Mauritius Now - Launch Edition

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ABOU DIABY

Master Kool B

Bruno Julie

The Arsenal midfielder talks to Mauritius Now about the future and his own dreams of World Cup glory in South Africa!

Bruno Raya talks about how he has helped bring Seggae music to the forefront of both the national and international scene

The Mauritian Magician is back!

Mauritius Now talks to the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist about his career and being a role model

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mauritiusnow LAUNCH EDITION – MARCH 2010

The dawn of a new era… turn to page 2

Riana Devi Soobadoo

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Mauritius Now talks to the ‘Real’ Bend it like Beckham: winner of Junior Female Sports Personality 2010!

EVENTS.................................................... 17 TRAVEL....................................................21 RESTAURANTS & BARS................. 23 LIFESTYLE............................................. 25 MONEY & JOBS.................................... 26 PROPERTY............................................ 28 SPORT......................................................31 From left: Cader Hossenally - CSK, Dr Karl Mootoosamy - Director General of the MTPA, Ksenia Sukhinova - Miss World 2008, Honourable Xavier Luc Duval - Vice Prime Minister and Kamal Taposeea, Chairman of Air Mauritius

Gordon Brown hails World Travel Award T

he Lancaster Hotel provided the salubrious surroundings for a recent charity fundraiser in aid of Silver Star, an organisation aiming to raise awareness of the dangers of diabetes. The event was sponsored by the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority and signalled an opportunity for British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, to congratulate Mauritius for recently being awarded the World Travel Award for ‘Premier Island Destination’. Dr Karl Mootoosamy, Director-General of the Mauritian Tourism Promotion Authority, attended the event.

This award bestows Mauritius with the prestigious honour of being recognised as the most desirable holiday destination on the planet, a point emphasised by Mr Brown as he offered his sincere congratulations to the Mauritian people.

Dr Mootoosamy has been an integral part of the incumbent government’s foreign policy since its mandate began in 2005. Despite being on a whistle-stop tour of Europe, that also included trips to Milan and Paris in the space of 72 hours, Dr Mootoosamy took a moment to tell Mauritius Now just what this award means to the Mauritian people… (turn to page 5)

CONTACT US Mauritius Now Ltd, The Chocolate Factory, Unit 204A 5 Clarendon Road, Wood Green, London N22 6XJ Tel: 0843 289 5510 Fax: 0842 289 5510 Advertising: 0843 2895098 Editorial: 0843 289 5510 Web: www.mauritiusnow.co.uk Email: info@mauritiusnow.co.uk Advertising: advertise@mauritiusnow.co.uk Disclaimer While every effort has been made by the author(s) and the publisher to ensure that the information contained in this Newspaper is accurate and up to date at the date of publication, they accept no responsibility or liability in contract, tort, negligence, breach of statutory duty or otherwise for any inconvenience, loss, damage, costs or expenses of any nature whatsoever incurred or suffered by anyone as a result of any advice or information contained in this publication.

NEWS

mauritiusnow the dawn of a new era W

e are proud to introduce Mauritius Now, a new magazine dedicated to the Mauritian community.

For those who have lived in the UK for some time or those who were born here, we believe that there is a real need for a fresh, stylish and impartial publication that will bring together all Mauritians. Mauritius Now is a fascinating and informative 32-page colour publication, which will no doubt change your life.

Mauritius Now will include all the latest news in Mauritius and in the UK. Every issue will feature entrepreneurial, business and entertainment figures, cultural coverage, in-depth analysis and first-hand interviews.

Each month, you can find out who is going to be in the next issue’s ‘hot seat’ and have the opportunity to ask a question.

More importantly, Mauritius Now is not only a hard-copy newspaper. Our online platform (www.mauritiusnow.co.uk) will go further than anyone has gone before to keep Mauritians connected with their homeland.

Mauritius Now will be made available to businesses, universities and colleges, as well as being accessible online.

Our professional team of carefully chosen editors, journalists and photographers, based both in the UK and Mauritius, will bring you

the top Mauritian community-related news stories every month for your convenience, entertainment and inspiration.

