Beachcomber Magazine 02

INEvItABLy, DREAMS AND ASPIRAtIoNS ARE CHANGING CoLouR. INévITABLEMENT,LESRêvES­ ETLESASPIRATIONSSONTENTRAIN­ DECHANGERDECOULEUR. Right: off the southern coast of Rodrigues, Hermitage Island, one of the eighteen islets to be seen in the immense lagoon (240km 2 ). Left: A little food shop in Mont Chéri, at the foot of the 167m hill of the same name. droite : Au large de la côte sud de Rodrigues, L’hermitage, un des dix-huit îlots disséminés dans l’immense lagon de 240 km 2 . Gauche : un petit commerce d’alimentation à Mont Chéri, au pied de la colline éponyme, haute de 167 m. AT THE GATES OF THE GLOBAL VILLAGE Thegovernment’schallengeistoturn Rodriguesinto“aneco-friendlyisland” andtoplacetheemphasisoneducation (54%ofthepopulationisunder25)to ensure“acarefully-controlleddevelop- ment”.Althoughthetenthdistrictof Mauritiusdidnotwanttheindependence grantedbytheEnglishin1968,ithas expandedtothepointwhereitclaimed andobtaineditsautonomytomanage homeaffairsin2002.Proofofthedesire to“ take charge of their destiny ,”explains SergeClair,chiefcommissionerinthe RodriguesParliament. Infrastructurehassincebeendeveloping fast.Theroadnetworkhasbeenpartially renovated.Thelandingstripisbeing widenedtobeabletohandlelargeair- craft.Onthemarketstalls,the“artisanal” productsaremadeinChina.Young peoplearenowconnectedonFace- book,andatthesametime,theyare desertingthepewsofthesupreme churchofSaintGabriel(thebiggestin theIndianOcean)andmovingaway fromthefields.Inevitably,dreamsand aspirationsarechangingcolour.NOU LAVENIR (OUR FUTURE) “ the danger is not the development, nor is it the tourists who help to develop the local economy. the real scourge is poverty. it is possible to invite progress and modern ways without also opening theway toalcohol, drugs or prostitution. ” SisterMarieNaikeneispersistent.Born in1976,shetravelledfromMauritiusto Indiatohelpthepooranddestitute.Now backinhervillage,RivièreCoco,shehas spenttenyearsbuildingtheRodrigues StudentNeedsAssociation(RSNA) centre,whichdispenseslanguage,music andcomputersciencelessonstoover twohundredyoungpeopleindifficulty,  ROAD TRIP BEAUTIFUL MAURITIUS 22