Portrait of an Island on Fire is a book written by Mauritian writer and activist Ariel Saramandi. In this series of essays, she sheds light on historical events that have been voluntarily scrapped from the public eye during the last decades. Ariel Saramandi's bold, unflinching voice tackles various themes, ranging from classism and structural racism, to environmental issues, epigenetic mental health disorders and the struggle for women's rights in a fractured Mauritius.

Nou pa ti tro prezan sa lane-la, pou boukou rezon personel, profesionel. Nou’nn desid pou fer sa podkas la ensam pou koz bann size ki pe okip nou lespri, koz enn tigit laktualite dan Moris (abrogsaion la lwa 250 ki ti kriminaliz sodomi, omofobi dan Moris), laktualite dan la Frans (proze de lwa rasis lor imigrasion ki fi’nn fek pas dan sena, represion la-polis pendan manifestasion) ek, biensir, lor genosid ki pe deroule an se moman dan Palestinn. Nou espere ki zot pou apresi sa lepizod-la. Nou pou revini biento avek enn nouvo lepizos lor imigrasion ek idantite avek enn invite spesial ki pou koz so experians an tan ki morisienn kinn imigre Litali.

We weren’t very active this year for a myriad of personal and professional reasons. So we decided to do what we do best: rant and share our commentary on what’s going on in Mauritius, France and in the world, but this time the mic was on. We talked about the decriminalization of same-sex relations and generalised homophobia in Mauritius, on the racist Immigration Law that has been passed in the French Senate and police crackdown on protests in France, and of course we had to talk about the genocide that’s currently happening in Palestine. We hope that you enjoy this candid episode, and we ask you to stay tuned for a future episode that will soon come out on the immigrant experience of a Mauritian woman who moved to and grew up in Italy.

Nous n'avons pas été très actives pour plusieurs raisons personnelles et professionnelles. Nous avons donc décidé de faire ce qu'on fait le mieux : partir en boucle et partager nos idées sur ce qu'il se passe à Maurice, en France et dans le reste du monde. Nous avons parlé de la dépénalisation de l'homosexualité, mais aussi l'homophobie ambiante de Maurice, de la Loi Immigration raciste passée au sénat français et la répression policière en manif ces dernières semaines, et nous avons bien sûr parlé du génocide en cours en Palestine. Nous espérons que vous aimerez cet épisode spontané. Stay tuned pour un épisode à venir bientôt sur l'expérience de l'immigration par une femme mauricienne installée en Italie, ayant grandie là-bas.

We had the pleasure to talk with Audrey Albert, maker, artist and photographer. Born in Mauritius with Chagossian origins, her research-led practice enables her to consider and investigate themes of national identity, collective memory, displacement, tradition, and denial. Our conversation was focused on her work, Chagossian narratives, our Kreol language and other transcending themes that, we hope, will resonate in our Mauritian, Chagossian, Rodriguan, Agalegan audiences, or at the very least encourage you all to start questioning why we are so unaware by the plight of the Chagossian people, whose uprooting was the cornerstone on which Mauritian independence was sadly built.

Opening music credits by DJ Mimi96 (Pink Islands Collective)

Cover art by Valérie Latreille

Sources  : 

Music intro credits: DJ MIMI

Nou  fi’nn ena loner koz avec Dr. Gitanjali Pyndiah, enn akademik morisienn  ki travay lor bann size kouma istoriografi losean indien, zenealozi ek  disparision bann langaz, lamisik ek lestetik. Li fi’nn deza piblie  plizir artik, kouma par examp Kreoling Sisters ki  explor listwar lesklavaz ek langazism dan kontex losean indien e dan  kontex morisien. Dr. Pyndiah inn egalman partisip dan lantololozi We Mark Your Memory, enn colkesion artik ki tret leritaz angazism a traver la poezi ek bann tex pwissan.

Dan  sa lepizod-la nou fi’nn gagn loportunite diskit plizir size ki ena enn  impak lor nou bann lexperians an tant ki fam morisienn. Nou espere ki  zot pou apresie sa esanz-la ek sa premier epizod-la !

We are honored to share with you our conversation  with Dr. Gitanjali Pyndiah, a Mauritian, UK-based researcher whose work  is focused on Cultural Studies, Indian Ocean historiography and the  “Kreol Indian Ocean Islands”. She also writes poetry, and is interested  in the visual and sonic tools that bring her academic work to life. Dr.  Pyndiah has published several articles, including Kreoling Sisters,  that explore the history of slavery and indenture in the context of the  Indian Ocean islands and Mauritius in particular. Her work is also  featured in We Mark Your Memory, a powerful anthology of essays and poetry that reflect on the heritage of indenture in the 21st century.

This  conversation also allowed us to touch upon topics that map our  experiences as Mauritian women. We hope you enjoy this episode, and we  can’t wait to hear your feedback!

Dans ce premier épisode nous avons l’honneur de  nous entretenir avec Dr. Gitanjali Pyndiah. Dr. Pyndiah est une  chercheuse mauricienne dont les sujets phares de recherche comprennent  l'historiographie de l'océan Indien, la généalogie et l'extinction des  langues, la musique et l'esthétique. Elle a publié plusieurs articles  dont Kreoling Sisters qui explore l’histoire de  l'esclavage et de l'engagisme dans le contexte de l'océan Indien et à  Maurice en particulier. Elle a également participé à l'anthologie, We Mark Your Memory,  œuvre de différents écrits qui retrace, à travers la poésie et la prose, l'héritage de l’engagisme au XXIe siècle.

Cet  épisode a été l’occasion pour nous d’échanger sur différents sujets qui  impriment notre expérience en tant que mauricien.ne.s. Nous vous  souhaitons une bonne écoute et espérons que ce premier épisode vous  plaira !