But we still need one crucial component without which no journalistic enterprise can thrive: curious, committed and caring readers, who engage with our content and speak their minds in return. We hope that readers will respond positively, as this newspaper has been created for you. Let the story begin...

A vision for the harbour Minister of Tourism Xavier Luc Duval unveiled the new Rs485m cruise terminal in Port Louis which it is hoped will catapult Mauritius into a regional cruise hub.

The vision: To make Port Louis the best harbour in the Indian Ocean region. And that’s why the Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA) is being given all the support needed to turn a dream into a reality. Yesterday, at the official inauguration of the Christian Decotter Cruise Terminal in Les Salines, Port Louis, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism Xavier Luc Duval said with pride that not less than Rs485 million has been invested in this state-of-the-art terminal. Port Louis, said Mr Duval, is an emerging cruise hub and last year welcomed no fewer than 25 cruise ships carrying 21,500 passengers.

From now on, the harbour will be the regional base of the Costa group for all its cruise liners. Costa Croisiere will use Port Louis as a home port for its passenger ships which embark on 14-day cruises in the India Ocean. In fact, the first cruise vessel to be berthed at the jetty was the MV Costa Romantica, which called here on January 30. Costa Romantica again set sail yesterday following the official inauguration of the

cruise terminal with 1,300 passengers, including Mauritians, on board and ready to enjoy their two-week adventure.

According to Minister Duval, cruise ships and their passengers bring in some $15 million yearly to the country. That’s why, he said, port authorities and the government have to make sure that the services offered are up to standard.

“This is definitely not going to become a hawker zone.

Even the taxi drivers will have to be groomed to cater for the needs of the tourists coming down from the ships. ”We have put our money where our mouth is. The tourists will demand value for money and that is what they will get,” said the minister of tourism.

The contract for the construction of the cruise jetty was awarded to Messrs Afcons Infrastructure Ltd in October 2008. The marine works were completed in November 2009. The project required a total investment of Rs485 million and was financed wholly from the MPA’s own funds.

The terminal can accommodate cruise vessels of up to 300 metres (that is most of the cruise vessels sailing around the world) and is the only dedicated cruise terminal in the Indian

Ocean. Now that the jetty is officially operational, the MPA intends to embark on an aggressive marketing campaign together with key stakeholders with a view to enticing other major cruise operators to use Port Louis as a home port.

“We believe that regional cruise tourism has a high potential for growth for a number of reasons. Cruise travel is one of the fastest growing segments of the international travel market, registering an annual growth rate of about 10%,” Mr. Shekar Suntah, Director General of the MPA, told NewsNow. Among those who were present at the inauguration ceremony yesterday were the chairman of the MPA, Mr. Jocelyn Gracieuse, Mrs Henriette Decotter, widow of Mr. Christian Decotter, and Father Philippe Goupille, a close friend of the Decotter family.

Until his untimely death at the age of 54 in 2003, Mr. Pierre Christian Decotter has been deeply involved in the travel sector.

He was also president of the Parti Mauricien Social Democrate.

This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius.

Visit NewsNow.mu

NEWS In conversation with...

Abou Diaby

A

s we approach the business end of the 2009/10 season, Arsenal find themselves in contention for both the Champion’s League and the Premiership titles. This has been thanks, in part, to the form of Abou Diaby, who has ably assisted his captain Cesc Fabregas in the centre of midfield. Despite an unfortunate string of injuries, Diaby’s form on the pitch has been imperious, and has ensured that the Gunners sit third in the race for the Premier League title.

Whilst recovering from a minor knee injury, Abou was kind enough to talk to Mauritius Now about the coming months and his own dreams of World Cup glory in South Africa.

WM: Firstly Abou, how is the injury progressing and how long before you’re back in action?

AB: I think I should be back in time for this weekend.

WM: in time for the second leg [of the Champion’s League second round] against Porto?

AB: Yeah, absolutely.

WM: How do you rate your chances of overturning the 2–1 deficit at the Emirates?

AB: The thing is that we are playing at home, which is always good for us. We know we need to score one and that should make it a good game. It’s not going to be easy but hopefully we can win it.

