianIndo-Mauritian
Indo-Mauritians are people of Indian descent living on the island of Mauritius, where they represent a majority comprising 68% of the population according to the July 2007 statistics...
s form the largest ethnic groups in Mauritius. They are divided into two main groups in Mauritius (which are not exclusive but were used very often in the past): Mulattos and Blacks. Among the community, there is much multiracial variances, from dark-skinned Creoles to near-white ones. Hindus and Creoles have identified with opposing political parties and groups.
The political competition between these two ethnic groups has continued for decades, starting from Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
Seewoosagur Ramgoolam
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam KT,GCMG,KCMG,LRCP, MRCS is the first Chief Minister, Prime Minister and sixth Governor General of Mauritius....
and Gaëtan Duval in 1960s and 1970s, passing through Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Paul Bérenger
Paul Bérenger
Paul Raymond Bérenger GCSK MP is the Leader of the Opposition of Mauritius and former Prime Minister of the Republic. Bérenger, who is a Christian of French descent, is the only Prime Minister of Mauritius who was not a Hindu....
in the 1980s and 1990s, and lastly between Navin Ramgoolam
Navin Ramgoolam
Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, FRCP, MP is the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs & External Communications, as well as Leader of the National Assembly. Being the leader of the Mauritian Labour Party, he serves as Member of parliament for constituency No...
and Paul Bérenger
Paul Bérenger
Paul Raymond Bérenger GCSK MP is the Leader of the Opposition of Mauritius and former Prime Minister of the Republic. Bérenger, who is a Christian of French descent, is the only Prime Minister of Mauritius who was not a Hindu....
in the 2000s. The demographics and population of Hindu well settled throughout the country always maintain their position and the Hindu-dominated parties always win. Ramgoolam and Jugnauth are the two Hindu clans that have been in power since independence. Bérenger and Duval are the two Creoles who have fought for the Christian electorate; they have been allied with the Labour party or MSM in order to be able to gain positions in government.
Despite the rivalry between the two ethnic groups (Indian origin people and Creoles), both sides live peacefully beside each other. The main struggle is to be the most well set community within the Island. Both groups encourage their children to perform well at school and the adults work hard to improve the quality of their lives. The groups generally agree on issues of national priority. For example, Dr Navin Ramgoolam (Indian origin PM) worked hard to have 'LE MORNE' designated as a World Heritage sites, as the LE MORNE site is important to both the Creole community and Mauritians in general. The friendship and unity of the two groups is also seen when Mauritian athletes compete at international level for the country.
Demographical factors
The majority of Creoles are ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
(mostly Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
with Protestant minorities including Seventh-day Adventists
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
). Recently, influences from other communities of African origin, particularly the Caribbean, have influenced a significant number of Mauritians to become Rastafarian. There is also a non-religious minority as well as some Islamic converts. The language spoken at home for the majority of Creoles is Mauritian Creole
Mauritian Creole
Mauritian Creole is a French-based creole language spoken in Mauritius. In addition to the French base of the language, there are also some words from English and from the many African and Asian languages that have been spoken on the island.- Sociolinguistic Situation :Mauritian Creole is the...
; most also speak French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
See also
- African DiasporaAfrican diasporaThe African diaspora was the movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the world—predominantly to the Americas also to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe...
- Réunionnaise Creole PeopleRéunionnaise Creole PeopleCafres or Kafs are people born in Réunion of Malagasy and/or African origins. They often have mixed origins.-Use of the Term:In Réunion, contrary to other countries or regions of the south-west of the Indian Ocean, the term is common use...
- Seychellois Creole PeopleSeychellois Creole People'Creole' is a word used in the Seychelles to refer to those native to the country of whichever ancestry.The majority of people living in the Seychelles are creole. They are principally of African and Malagasy origin...
- Franco-MauritianFranco-MauritianFranco-Mauritians are people of mainly French origin who reside in Mauritius. They number more than 24,000.-Origins:The first French settlers arrived in Mauritius in 1722, after the previous attempts of settlement by the Dutch had failed, and the island had once again become abandoned...
- Sino-MauritianSino-MauritianSino-Mauritians, also referred to as Chinese Mauritians or Mauritian Chinese, are Mauritians of Chinese descent. They form about 3% of the local population.-Migration history:...
- Indo-MauritianIndo-MauritianIndo-Mauritians are people of Indian descent living on the island of Mauritius, where they represent a majority comprising 68% of the population according to the July 2007 statistics...