show. The Anguilles river carves a passage through a luxuriant valley. The glistening light sketches unexpected shades of green. And then there’s the soundtrack as water ricochets, birds sing and the wind whistles through the foliage. MEMORY At the end of the road, on one of the world’s extremities, is the Montagne du Lion. Turning its back on the emptiness of the ocean, it stretches nonchalantly across Vieux Grand Port bay, offering only its profile to the “bourg (town centre) of Mahé.” It’s the end of winter. Mahébourg is intact in the soft light. From Jummah Mosque, the muezzin adds colour to the late afternoon. Close by, rehearsals are underway at Notre-Dame-des-Anges church: the youngsters in the choir sing to a guitar accompaniment, heralding a joyful mass. One by one, the Creole women enter the church, genuflecting slightly before sliding into the wooden benches. Soon all the bench backs are decorated with small colourful handbags. Tomorrow they’ll celebrate Father Laval. “Everyone is invited/there is love to go around,” so the chorus goes. In Mauritius, nature is creative. La Roche qui pleure (the Weeping Rock) (left), carved by the waves, is thought to represent the profile of the Mauritian poet Robert E. Hart. The Chamarel waterfall (right), fed by the SaintDenis River, cascades from nearly a hundred metres in height. À Maurice, la nature est créative. La Roche qui pleure (gauche), sculptée par les vagues, représenterait le profil du poète mauricien Robert E. Hart. La cascade de Chamarel (droite), alimentée par la rivière SaintDenis, se déverse sur près de 100 mètres de hauteur.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjMzMjI=