INDIAN OCEAN
Mauritian Creole has evolved considerably since François Chrestien published Essais d ’ un bobre africain , the first literary manuscript written in the language , in 1822 . The text was reissued in 2018 by the Creole Speaking Union ( CSU ). “ Old ” Creole is giving way to “ modern ” Creole . Championed by literary figures and even activists – including Dev Virahsawmy , Richard Assone and Michel Ducasse – over the past few decades , this previously disdained dialect is coming into its own on the island ’ s cultural scene . It has taken a long time to overcome its humble origins !
In 2005 , the first Creole dictionary was published in Mauritius , standardising its grammar and spelling . There have been three editions since ; the language is far from static . Between 2012 and 2018 , it began to be taught as a modern language in primary and secondary schools and universities across the island , in accordance with a curriculum set by the Mauritius Institute of Education ( MIE ). UNESCO approves : it believes that teaching students in their mother tongue widens access to education .
The stakes are both pedagogical and identity-related . “ In Mauritius , the demand for Creole to be legitimised comes from society , rather than from the state . That ’ s what gives it such power ,” explains Professor Arnaud Carpooran , the president of the CSU , author of the Creole dictionary and dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Mauritius ( UoM ). When we meet him , he is putting the finishing touches on a prototype dictionary of Rodriguan Creole . Because in Rodrigues , a different type of Creole is spoken . “ It ’ s a centre-periphery relationship , involving identity , politics and existential issues ,” he says .
In 2020 , Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth implied that more work was required before Creole could be used in the Mauritian Parliament . Though this doesn ’ t guarantee that Creole will ever be introduced as an official language , Prof . Carpooran nevertheless seized the opportunity to announce a new research project . For the first time , this initiative has united the island ’ s competing tertiary institutions around a common cause . “ This is about our national language , which is symbolically very powerful ,” says Professor Carpooran . Some 100 volunteers are currently establishing a parliamentary lexicon ; defining the variations in register specific to the parliamentary context ; training staff to read and write in formal Creole ; and developing digital tools ( including voice recognition , speech-to-text conversion , and an automatic corrector ) to assist with transcription .
If Creole is ever to be recognised as an official language in Mauritius , the same type of work will be needed to create other specialist lexicons , such as legal and administrative language .
We are among the lucky few alive today to witness a language coming to maturity . Our Creole will soon transform from an impermanent dialect into an established language .
“ Sous les pavés ” (‘ Under the pavements ’), street art by Seth , Port-Louis
22