WM: Assuming you do beat Porto next week, how far do you believe you can go in the competition?

AD: We want to win this competition. It was one of our main goals at the start of the season and we want to make it all the way to the final and be crowned champions of Europe.

WM: With regards the league, you recently scored a crucial goal that ensured you beat

Liverpool 1–0. Is that the most important goal of your career so far?

AD: It was definitely one of the most important. Before that we had lost three games, so the Liverpool match was a must win. I was really happy to score the goal, but happier for the team, because it meant we got the three points. We’re six points behind Chelsea and they’ve since lost games. We’re back in the title race so it was a really big win for us.

WM: You still believe you can win the title?

AD: Of course, we’re only six points behind Chelsea. It’s going to be really tight – right up until the end of the season – and we need to win all of our games from now until then.

WM: The World Cup is taking place this summer. Are you confident that you can make the final French squad?

AD: Hopefully! I really want to be part of that campaign. It would be a dream to win the World Cup. We will see; the final list is coming out in May and I’m crossing my fingers that my name is on there somewhere!

WM: You’ve been compared to Patrick Vieira on a number of occasions. Do you take that as a compliment and do you see the similarities?

AD: I take that as a massive compliment because Patrick Vieira is a big, big player.

When I was young he was one of my favourite players. Maybe physically we are similar; I look like him and I’m tall like him. However, even though we play in the same place, our games are quite different.

WM: Because you can play across the midfield…

AD: Yeah, absolutely. I am happy in any position within the midfield.

WM: So that would make you a more useful player than Vieira?!

AD: Ha-ha, I wouldn’t say that!

WM: Your manager, Arsène Wenger, was the first person to make the comparison between the two of you. How would you describe Arsène, and just how good a manager is he?

AD: He’s the most important man at our club. We are all very happy to be working with him because he is a great man first, as well as a great manager. I have been at Arsenal for four years and my game has improved a lot in that time, largely thanks to him. I’m just delighted to be working with him on a daily basis.

WM: Aside from your manager, who in the squad has helped most with your development, and who do you admire most as a player?

AD: Kolo Toure was the man who advised me a lot about life in English football. He taught

me how to improve certain parts of my game.

He was really good to me. I’m really happy for him and what he is doing at Manchester City.

WM: Are there any players from other teams that you admire?

AD: Uh… Not really, no.

WM: Ha-ha, what about other leagues then?!

AD: No, honestly, in England there are some great players. I like Steven Gerrard… Frank Lampard as well. There are some very good players here. My favourite player of all time was Zidane though – and George Weah. They were my favourites. I remember that goal he [Weah] scored for Milan, when he took the ball from his own half!

WM: Just before we finish, I wanted to ask you whether you knew just how popular the

Arsenal team were with Mauritians. There is even a city in Mauritius that has been renamed ‘Arsenal’ in your honour. What do you know about the country and its people?

AD: I know that it is a beautiful country and that the weather and scenery are amazing. I have never been but I would really love to visit Mauritius some time soon.

WM: Lastly, there are lots of young Mauritian players here in the UK who support Arsenal. What words of advice can you offer these players, who are looking to follow in your footsteps?

AD: They have to take pleasure out of the game, but give everything when they play. If you enjoy the game, and show your love for it, you can achieve big things.

NEWS A focus on… the independence of Mauritius I

t was the Arab sailors who first discovered Mauritius. The island was at that time inhabited with dense forests and had no name.

Off major shipping routes, Mauritius remained uninhabited until the 16th century, allowing it to develop into one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. It was favoured by pirates and occupied briefly by the Dutch before the French brought African slaves to work the sugar plantations.

It was under the French Governor, Mahé de Labourdonnais, that Mauritius knew its first development: a harbour was built. Port Louis, named after the ruling King Louis XV, became the capital of Mauritius. Trade on the island thrived; Mauritius could supply enough sugar and rum to the surrounding islands and visiting vessels. From this strategic position in the

Indian Ocean, the French were plaguing English vessels on their way to and from India.

