Electric Fence Zine: Mauritius

Where else in the world can you find this sequence of questions on a nationwide census??

4.1 Have you been to a public beach for purposes other than work during the past 12 months?

4.2 How many times have you been to the beach during the past 12 months?

4.3 For what main purpose do you usually go to the beach?

4.4 What is your favourite beach? (If no favourite beach, the one most recently visited)

4.5 When did you last go there?

4.6 What was your means of transport for going there?

4.7 Where was the vehicle parked?

4.8 (a) At what time did you arrive at the beach?
(b) At what time did you leave the beach?

4.9 How would you describe the following with regards to the beach:
1. Accessibility
2. Shade
3. Parking facilities
4. Quality of sea water
5. Safety at sea
6. Maintenance
7. Kiosk facilities
8. Availability of tap water
9. Toilet facilities
10. Shower facilities
11. Refuse disposal facilities
12. Security on the beach
13. Lighting
14. Availability of leisure activities

4.11 How important are the following factors the choice of a beach?

4.12 Do you consider your favourite beach (or the one most recently visited) as being crowded?

4.13 (a) Are you aware if there are less crowded beaches nearby?
(b) Which is the nearest one you know?

4.14 How would you describe the following with regards to the beach stated in 4.13
(b).
1. Accessibility
2. Shade
3. Parking facilities
4. Quality of sea water
5. Safety at sea
6. Maintenance
7. Kiosk facilities
8. Availability of tap water
9. Toilet facilities
10. Shower facilities
11. Refuse disposal facilities
12. Security on the beach
13. Lighting
14. Availability of leisure activities


That is all.

Labels: things that make me happy

Posted by east of madagascar at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments

Rainbow Pride 2007 is in full force. The first-ever Indian Ocean LBGT Film Fest began on Monday, to a packed house. Over 90 people were in attendance, and after viewing a series of short films, a group of 20 of us went out to eat at King Dragon in Quatre Bornes.

One of the filmmakers whose work we have been screening is actually visiting the Island for the week. His name is Paul Lee, and he is a much lauded filmmaker from Toronto, Canada. The two of us have done some bonding over our shared geographic origins, as well as our affection for New Haven. Apparently, he considered going to Yale for a Ph.D in Anthropology in 2002, but opted to stay in Canada instead.

In other news, my project has recently seen a real flurry of activity. This past weekend, I conducted my first ever interviews with migrant workers. In addition, I just assembled a multi-lingual research team, and hope to spend the entirety of June and July administering surveys to and conducting focus groups with shopfloor workers. This is a departure from the first half of my project, which polled the experiences of company owners. Thus, suffice it to say, I am really excited.

Last but no leased, I am pleased to announce that I just posted 100 new photos at my photoblog on flickr! These pictures mark my first real foray into street photography since coming to Mauritius. I'm rather happy with the outcome. Shot some video as well, but still devising a way to post it.

More photos here...Enjoy.

Labels: festivals, photography, things that make me happy

Posted by east of madagascar at 12:46 AM | Permalink | Comments

One year after staging the country’s first-ever Gay Pride Festival, LGBT activists on the tiny African Island of Mauritius are returning to the streets once more to rally against the homophobia that touches their lives daily.

Rainbow Pride Mauritius begins Monday 28 May 2007 with a groundbreaking International LGBTQ Film Festival, brought to Mauritius by the . The weeklong festival will features award-winning movies from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, along with an appearance by gay filmmaker Paul Lee. Admission is free and open to the public.

Two more hallmark Pride events take place during the weekend. On Saturday 2 June, LGBTQ Mauritians and their allies will assemble for the country’s Second Annual Pride March, in the company of dignitaries, speakers and a diverse group of gay performance artists. That evening, Rainbow Pride will conclude with a dazzling soirée for the island’s LGBTQ community. Nearly a thousand people are expected to attend.

The organizer of the 2006 and 2007 Mauritian pride festivals is the Collectif Arc-en-Ciel, an organization that advocates for LGBTQ Mauritians and sensitizes the public about homophobia and discrimination. Partners for this year also include the Embassy of France and the Embassy of South Africa.

In addition to challenging the stigma that homosexuality carries in Mauritius, Rainbow Pride 2007 will galvanize support for a Parliamentary bill that would decriminalize sodomy. According to existing laws, consensual sodomy is punishable by five years in jail.

Reflecting on this new campaign, organizers at the Collectif Arc-en-Ciel told the press: “Everyone has a right to live, to think and to love, regardless of their sexual orientation. Therefore, our hope is to create a society where sexual diversity is celebrated, and where the civil rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons are protected under law.”

List of Activities:
Event: International LGBT Film Festival
Date & Time: 28th May to 1st June 2007, 19h-22h
Location: Centre Culturel Charles Baudelaire, Rose Hill Mauritius.

Event: 2nd Annual Rainbow Pride March
Date & Time: 2nd June 2007, 11h
Location: Rose Hill Municipality, Mauritius

Event: Rainbow Pride Party
Date & Time: 2nd June 2007, 22h30
Location: Kart Loisirs, Petite Rivière, Mauritius

Contact Information for Collectif Arc en Ciel:
Thierry de Ravel (President) thierry@publico.mu cell : +230 422 4119
Audrey Kelly (Vice President) audreyk@intnet.mu cell : +230 732 68 87
Nicolas Ritter (Pride Coordinator) nritter@intnet.mu cell : + 230 729 98 80

Press release done by yours truly...

