Today, Mauritian
artists excel in a number of arts, from photography to painting to sculpting. Their
art incorporates a mix of African, Asian, European, and Arab styles and
influences.
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| Galerie du Moulin Cassé |
A number of art
galleries are spread throughout the island, and some are quite renowned. The
Galerie du Moulin Cassé in the town of Péreybère, which houses the works of
Malcolm de Chazal and the nature photographs of Diane Henry, is actually in a
130-year-old sugar mill. The Caudan Waterfront is a great place to buy handicrafts,
jewelry, glassware, and artwork from local artists.
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| art of Vaco Biassac |
Some of the more
well-known artists and sculptors include Vaco Biassac, Nirveda Alleck,
Véronique Leclézio, Nita Treeboobhun, Devanand Bhungsee, Khalid Nazroo, and
Amrita Dyalah. There are several photographers and film directors who have made
names for themselves, such as Nazim Sookia, Pierre Argo, David Constantin,
Selven Naido, and Tibye Sobha.
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| art of Amrita Dyalah |
Literature in
Mauritius is published in several languages: English, French, Mauritian Creole,
and some Indian languages. And although most of the people speak Creole, most
of the literature is written in French (probably to make it more marketable).
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| Dev Virahsawmy |
After the country
gained its independence, there was a natural push for nationalism. And with
this, some writers also pushed the importance of using Mauritian Creole as a
national language. Many writers starting writing in Creole (also called Kreol
or Kreol Morisyen or sometimes just Morisyen), like Azize Asgarally and
playwright Dev Virahsawmy.
Mauritian literature
touches on many important themes that a broad scope of readers can identify
with. Subjects such as interracial relationships, multiracialism, and exoticism
are intertwined in the storylines of their literature. The dichotomy of old and
new ways of life is at the heart of their stories: mixing old superstition in
with politics or ethnic issues. There have even been new styles come out of
their multi-ethnic communities. One style is known as “coolitude,” a a type of
poetry that stemmed out of the Indian-Mauritian community.
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| Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio |
One writer put
Mauritius on the literary map. Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (also known as J. M.
G. Le Clézio) is a French-Mauritian writer and professor who was awarded the
Nobel Prize for Literature in 2008. Mauritius also as its own Le Prince Maurice
Prize which awards the best love story, regardless of genre. The award switches
every year between literature written in French and English.
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| Khal Torabully |
Some of the more
well-known authors include Ananda Devi (mix of Indian and Creole, she’s an
award-winning author), Aqiil Gopee (writer and poet, has published many works
and won many awards just since 2011), Marie-Thérèse Humbert (writer, aspiring
politician), Malcolm de Chazal (writer, painter), Khal Torabully (poet, first
coined the word “coolitude”) and Shenaz Patel (writer, one of the founders of
the literary journal Tracés).
Up next: music and
dance
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