Captured by the British in 1810, Mauritius achieved independence in 1968. Its diversification into textiles, tourism and, of late, financial services, telecommunications and cyber services has been an Indian Ocean economic success story. So too has its stable multicultural society.

The British administration, which began with Robert Farquhar as governor, was followed by rapid social and economic changes. One of the most important events was the abolition of slavery in 1835. The planters received a compensation of two million pounds sterling for the loss of their slaves, who had been imported from Africa and Madagascar during the French occupation.

Descendants of Indian labourers, brought in after the abolition of slavery in 1835, now comprise 70% of the population, and the Chinese and Muslim traders add to a French and Creole cultural legacy.

On the constitutional plane, the Council of Government, which was first established in 1825, was enlarged in 1886 to make room for elected representatives. The new council included 10 members elected on a restricted franchise. It was not until 1933 that the Constitution was again amended in a significant respect. The proportion of nominated members of the Council not holding public office was raised to two-thirds.

However, franchise was still restricted to persons within a certain income bracket and to proprietors. A major breakthrough occurred in 1948, when after years of protracted negotiations for a more liberal constitution, franchise was extended to all adults who could pass a simple literacy test.

The Council of Government was replaced by a Legislative Council composed of 19 elected members, 12 members nominated by the Governor and three ex-office members. General elections were held in August 1948 and the first Legislative Council met on 1st September 1948.

Mauritius finally achieved independence on 12 March 1968 and adopted a constitution based on the British parliamentary sys-

tem. The first post-independence years were difficult but, after more than 15 years of planning and hard work, Mauritius achieved economic and political stability. Mauritius changed its status to that of a Republic on 12 March 1992. The Mauritian Constitution is based on the Westminster model. Political power is vested in the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Elections are held every five years.

There has been a dramatic change in the entire economic structure of Mauritius since its independence. The country is no longer only a sugarcane-producing island. The diversification policy taken by the Government has helped the island emerge from a single crop industry to a large tourism industry. The textile and the agricultural sector are equally flourishing in the island.

True, Mauritius is today one of Africa's rare success stories, counting amongst its laurels a peaceful transition from colonialism to democracy, a versatile economy, and a multicultural society with Hindus, Muslims and Christians living in harmony. [Not bad for a little island 500 miles east of Madagascar, dismissed

by Caribbean exile V. S. Naipaul just after its 1968 independence as an "overcrowded barracoon" amid a landscape of "sugarcane and sugarcane, ending in the sea".]

Guillaume Gouges

Veg prices going up…

The recent heavy rains are pushing up the price of vegetables. Growers say that crops have been damaged and even though there will be no shortage, prices will definitely increase, which has already been seen in the local markets. It is also a fact that during fasting period prices of veggies go up due to higher demand. Mauritius is currently in such a period with the Hindu community fasting for the Maha Shivaratree.

“The rains have mostly affected the central plateau. The crops have been damaged, between 30-40% for some varieties,” said Krit Beeharry, president of the Mauritius Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Federation. Production of lettuce and other greens has been hit by the heavy rains and that once the current stock is exhausted, prices will rise. Creepers have also been hit, according to Mr Beeharry. The northern regions will maintain a good output and supply of carrots and cabbage will still be available during the next few weeks.

“Vegetable growers are unable to spray their plants due to the rains and this is allowing diseases to affect plants like tomatoes and chillies,” said Mr Beeharry. The price of tomatoes will continue to increase for the next few weeks, as will the price of creepers and greens. Condiments such as thyme and coriander leaves will also be on the rise.

NEWS World Travel Award winner (Continued from page 1) WM: Dr Mootoosamy, thank you for speaking with us. This must be a fantastic occasion for both you and the Mauritian nation as a whole…

KM: Indeed it is. We have been recognised as the world’s finest island destination and it is a great tribute to the entire country.

WM: What do you attribute this achievement to?

KM: We have ensured that the growth of our country has been growth of both quality and sustainability. We have placed a great emphasis on differentiation: we offer a unique experience for visitors. Mauritius is extremely proud of its wonderful natural features and wildlife. We look to support and nurture our ecosystems. We are also a loving community, and a welcoming nation. People who come to Mauritius will find residents to be very helpful.

