I was recently looking for ways to get more information on the African heritage of Mauritius and someone recommended that I visit the Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture which is located in the capital city – Port Louis. If you’re curious about the Creole culture or the history of Mauritius in general I highly recommend that you visit this Centre. It’s a welcoming place and the people working there are very kind!
The Nelson Mandela Centre for African Culture is a public institution located at Pointe aux Sables that was inaugurated in 1986. Its mission is to preserve and promote the African and Creole legacy, culture and art of Mauritius.
Mauritius is an island whose population is made of the mix between slaves descendants, Franco-Mauritians, and descendants of Chinese traders or indentured Labourers. Coming from Africa, Europe and Asia, the ancestors of the Mauritians settled on the island many centuries ago and developed a great mix of cultural and religious practices which today make the richness of the diversity of the island.
Just as there are cultural sites related to the history of indentured Labourers or the colonial era for example, the Nelson Mandela Center, initially named “African Cultural Center”, wishes to promote Creole culture and make Mauritians aware of their common heritage through research projects, exhibitions, conferences and other activities.
Since 1996, the Center has set up a research project entitled “Origins / Genealogy”, the objective of which is to help Mauritians find traces of their ancestors and their origins. A database has been created for this purpose and can be accessed on the centre’s website.
The team working there is very welcoming and ready to give you all the information related to the building, the creole culture, the centre’s research projects and the art exposed within it.
I really enjoyed looking through the rich documentation available in their library. It’s open to the public, you can read and do your research about the creole culture in the Indian Ocean and African descendents in Mauritius, while sitting on the comfortable chairs located on the first floor and having a nice vue of the entrance hall.
Definitely worth visiting !
The Center organizes many events throughout the year in addition to the main commemorative days related to the history of slavery, the African continent and Creole culture.
For more information concerning their activities:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NelsonMandelaCentre/
Website : http://mandelacentre.govmu.org
Email : nelson.mandela.centre@gmail.com
