Mauritius – Languages & Culture

Language

The Constitution of Mauritius mentions no official language. It only contains a statement in Article 49 that “The official language of the Assembly shall be English but any member may address the chair in French”, implying that English and French are official languages of the National Assembly (parliament). French is also a common language in education and the dominant language of media. According to the Organization Internationale de la Francophonie, 72.7% of the Mauritians were French speakers in 2005.  Being both an English-speaking and French-speaking nation, Mauritius is a member of both the Commonwealth of Nations and the Francophonie.

Mauritian Créole, which is spoken by 90% of the population, is considered to be the native language of the country and is used most often in informal settings. It was developed in the 18th century by slaves who used a pidgin language to communicate with each other as well as with their French masters, who did not understand the various African languages. The pidgin evolved with later generations to become a casual language. Mauritian Creole is a French-based Creole due to its close ties with French pronunciation and vocabulary.

Mauritius has the highest adult literacy rate for the whole of Africa as a result of free education at primary and secondary school level. This highly disciplined and educated workforce is also equally fluent in English and French, while many also speak a third international language: Hindi, Mandarin, Urdu and a host of European languages. The workforce is young, 29.2% being aged less than 30 and business spirited, innovative thinking and open to the world.

It is only in the Parliament that the official language is English but any member of the National Assembly can still address the chair in French. However, English is generally accepted as the official language of Mauritius and as the language of government administration and the court business. In Mauritius, people switch languages according to the situation. Creole is used in informal settings while French and English, which have long enjoyed greater social status, are favored in educational and professional settings.

 

Culture


Hanuman, Ganga and Shiva statue under construction in the background at Ganga Talao

 

Holidays and festivals

Mauritius public holidays involve the blending of several cultures from Mauritius’s history, as well as individual culture arising indigenously. There are Hindu festivals, Chinese festivals, Muslim festivals, as well as Christian festivals.

There are 15 annual public holidays in Mauritius. Seven of these are fixed holidays: 1 and 2 January; 1 February; 12 March; 1 May; 2 November; and 25 December. The remaining public holidays are religious festivals with dates that vary from year to year. However these are public holidays, many other festivals like Holi, Raksha Bandhan, Père Laval Pilgrimageal also exist in Mauritius.

 

Religious Beliefs

The religions of Mauritius are Hinduism (52%), Roman Catholicism (31%), Islam (16%) and Buddhism (1%).

Most Mauritian Muslims are Sunnis; a few are Shias and Ahmadis.

Within Hinduism there are many variants, corresponding with variants found in India itself. Low-caste practices of animal sacrifice are common in rural areas. Maratha and Tamil variants of the religion also have their distinctive points, contrasting greatly to the dominant Bihari form of Hinduism.

Syncretistic beliefs are common in Mauritius, and traces of heterodox European and Indian dogma and traditional African beliefs can be found within Hindus and Creoles alike – particularly in rural areas. Belief in witchcraft is common, but rarely has an impact on social or cultural life on the island.

 

Religious Practitioners

The archbishop of the Mascareignes and the Seychelles – the most powerful religious person in Mauritius, leads the Catholic Church. Catholic priests are highly respected and powerful in their local communities. Many are involved in social work.

Hindu pundits and Muslim imams are also powerful, although their religions do not require formal leadership. That said, pundits and imams wield a lot of power in rituals and in the context of Hindu and Muslim youth clubs (baitkas and madrassahs, respectively). Buddhism is of negligible importance in Mauritius; most of the Buddhists are also Catholics.

 

Ceremonies

 

There are three spectacular annual religious ceremonies. The Tamil festival Cavadi is a rite of passage involving fire walking, although many of the participants nowadays are non-Tamils. In contrast, the Catholic Père Laval pilgrimage is exclusively Christian and the Maha Shivaratri is exclusively Hindu. All major rituals and festivals of the largest religious traditions, including the Chinese New Year, are celebrated by their followers.