WM: Do you think that Mauritius is still a luxury holiday destination?

KM: The UK, and indeed the world markets are experiencing hard times. People have less disposable income. Yet, despite this, Mauritius is still the second most visited country in the region. I attribute this to our ability to meet and exceed the needs, expectations and dreams of the people who come to visit us.

WM: And why do so many people keep returning to your country?

KM: There are many reasons. We offer so many options to our guests; there are 5* hotels, 4* hotels and 3* hotels that cater for From left: Mr Robert Desveaux and Dr Karl Mootosamy

every budget. People can stay in whichever surroundings they desire…we even offer luxury bungalows. In short, we offer a bespoke service so people can choose whichever option they prefer.

WM: Can you tell us what Mauritian culture offers visitors?

KM: Mauritians are wonderful people. We put everybody at ease as soon as they arrive. Visitors are greeted with the sense that they are safe because we place a great emphasis on security. Furthermore, our beaches are some of the most beautiful and safest in the world. Mauritians see their homeland as a showcase for the complete holiday experience. In addition to the stunning natural surroundings there is also world class golfing, shopping and snorkelling on offer.

WM: I assume then that you place huge importance on preserving your natural assets?

KM: Indeed, Mauritius is an extremely ecofriendly place. We are blessed with a wonderful environment and it is our first priority to maintain and nurture that. There is no doubt that we are one of the world’s greenest island destinations and I believe that this adds to the pleasure of visitors’ holiday experiences.

WM: So what should our enduring memory of Mauritius be?

KM: It will always be the people themselves.

Mauritians are a caring community and that trait creates a welcoming atmosphere and a pleasurable ambience.

WM: Congratulations on your award and many thanks for speaking with us.

MTPA stand a winner The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority’s (MTPA) stand has been selected as Best Stand at FITUR (Feria Internacional de Turismo), one of the main events in international tourism promotion in Europe.

More than 13,000 exhibiting companies, 150,000 trade participants and 65,000 trade visitors, 8,000 journalists and 221,000 visitors, are present this year at FITUR in Madrid, Spain. The message of the MTPA, in line with the new strategy for 2010, will emphasise Mauritius being more than just perfect beaches. It is a destination that offers a wider variety of products and experiences such as golf, gastronomy, diving, shopping, culture and proposes a number of activities for various age groups, family segments, honeymooners and incentive groups as well.

A delegation of 14 tourism operators led by the MTPA was in Madrid, namely: Air Mauritius, Beachcomber Hotels, Apavou hotels, Hilton, Intercontinental Mauritius, White Sand Tours, Le Meridien Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Naiade Resorts, Maradiva, Veranda Heritage Resorts, Mauritours, Mautourco, Casuarina, Le Maritim.

NEWS

Air Mauritius fights back with another profit F

or the second successive quarter, Air Mauritius has recorded positive results despite the myriad challenges facing the airline industry globally. The interim financial statement as at December 31, 2009, show the group and the company made profits of euro 3.3 million and euro 3 million respectively, compared to losses of euro 6.6 million and euro 7.2 million for the corresponding period in 2008.

The latest results also take into account total losses of euro 6.5 million on fuel hedge payouts during the quarter. In a communiqué issued yesterday (11th February 2010), the company maintains that the various measures introduced to stimulate revenue, align capacity todemand, improve efficiencies and reduce costs have contributed to the positive figures.

“In line with improving demand, capacity is being increased on certain routes. However, conditions remain challenging as yields continue to be under pressure, oil prices are volatile and the euro weakens further against the U.S. dollar,” says the communiqué.

Passenger numbers increased slightly for the quarter – from 314,965 to 315,187. But the passenger load factor improved significantly to 82.9% compared to 73.9% for the corresponding quarter of last year. However, the average passenger yield continued to decline, consistent with market trend.

The International Air Travel Association has maintained its forecast for 2009 that the global aviation industry would incur net

losses of $11 billion. Demand statistics for international scheduled air traffic showed the industry ending 2009 with the largest ever post-war decline.

For 2010, demand is expected to improve.

