Afrca 2000

Mauritius

The Republic of Mauritius is given the briefest of mentions in various historical and geographic textbooks. This virtual absence from scholarship is partly a result of the country’s past history and certainly not a facet of modern day Mauritius, one of the few African success stories.
Mauritius is tiny at just over 2000 sq kms about the size of Addis and almost all of it a volcanic mountain. The country is the farthest one can travel and still be in an African country as it lies over 800 kilometers east of Madagascar, which itself is separated from mainland Africa by the wide Mozambique Channel.
Eurocentric analysis tells, no sorry, informs us that the two major islands that used to make up the Mauritius archipelago were uninhabited before being ‘discovered’ and settled by the Dutch in 1638. The Nederlanders, then a great maritime power, made it one of their logistic bases at first before they began the sugarcane plantations which to this day remain as a major component of the economy.
The French took over from the Dutch in 1721 in obscure yet important circumstances which Capital researchers can not obtain information about. It was then that the French brought in black slaves from mainland Africa. In a colonial merry go round, Britain became the colonial ruler as of 1810. The British in turn, brought over Indian laborers for the same sugarcane plantations – adding to the thickening ethnic mix.
Mauritius is and Indo-Mauritian (black –Indian) 65%, Creole 27%, Sino Mauritian (Chinese) and 3% and Franco (French) Mauritian at 2%. It can be said that Mauritius gives the impression of being more Asian than African.
The country enjoys the fruits of a successful economy that has managed to provide the population with a relatively equitable share of the gains.
Mauritius has a per capita income almost unimaginable by African standards and is a unique model that other A.U. member states can emulate.

Facts and Figures

Location-Indian Ocean, 800 kms east of Madagascar
Area-2,040 sq km
Topography-Volcanic island surrounded by coral reefs, central plateau amid high mountains
Population-1,240,827
Distribution- 44% urban
Ethnic Make-up-Indo-Mauritian, Creole, Sino-Mauritania Franco Mauritian
Languages–English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka, Bhojpuri
Religions – Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim
Capital City – Port Louis, pop – 146,000
Government Type –Republic
Head of State – President Anerood Jagnauth, since 2003,
Head of Government – P.M. Narin Ramgoolan, since 2005
Currency – Rupee (MUR) 32.90 = $ 1 US
Gross Domestic Product - $ 16.1 bln
Per Capita GDP -$ 13,100
Economy – Sugar, food processing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, tea, fish
Electricity Production – 2.1 bln kwh
Literacy –85 %
Life Expectancy – 67 male, 77 female
AIDS Rate – 0.6 %
Ports – Louis
Airports – 2
Vehicles – 150,000 units
Telephones – 359,000 lines
Radios – 371 per 1000 people
TV sets–248 per 1000 people
Daily Newspaper Circulation – NA.
Internet-180,000 users

Facts and figures are the latest available at time of publication and may not necessarily be the most accurate.

Island Paradise

LAVISH resorts, silken white sand and celebrity guests are mainstay attractions in Mauritius, but the remote little Indian Ocean island's greatest assets may be the relentless hospitality of its easygoing people and their rich and divergent cultures.
Uninhabited until Dutch settlers arrived in 1638, Mauritius later fell under French control and both regimes imported slaves from Africa and Madagascar to work their sugar and cotton plantations.
In 1810 the British seized the island, abolished slavery and encouraged Indian and Chinese migration, setting the stage for a colourful, multicultural Mauritius which became known as The Rainbow Nation.
English is the official language but French is preferred by most Mauritians, an attractive people, chummy, hospitable and carefree almost to a fault, and the best way to experience their cultures is to rent a car and join them.
Sega is a unique Mauritian song and dance art form invented by Creole slaves as an antidote to their chronic suffering and now shared and enjoyed by all Mauritians. Sega dancers sway and shuffle to songs of love and hardship accompanied mostly by modern musical instruments but occasionally by the traditional goatskin-covered drums, metal triangles and rattle-boxes full of stones. Most resorts and hotels put on regular sega performances with some resorts offering dance lessons.
Another unusual art form for which Mauritians have become internationally famous is model-shipmaking. These are not just random creations but faithful, scaled reproductions of history's great sailing ships, much sought after by collectors.
There are factories and shops across the island turning out vessels from the little traditional pirogues (local sailing boats) to the great ships of history like Endeavour, Astrolabe and Cutty Sark, some more than a metre long and costing up to $1000.
Mauritian gastronomy is a succulent synthesis of French, African, Chinese, Creole and Indian food with seafood and tropical fruit at its core and is readily available across the island at cafes, street stalls, elegant gourmet restaurants cocooned in colonial mansions and luxury resorts, many of which conduct Creole cooking classes.

