Immigrant Labourers

The Pre Independence Era

As you might already know, an immigrant is a person who travels to another country with the hope of a better life. The same applied to the Indian and Chinese who were first brought to Mauritius by Bertrand Mahe de Labourdonnais  in the year 1735 as workers to look for a higher standard of living. Bertrand Mahe de Labourdonnais, a French naval officer and the first French governor of Mauritius.

Indian Indentured labourers

Later on , during the 19th century when the French rule ended, the British needed more workers to work in the sugarcane fields as at that time, sugar production was at its peak. So, they went to search for more labourers in India and China. The Indian immigrants were brought on a 5 year contract from parts such as Bombay (now known as Mumbai), Kolkata(now known as Calcutta). Madras (now known as Chennai).

The Journey to Mauritius

During their travel, many of the immigrants fell sick and some of even died of suffocation as there was a lack of space in the ships. The travel was harsh due to the bad sea conditions and lack of food and drink. It did not help that the travel was very lengthy. They landed at the harbour in Port Louis which is the capital of the country. After staying at the 'Immigrant Depot' for 2 days, they were sent to work on the sugarcane estate in the different parts of the country. The Immigrant Depot was later named as the 'Apravasi Ghat' and was declared a 'World Heritage Site' by UNESCO.

At first only the male labourers came to not risk the life of their families. Later on, the others came along with their families as well to enjoy the high life. 

                                                                    

                                                                       -The Immigrant Depot

Their Stay in Mauritius

They worked for long hours, did not have proper clothing and were paid 5 cents per month. They were given rice, dholl, salted fish and oil to feed their family. This meal would later become an integral part in the culture of Mauritius. Life was hard as they had to live with their large families in small huts made out of woods and dry cane leaves which they would construct themselves from materials brought from their working place. These huts were easily destroyed by cyclones and mud lamps. 

The Work conditions
After their arrival, sugarcane cultivation significantly increased to produce more sugar. They had to clean forests which were rock laden, plant and harvest the sugarcane and even worked in mills. The labourers bought other food items from the Indian hawkers who bought them from the Chinese shops. After the contract of 5 years, they had the choice to either stay in the country or return to India. Many chose to stay as they were living a better life here than in their country. 

Chinese Workers

They also brought Chinese workers from Penang and Singapore and Canton. These immigrants were free workers who worked as blacksmiths, carpenters, cobblers, masons craftsmen and tailors who largely contributed in the development in the country. They were settled in Port Louis which was later called 'The China Town'. They also set up shops in the sugar cane estate where they sold varieties of items and even provided credit facilities to the indentured labourers who lived there. 

The Present Day

Today, there are many workers from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China and many other countries who came on contract to work in the island. They are well paid and have proper living conditions. They also are on contracts and once it ends, they return home to their families.