The various ethnic groups tend to remain separate from each other. The children resulting from marriages will then assume a single ethnic identity, which will be the one they will refer to for their marriage. In fact, ethnic identity is considered more important than social class and is the determining factor for the choice of a spouse; other factors are the group and the influence of the parents. Marriage outside one’s ethnic group can be frowned upon by the family and can sometimes be punished. This has a considerable weight, since families usually live together due to the high costs of the plots of land. There are two UNESCO cultural sites: Aapravasi Ghat (2006), in the Port Louis district, is the place where in 1834 the British government made the first experiment of “free” work to replace the slaves. Between 1834 and 1920 nearly half a million laborers came from India to work on the sugar cane plantations of Mauritius, or to be transferred to Reunion Island, Australia, South or East Africa or the Caribbean.
According to thefreegeography, the buildings of Aapravasi Ghat are among the oldest and most explicit examples of the global economic system and one of the greatest migrations in history. The other UNESCO site is the area of Le Morne (2008). It is a rugged mountain that juts out into the Indian Ocean, in the southwestern part of the island, which was used by runaway slaves as a refuge in the century. XVIII and in the early years of the century. XIX. Protected by the almost inaccessible cliffs, the slaves (originally from the African continent, Madagascar, but also from India and Southeast Asia) formed small settlements in caves and at the top of the mountain. Oral tradition describes Le Morne as the symbol of the slave struggle for freedom; thus Mauritius, an important slave trading post, was also known as the “Republic of Runaway Slaves” due to the large number of refugees in the mountain of Le Morne. § The most listened to music comes from the West and India; the only local music is the for the large number of refugees in the mountain of Le Morne. § The most listened to music comes from the West and India; the only local music is the for the large number of refugees in the mountain of Le Morne. § The most listened to music comes from the West and India; the only local music is the séga, played on percussion and with African rhythms: it is a very sensual Creole dance, which is danced in pairs. The cuisine is also varied and reflects the extraordinary mix of ethnicities: there is English roast beef, Mediterranean vegetables cooked in the French way, Indian curry as a condiment, Chinese recipes, all accompanied by boiled rice.
Aapravasi Ghat (World Heritage)
Aapravasi Gaht was a transit camp for Indian immigrants who, after the abolition of slavery in 1834, were recruited as cheap contract workers for the sugar cane plantations on the island. There are still some remains of the former camp, reminiscent of the great migration flows. Today, more than half of the population of Mauritius are of Indian descent.
Aapravasi Ghat: Facts
| Official title: | Aapravasi Ghat |
| Cultural monument: | Historical warehouse covering an area of 1,640 km² in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius; former housing for 500,000 Indian contract workers brought to Mauritius by the British between 1834 and 1920; Employment of the workers on the island’s sugar plantations and their onward shipping to Reunion, South and East Africa, Australia and the Caribbean; 15% of the camp’s stone buildings from 1860 are still preserved; Establishment of the camp after the abolition of slavery. Measure to replace the system of work slaves with contractually obliged migrant workers |
| Continent: | Africa |
| Country: | Mauritius |
| Location: | Port Louis |
| Appointment: | 2006 |
| Meaning: | Testimony to the beginning of global labor migration; Remembering one of the greatest workforce transformation actions in history; Memorial to the beginning of the abandonment of the slave labor system |
Le Morne cultural landscape (World Heritage)
The approximately 556 m high mountain in the southwest of the island is a memorial against slavery and a symbol of freedom. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was a refuge for runaway slaves who were used by the Dutch on the sugar cane plantations. In the inaccessible cliff landscape, they formed communities in cave settlements.
Le Morne cultural landscape: facts
| Official title: | Le Morne cultural landscape |
| Cultural monument: | Tropical, approx. 500 m high mountain region on the Indian Ocean in the southwest of the island republic of Mauritius; Refuge area for escaped slaves from the beginning of the 18th century to the middle of the 19th century; During this time a large number of people were deported from Mozambique, Madagascar and India for slave labor in the sugar cane fields of Mauritius; at the same time development of the island into the hub of the slave trade to the east; increasing flight of slave laborers (“Maroons”) into the caves and inaccessible areas of the wooded hills; hiding places there developed into regular settlements; Myth and tradition of this striving for freedom are part of the cultural identity of the island’s population |
| Continent: | Africa |
| Country: | Mauritius |
| Location: | Southwest of Mauritius |
| Appointment: | 2008 |
| Meaning: | Extraordinary symbol of slavery and the resistance of enslaved people; outstanding example of the identity and culture-creating effect of oral traditions |