Lucky Dube Gone too soon

Lucky Philip Dube (pronounced doo-bay) (August 3, 1964 -- October 18, 2007) was a South African reggae musician from Johannesburg. His parents named him Lucky because he was born in poor health, and the doctors thought he would die but he survived. He recorded 21 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans in a 25 year period. [1] Dube was murdered, in front of his son, by several hijackers in the Johannesburg suburb of Rosettenville on the evening of October 18, 2007.
Early Life
Lucky was raised by his mother because of his parent's separation before his birth. Due to apartheid and the overall racism in South Africa his mother was barely able to take care of the children and they grew up in poverty.
In school he would find a safe place and he spent much time learning, so he was quite popular with the teachers at that time. Lucky paired up with a few of his friends in the choir and together they founded the band Skyway. They played with stolen instruments from the school but soon their teacher would lock them away so Lucky and his friends weren't able to take them anymore. The band fell apart.
Lucky moved to Durban after completing his secondary education and decided to go to the University of KwaZulu Natal where he did his BSC as his first degree. After obtaining his BSC he decided to move to Wits-university where he did MBChB as his secondary degree. He was a successful business person in South Africa.
Beginning of his musical career
At the age of 18 he joined his cousin's band The Love Brothers. They played a traditional Zulu music known as Mbaqanga. Soon afterwards the band signed up to Tear Records, which is now known as Gallo Record Company. They changed their name to "Lucky Dube and the Supersoul" and produced their first record. With their third album they already had a considerable fan base and he could afford to purchase some instruments as well as a recording desk.

Moving into Reggae
It was around the time of his fifth Mbaqanga album that Lucky met Dave Segal. Segal became his engineer, from that point he recorded all of Lucky's albums in the future. The name was again changed, Segal told them to drop the "Supersoul" element of the name. At this time Lucky had already been listening to reggae coming from Jamaica. Lucky felt it was the perfect medium for the South African political situation. So he decided to try the new musical genre and he recorded the mini album "Rastas Never Die". But the record was a flop, only selling 4000 units - his Mbaqanga records were peaking around 30000 units. Despite the record company's wishes, he continued to perform the reggae tracks live and started to write more. His fans grew familiar with the new sound and began to like it. Ignoring the record company's advice he produced his second Reggae album. It was called "Think About The Children" and it went on to become his breakthrough record. It reached platinum status. Through this Lucky Dube established himself as popular Reggae artist, even outside of his home.

Like father like son

Rohan Marley is his fathers son carrying on in the roots rock reggae tradition so enriched by Bob marley and the wailers. Rohan is also a man of the soil as he describes himself as a planter Capital’s Addis mulugeta met up with the telegenic young marley when Rohan was in town recently in connection with the new Ethiopian millennium.