However, fuel costs are expected to remain volatile and yields are expected to continue to decline. IATA has forecast a net loss for the industry of US$5.6 billion for 2010.

THE NUMBERS The group and the company recorded losses for the nine months ended December 31, 2009, of euro 6.7 million and euro 7.5 million respectively, after accounting for total losses amounting to euro 31.9 million from fuel hedge payouts.

For the corresponding period in 2008, the losses were euro 20.1 million and euro 18.2 million respectively after accounting for total losses of euro 20.5 million on fuel hedge payouts.

Before taking into account losses arising from fuel hedge payouts of euro 31.9 million, the group and the company posted profits for the nine months ended December 31, 2009, of euro 25.3 million and euro 24.4 million respectively, compared to profits of euro 0.6 million and euro 2.3m for the same period in 2008.

Total shareholder’s funds for the company doubled from euros 49.1 million as at March 31, 2009, to euro 98.2 million as at December 31, 2009. This major improvement largely results from the impact of lower than antici-

pated fuel hedge payouts and the reduction in the unrealised losses on the re-measurement of the remaining hedge positions. The resulting net assets per share as at December 31, 2009 is euro 0.96 (Rs41.38) as compared to euro 0.48 (Rs21.27) as at March 31, 2009.

More flights to UK Air Mauritius yesterday (11th February 2010) announced an increase of its weekly frequencies to the UK from three flights currently operated this northern winter (to March 2010) to five flights next winter (November 2010 to March 2011).

An additional flight will be operated during the peak period leading to six flights at specific times of the year. During the northern summer (April to October 2010) Air Mauritius will operate four flights. An additional frequency is also planned during the peak period.

According to Air Mauritius CEO, Mr. Manoj Ujoodha, thE move translates into increases of up to 67% of the weekly capacity currently scheduled and should provide the necessary momentum for growth of the UK market towards a daily frequency as soon as the market is ready.

“It comes at an opportune time as Mauritius gears itself to welcome one million tourists this year,” he said.

Sanjana Bhagmal-Cadervaloo This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius. Visit NewsNow.mu

Speciality clinic at Apollo hospital Apollo Bramwell Hospital in Moka will soon be hosting its first Specialty Clinic with senior consultants from Apollo Delhi, India. Dr Sameer Kaul (Senior Consultant, Surgical Oncology) and Dr V.P. Singh (Senior Consultant, Neurosurgery) will hold their clinic from February 17-February20. Appointments can be booked by contacting 6051000.

Dr Singh’s competence covers all aspects of neurosurgery – cranial, spinal and peripheral nerves with special interest in brain tumor surgery, cerebrovascular surgery, epilepsy surgery and radiosurgery. He has served on the executive committee of several national societies dealing with epilepsy, cerebrovascular surgery, pediatric neurosurgery and stereotactic and functional neurosurgery. Dr Singh is currently the Secretary of the Indian Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery and the Editor of the Indian Journal of Pediatric Neurosurgery.

Dr. Kaul’s basic degree in medicine was acquired at the Govt. Medical College, Srinagar, in 1978. Soon work at the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, lead to a Master degree in Surgical Oncology. Having acquired varied surgical skills at Nanavati Hospital, Jaslok Hospital, KEM Hospital and Beach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, he left for London to work at the Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital. His work lead to an Oncology Fellowship, whereafter he returned to work in Delhi, initially at Batra Hospital and now for the last seven years at the Apollo Cancer Institute. He conducts monthly outpatients clinics in Mauritius, Kuwait, and Bahrain. He is also president of an NGO called Breast Cancer Patients Benefit Foundation, which raises funds for the treatment of breast cancer in the underprivileged sections of the population.

This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius.

Visit NewsNow.mu

NEWS The ‘Real’ Bend it like Beckham Riana Devi Soobadoo S

tars of sports and entertainment were in attendance at the Change4Life British Asian Sports Awards 2010, this month. The event was hosted by Eastenders’ Nitin Ganatra and Strictly Come Dancing’s Laila Rouass and celebrated the very best that Asian sport has to offer, across ten categories. The ceremony saw world stars – including world lightweight champion Amir Khan and cricketing legend Arjuna Ranatunga – honoured, but it also paid homage to the sporting heroes of tomorrow.

