Mauritius - Indian Migration

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Indian migrants had been in Mauritius since 1736 when Labourdonnais brought in 40 artisans from Pondicherry. In 1834, just prior to the abolition of slavery, Mauritius’s sugarcane planters began to recruit workers from India to meet the demands of the rapidly expanding sugar industry. Following the abolition of slavery, the need for labour increased further. The indentured, or contracted, labour system was institutionalised in 1842 and, although most of the immigrants came from India, some also arrived from China, Madagascar and east Africa. Each of them was bound by a contract for a stipulated period but many settled permanently in Mauritius.

An immigration depot, Aapravasi Ghat, was built in Port Louis in 1849 to process the indentured labourers as they arrived. Today it is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is open to the public .

By 1923, when indentured immigration ceased, almost half a million people had arrived in Mauritius under the system. The impact of Indian immigration changed the course of the island’s history and shaped its population. Now the majority, the Indians came to wield influence in all spheres, not only by their contribution of an efficient workforce that sustained the economy, but also by a vigorous intellectual force in politics.

The political reforms of 1886, however, excluded the Indian population, although they launched the beginning of a parliamentary democracy. Universal franchise was finally granted in 1959.

In 1901, Mohandas Gandhi (later Mahatma Gandhi) visited Mauritius and as a result sent Manillal Doctor, an Indian lawyer, to Port Louis in 1907 to organise the indentured labourers who had no say in politics and no civil rights. A Royal Commission from Britain visited in 1907 and made wide-ranging recommendations for the reorganisation of agriculture, the civil service, education and the constitution, under which only 2% of the population were then qualified to register as electors.

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Mauritius - Indian Migration

History

Mauritius - Indian Migration