“The beauty of Mauritian culture” - An art exhibition in Port Louis, Mauritius

The island of Mauritius is a multicultural island, inhabited by migrants from Africa, Asia and Europe. They brought with them their traditions, culture, languages, religions etc. The island was colonized by both the French and the British. But this year this small nation celebrates 55 years of independence. The Independence Day is 12th of March. I was lucky to have been able to arrive a week before and thus experience this celebration. One of the events that took place, was an art exhibition at the Victoria St. Shopping mall in the Port Louis (the capital). This exhibition was an initiative of the Ministry of Art and Cultural Heritage. The artists are students from School of Fine Art. I took time to take photos and read the text on each painting. A young woman came up to me and asked if she could tell me about the paintings. Together with her fellow student, we had a long talk. She explained that the colors of the paintings are representing the same colors as in the flag. The red color symbolizes the people of the country. The blue, history. Yellow represents culture and green nature. On each painting there is a label with words from the artists.

Before I met the two students, who were on the second floor, I had started on the first floor where I saw these 4 paintings. I include a small extract of the text from the artists and the title of each of them. A few has a title written in Creole, which I unfortunately can’t translate, but I think “kiltir”might mean “culture”

This work is about the connection between the people of Mauritius. They all have different roots and skin colors but share the same blood – RED - the power of hard-working Mauritians, who despite hard work to build the country, preserve culture and keen on living in unity. The deer is meant to symbolize attitude, calmness, and serenity. The artist aims at the harmonious connection between human, animals, and nature.

Technology has taken over in so many ways. We depend on it. Constantly looking at our screens (phones etc.). Taking selfies and posting on social medias where we wait for "likes". Face to face relationships is becoming less prevalent. With this work the artist is raising questions as: "Are we losing our identity because of technology?" "Are we becoming slaves of technology?"

Yellow is a color that is luminous. It symbolizes happiness, sunshine optimism, creativity. This painting shows happy children of different ethnic backgrounds. But they share the same childhood of adventures and innocence: The beauty of Mauritian culture.

This green painting is inspired by the tropical forests in Mauritius. Some rare animals are seen here, like the giant tortoise. The tones recall the lush green grass, trees, and animals. The human represents the one who has the power to either destroy or preserve nature.

Then I took the stairs to the second floor and met the two students who told me about the project and what the colors represent.

Green is a symbol of growth and renewal. Mauritian birds and fruit reflects the natural elements on the island. This freshness and harmony will hopefully encourage its conservation. Old stamps with birds have inspired to make the painting as a stamp. The sun is a reminder of global warming and the extinct bird the Dodo is also integrated. It's only drawn as a thin line behind the others. The Dodo was a large bird, now extinct. It was uncapable of flying. Because it lay it's eggs on the ground it is believed that the reason it became extinct was either used for food (easy to catch) or eggs were eaten by rats. These came to the island onboard the ships.

This painting is telling the story about a grueling journey onwards to the comfortable life. From poverty to luxury. Mauritians have worked hard together to make this possible.

The luminous color of all. Again, different ethnic background, but they play the musical instruments together. This is another way of telling about: The beauty of Mauritian culture.

This is a portrait of the Mauritian Creole lady. She enfolds the multi-cultural Mauritian values. She is surrounded by local flowers like the Hibiscus and the Flamboyant in addition to other local elements. She is meant to show the transmission of cultures from generation to generation.

Then I said goodbye to the students and continued on to the footbridge to get across the busy mainroad. The last 4 paintings are exhibited here.

The melting pot of cultures happened because of the arrival of migrants from India, Europe, Africa and China. Dance has always been a form of unity of multiculturalism. The stage in Mauritius have always been filled with the differnet ethnic faces, colors and traditions.

This painting is about the street food, which is a big part of Mauritian culture. Who doesn't know "dal-pouri", "gato pima", "halim", "briyani" and many more. Again the color of yellow is used to illuminate the aspects of happiness and fun. The colorful mix of ethnicity of Mauritius has led to a unique burst of flavours.

The mountain Le Morne Brabant. People tend to forget their history. This is a promotion to the ancestors who were slaves. Life is made up of barriers, challenges, ups and down. Sacrifices should be made for greater achiements. Le Morne Brabant is a challenging climb. Slaves jumped to their death from the top to escape slavery. The story of this mountain has become a symbol of unity, refuge and freedom.

Mauritius is an island of different races, multicultural, motley, many different religions, different skin colours, but together all these differenses make up the picture of the beauty of Mauritius - a country where people live in diversity but in harmony.

End of exhibition. I walk down the stairs to the metro station. I hope the visual picture and part of the text from the artists will give you an idea of this mix of cultures who are united, depite all the differenses.