Among the winners was Riana Devi Soobadoo, one of the hottest prospects in women’s football. She picked up the award for ‘Junior Female Sports Personality’ for her continued success as a senior level footballer.

Seventeen-year-old Riana has already made her senior debut for Barnet Ladies, and has represented her country at under-16 level.

She has also appeared in a number of photo shoots with David Beckham, and featured in his coaching manual, ‘David Beckham – Making it Real’.

Riana, who is of Mauritian heritage, seems to have the footballing world at her feet and her coach at Barnet, Tracey Kevins, is inclined to agree: “This is my fourth season of coaching Riana. I first encountered her at Leyton Orient in 2005 and, even then, it was clear she had an exceptional talent.

“Her talent knows no bounds. She has a personality that means, when she puts her mind to something, she achieves it. This is the right mentality to have within sport and she has applied it really well. She is a very ambitious young woman but all of her goals are achievable, right up to the very top. If she continues to work in the way that she has up to now, she will achieve a great amount within the game.”

Mauritius Now was lucky enough to speak to Riana regarding her award and her future ambitions within football: Will Mathieson: Hi Riana, and thanks for taking the time to talk to us. How does it feel to be awarded the prize of ‘Junior Female Sports Personality’?

RDS: When the result was announced, I was in a state of shock; I couldn’t believe I had won. Even now it hasn’t really sunk in. I am just so proud and so happy. The other nominees were such talented athletes that I didn’t expect to win. I’m so grateful to everyone for supporting me up to now.

Riana and David Beckham

“To win this award as a Mauritian athlete makes me feel that I have done a little something to add to the profile of the country” WM: Can you describe the experience of attending such a prestigious awards ceremony.

RDS: It was an incredible occasion. There were over 1,000 people there and so many celebrities and athletes that I knew and looked up to. The ceremony was so exciting; it just topped the whole thing off.

WM: Did you get to meet any specific heroes?

RDS: Meeting Amir Khan was the highlight.

He came up to congratulate me on my award and his whole family were gathering around me to say ‘well done’. He’s such a nice guy.

It was amazing having famous people like Chipmunk, the Saturdays and Denise Lewis coming up to me straight after I had won the award to say how well I’d done. It still doesn’t really seem real.

WM: Has winning the award changed your situation in any way?

RDS: It was crazy but, within about an hour of winning the award, I was being approached by agents and sponsors. I was being made various offers and they all seemed really interested in working with me, which is such a huge compliment and something I didn’t expect beforehand.

WM: Which moment do you remember most from the night?

RDS: Making my speech. I don’t actually remember what I said, because it’s all still a bit of a blur, but I remember being in such a state of shock. Then, having to accept the award in front of so many celebrities, it was all just mad. I felt so happy to have all of my family there with me to accept the award.

They all said how proud they were of me and it meant so much to me. It was quite an emotional moment.

WM: OK, well let’s move on to your career.

Let us start at the beginning: how did you get into football?

RDS: It was mainly down to my dad; he has always been heavily involved with football and I used to follow the team he managed whilst I was growing up. My dad and my uncles all loved football and it rubbed off on me. I’ve always been around people with a passion for the game and I suppose I’ve inherited that.

WM: How long have you been involved with the game?

RDS: 12 years. I’ve been playing constantly since the age of five.

WM: What team do you play for, and in which position?

RDS: I play in the centre of midfield for Barnet Ladies. I started my career at Arsenal Ladies in 2002. In 2005, I joined Leyton Orient’s centre of excellence and I was also playing for Tottenham Ladies whenever I could. I’ve been playing for Barnet Ladies since 2008 and this is my fourth season playing under Tracy [Kevins, Riana’s manager at Barnet].

WM: Who are your footballing heroes?

RDS: I’ve always supported Arsenal, as my first club. My favourite player is Thierry Henry but, being a midfielder, I base my game on Cesc Fabregas. He is such an intelligent midfielder that I try to play in a similar way.

His reading of the game and his vision on the ball are both aspects of my game that I work on constantly.

