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Language and Culture

Even if the official language is English, the language that is better understood and spoken after the 'Creole' is french. Teaching is performed in English as well as the administration but the press is mainly in french. Among the oriental languages spoken, Hindi is the most common one.
The Creole has had the function to propagate the popular art, specially in the field of songs, theater and a little amount in literature. It without doubt that it is in the field of songs that the creole language has primed in its melody that accompany the dances from African origin that is known as the SEGA.

A mosaic of ethnic groups, namely Indians, Chinese, Creoles and Europeans. About theater, the Creole language has gone through a remarkable boost. As for literature, since the adoption of a common orthographe, the Creole has made its way with poets, writers and novelists that use it.

Apart from Creole, French and English, seven oriental languages are used in Mauritius. Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati and Sanskrit all come from India. The most common language of Indian origin used in Mauritius is Bhojpuri.

All the ethnic groups live together since their youth at school. Two languages from Chinese origin also are spoken : Cantonese and the Hakka.

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    The tiny island of Mauritius has been called a "melting pot" and its linguistic situation is very complex. While English is the official language of parliament, traffic regulations, and school administration, it is spoken by only 3% of the population. French is the native language of Franco-mauritians and is used by the mass media. Eighty percent of the newspapers are written in French, which also dominates the advertising field. Mauritian Creole, or MC, is the national language and is spoken by the majority of Mauritians. Nearly the entire population knows and uses MC for communication.

  • Mauritius Today

    Today Mauritius is a republic within the Commonwealth with a population of 1.2 million. Being a multi-cultural society, the Mauritian polulation enjoy a rich ethnic background, consisting of Hindus, Muslims, Tamils, Blacks of African and Madagascan descents, Whites of French descents, Mulattos and Chinese. The main religions are Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. However other religious denominations also flourish. This is a small country where religious festivals, rituals, customs and traditions abound in all their splendours.

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    The Sega is originated from African music since the period of slavery. The sega is performed in a way to reflect the contemporary influence with the introduction of instruments for percussion. The rubbing of the feet, the swinging of the hips, the texts in creole are integral part of the music. Local representations are numerous especially on Saturday nights. The Bobre, a musical arc of African origin is used to accompany the creole melody.

  • Emergencies

    Emergencies
    The emergency number for the Police, Fire Brigate and Ambulance in Mauritius is: 999. In case of necessity local police stations can be contacted through the Police Switchboard, especially if you do not have the telephone number of the station concerned. The Police Switchboard Number is: (230) 208 1212

    Radio / TV

  • Cuisine, Cooking and Recipes from Mauritius by Madeleine Philippe

    The eating habits of the Mauritians inevitably reflect the ethnic diversity of its people: Creole rougailles, Indian curries, Muslim bryanis, Chinese sweet-and-sour pork, French delicate dishes, English bacon and eggs.

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