Capital: - How many times have you paid a visit to Ethiopia?
Rohan: - This is my third one.
Capital: What positive and/ or negative developments have you noticed in Ethiopia?
Rohan: Rastaman vibration is positive, it is so good. Ethiopia has been what we expected, which is the common place for love of the people. So, I can’t say anything more than positive vibration.
Capital: Do you agree that the 60th anniversary of Bob Marley’s birthday at Meskel Square in Addis Ababa raised Reggae’s profile in Ethiopia?
Rohan: Rasta vibration is always here because the real Lion is here.
Capital: What is your opinion about the current status of Reggae music internationally and in Ethiopia? Has it declined since your father has passed away?
Rohan: Reggae music has not declined because it only inclined upward. The message is still there.
Capital: Could you tell us how many songs your father had played while he was alive, which one of his song do you rate first and why?
Rohan: I can not guess because it is too much. They are all still being played and that will never stop. Rating which one of his songs is first depends on the day and my mood. Each song has a different mood and vibration.
Capital: - How do you rate the role and significance of Reggae music?
Rohan: - The significance of Reggae music means the heartbeat of the people; it is very significant for their lives because it is the struggle and the movement towards righteousness. The view is that it is betterment and an uplift of life.
Capital: How do you explain Rastafari?
Rohan: Rastafari is the way of life. Our teacher, father and king is his Majesty Emperor Hailesellasie I. The worship of Rastafari is the orthodox way of life. The principle of Rastafari is the way of life to His Majesty. We are kings and queens. He teaches us to go to Church, to fast and seek redemption.
Capital: How aware is the international Rastafarian community about Ethiopia’s new millennium?
Rohan: ‘2000’is really the true rebirth of Ethiopian civilization. This is the time people choose good or evil. Everyone knows that it is time for the return of the Christ himself. This is when we need to realize that we must do the exodus to the land of Ethiopia – Mount Zion.
Capita: Why are you here in Ethiopia at present?
Rohan: I am here because it’s Ethiopia. This is where God likes us to be. The people are the people of “Egziabher” – the most high. And it is the dream of my father, myself and all Rastafarians. I came here to create an opportunity for myself and my people through farming and textiles. In addition, Ethiopia is the most beautiful place on earth; that is why I am here to develop the country; create jobs for the people. We want to develop Marley products that say Made in Ethiopia. People would say that Marley is here in Ethiopia. And we want to build schools, universities and churches for the people.
Capital: Do you often listen to Ethiopian music?
Rohan: I love Ethiopian music such as Tigrigna, Oromigna, Amarigna and Gurage. I love the dance, especially Gurage.
Capital: What is your profession?
Rohan: I am strictly in the agriculture business. I am a farmer, a land tiller and a planter of coffee. I want to develop Marley coffee. I am also designing clothes for the garment business. I go to church and help poor people. That is what my profession is.
Capital: Do you have a message for Ethiopians and Rastafarians?
Rohan: The message is to wake-up and live, take advantage of this blessed land, and live together. The message is love and unity. Let’s start to build Ethiopia from scratch. It is our time and our home. We should work hard for it since we will live in Ethiopia at the end of the day. Ethiopia is equivalent to heaven on earth.
Capital: When are you leaving Ethiopia?
Rohan: I am not leaving Ethiopia because this is my final place. It is my residence from now on. The beautiful queens and princesses are here.

Ethiopian Cultural Day on the Brink of Being Celebrated Annually

Addis mulugeta

Reliance Ethiopia is putting an effort to hold Ethiopia Cultural Day by presenting various dresses and foods of the different nations, nationalities and peoples of the country. This colorful event referred to as Ethiopian Cultural Day was held on Saturday night, October 13, 2007 at the National Exhibition Center. Close to 3000 attendants have taken part on the occasion, according to the event organizers. Bethel Mengesha, told Capital that the diverse cultures across the many different people of Ethiopia should be celebrated.
Traditional and cultural drinks such as Tela, Tej, Borde and the like, as well as foods such as Injera, Kitfo, Kocho, Chechebsa and so on have been served during the event. Ornaments and jewelry such as earrings, bracelets, necklaces and others were also eye-catching additions in the exhibition. Various cultural and modern singers entertained the visitors and their fans.
While representative cultures of each region have been chosen as attraction during the exhibition night, such an event is understood to have been held for the very first time in the country.