Labels: festivals, things that make me happy

Posted by east of madagascar at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments

On Monday, our beloved cat ChouChou turned up dead in a neighbor's yard. ChouChou, who shared his name with one of Mauritius's most enigmatic legumes, was all that you could hope for in a pet: he was warm, affectionate and doting. For example, most mornings when I took my shower, ChouChou would stand just beyond the curtains and wait for me. He also was a heroic figure to the other cats, who often fought amongst themselves for the opportunity to cuddle up next to him.

As I saw it, ChouChou's fur color furnished indisputable evidence that God, provided he or she exists, has a wry sense of humor and a keen appreciation for irony. As an all white cat, ChouChou's fur left a visible record of his misadventures. For instance, ever since March when we got ChouChou fixed, his bottom has been flanged with bright purple streaks... Apparently, veterinary antiseptic products double as permanent hair dye (although, pointedly, none of our other cats remained purple-bottomed for long).

As someone who never had pets growing up, I certainly wasn't expecting to house a small troupe of felines upon my move to Mauritius. However, that said, my cat's companionship has been wonderful and I love them as if they were my own furry, four-legged, meddlesome kids.

Alas, rest in peace ChouChou, you will be missed by all.

Labels: cats

Posted by east of madagascar at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

More photos here.

Posted by east of madagascar at 3:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

Chris and Mikayla, our resident married couple, returned to the U.S. two weeks ago, bringing the number of Mauritian Fulbrighters down from five to three
In the week or so leading up to their departure, there were lots of celebratory dinners and revelry. Although it was sad seeing them off, it gave us the opportunity to reflect on the experiences we've shared over the past few months, and the friends that we have made. Despite the negatives, there have been lots of adventures and lots of laughter.

In spite of all these transitions, however, my social calender of late has been full to bursting. The weekend before last, my French teacher at the Alliance Francaise invited me out for a soiree at her daughter's house in Flic en Flac. The gathering, which was attended by 40 or 50 persons, was a housewarming party (for her daughter and son in law) meets birthday party (for her sister and 1 year old granddaughter) meets going-away bash for a niece, immigrating to France. Although I've been to my fair share of Indian wedding ceremonies and engagement parties, that evening gave me my first real glimpse into the lives of Creole families. One of the things that fascinated me about the gathering was the diverse attendance. Counted among the guests were several Creole and White and Creole and Hindu couples, several interracial children, as well as expats from France and England in addition to the U.S. (lest I fail to include myself).

Over the course of the evening, guests dined on Indian Mauritian fare while discussing the French elections, and recounting their travels to Mainland Africa in English and French to accommodate non-Francophones (of which there were several). Then, following dinner we danced to a playlist that alternated between French ballads and American pop hits. All in all, it was une soiree inoubliable (an unforgettable evening).

Then this past week, I spent Thursday, Friday and Saturday out with two newfound friends.. a Mauritian ophthalmologist and a British labor lawyer. Their company has been so pleasant that I actually agreed to venture back to Kitsch (first time since LGBT night). Astonishingly, even though Kitsch did not resemble a Greenwich Village Disco, I still had a pretty good time.

Finally on Sunday, rather than spending a lazy day at home, I took a road trip around he Island with a friend of mine and his elderly parents. Ditching the Coastal roads for routes that traversed the county's interior, we traveled through a lot of hilly, verdant areas and saw some breathtaking views.

Even though Mauritius in all its grandeur stands the size of Rhode Island, it boasts an extraordinary range of temperature zones and micro-climates. Based on the landscapes I saw this afternoon, I would have guessed that I had been teleported from the middle of the Indian Ocean to the European countryside.

Finally, I ended the weekend by attending a candlelight vigil held to commemorate the lives of persons who have died of HIV/AIDS in Mauritius and around the world. The event was staged in 5 different parts of the Island. The vigil I sat it on was held at a neighboring town, and I found it to be well organized and appropriately somber, despite the fact that Mauritius has largely been shielded from the wrath of the virus.

Interestingly, however, a disproportionate number of those in attendance were Creole or Chinese Mauritians... an interesting demographic for an event such as this one.

more pictures on flickr

Labels: photography, sightseeing

Posted by east of madagascar at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

My chiffre des chats (cat total) has climbed up from 6 to 8. Marlee, the mother of almost every cat in our household, moved her new litter into our house a few weeks back..


The new arrivals are Little Monkey (see left) and a cute orange cat that is as of yet unnamed because of its unveiled hatred for us.

Now that most our kittens are full grown cats, the novelty of being the Quatre Bornes "cat house" has truly worn off. Despite the insistence of locals that cats can subsist on rice, our cats only dine on $12 bags of whiskers, and more importantly their appetite is insatiable.

If you do not feed the cats to their satisfaction, they will follow you around the house whining until you do. Or, when they are especially persistent, they will turn a corner and follow you on your three-block walk to your friend's house, and then wait outside the door until you leave (This, sadly, is a true story).

At this point, my roommate and I are easily spending $60 a month on catfood,

which is absolutely ridiculous. Even though Mauritius is Sub-Saharan Africa in "quotation marks," it's not difficult to think of how far that money would go in other parts of the region.

Not only is $60 a month easily more than I spend on my own groceries, it is also the basic salary of an EPZ worker in Kenya, and the amount it costs to send a kid to public school for a year in Tanzania. Suffice it to say, if I only could donate to a single charity, it would not be the Quatre Bornes Cat Preserve.

Anybody want a cat? If you ask nicely, I might even pay to ship them over to you... I'd be surprised if international courier services cost much more than our cat food does.

I'm at least half serious...

Labels: cats

Posted by east of madagascar at 7:28 PM | Permalink | Comments