WM: What, or who, has inspired you to achieve what you have so far?

RDS: My dad is my inspiration. I have looked up to him all my life. He is my sporting inspiration as well as the person who has encouraged me throughout my career.

WM: How do you feel about being a young Mauritian footballer?

RDS: Mauritius is a small island that a lot of people may not have heard of. Being Mauritian is certainly something that I am very proud of.

To win this award as a Mauritian athlete makes me feel that I have done a little something to add to the profile of the country.

WM: And finally, what does the future hold for you?

RDS: Currently the women’s game is nowhere near as big as the men’s game, but I am hoping that our profile will continue to grow. Any publicity that I can generate for our game is a good thing, especially for Asians who are considering playing football. Eventually I would like to play in America, which hosts the best league in the world [currently the only professional league around]. It was a huge honour to play for England at u-16 level and I would like to make the step up to the senior squad at some point. There is no better feeling than playing for the national team.

WM: Anything you’d like to add?

RDS: I just want to say a massive thank you to Mauritius Now and everyone else for their support leading up to this award. I really couldn’t have done it without them, so thanks guys.

You can catch exclusive footage of Riana in action as she talks to Mauritius Now online at www.mauritiusnow.co.uk

Riana with Laila Rouass

NEWS

Mayors on the move PORT LOUIS

F

or the Lord Mayor, Mr Sheikh Mukhtar Hossenboccus, the greatest challenge that he had to face soon after he assumed office was to find a solution to the pressing demands from street hawkers. Those operating in Desforges Street in the capital gave him a tough time, but Mr Hossenboccus decided to stand firm.

“My greatest challenge was to get the street hawkers to be disciplined. I succeeded in my mission. We managed to find a solution to allow them to work in Desforges Street for some 25 days starting from the end of last year to the beginning of this year. Now that the deadline has expired, they have to move away from Desforges Street,” he insisted.

As a priority, he is doing his level-best, he says, to find financial means to renovate the Port Louis Theatre. “This building is a national heritage and it is of utmost importance that we protect it from falling into ruin.”

Mr Hossenboccus told NewsNow that the municipal council has another ambitious project in the pipeline: constructing a new market fair at Abercrombie on the outskirts of the city. The project is expected to cost Rs54 million. He explained that a plot of land close to the existing market fair in Abercrombie has been identified. The 250 sellers operating in the existing market will be transferred temporarily to this plot of land during the construction period of the new market.

Construction is due to start on January 17 and will be completed within eight months.

The construction of the Pont de Paris Market Place will be completed on April 7. “To date, 40% of construction work has been completed,” he said.

Mr Hossenboccus said he is closely monitoring the construction of a multipurpose complex at Residences Vallijee, at the entrance to the capital. “Former Minister of Local Government, the late Dr James Burty David, laid the foundation stone of this building only three days before he passed away.

He considered the project as being very important as it will enable inhabitants of the region to have a place where they can meet and organise social activities”, he said.

The Lord Mayor also explained that the municipal council will renovate the Coco Garden in Plaine Verte and the Centre Saint Francois Xavier. A green space will be created in Cite La Cure, while the swimming pool

in La Saline will be reopened. The municipal council will also find solutions for street hawkers operating near Victoria bus station and near the Northern Transportation Centre. “We are working with a team spirit and I am convinced that we will accomplish our mission, that of making of the capital a more appealing city.”

BEAU BASSIN/ROSE HILL The Mayor of Beau Bassin/ Rose Hill, Mr Daniel Emilien, told NewsNow that his priority soon after he assumed office was to ensure that renovation work on the Plaza Theatre continued without delay.

“The renovation of the roof is now complete. Renovation work now has to be carried out on the front of the Plaza. The reception hall will also be renovated as this is a source of revenue for the municipal council.

“It’s a pity that we do not have a town engineer. We hope that another town engineer will be appointed soon. We are waiting impatiently,” said Mr Emilien. He added that work has also started on the construction of the Market Fair at Barkly and on the renovation of the Sir Gaetan Duval Stadium in Rose Hill.

He explained that he intends to upgrade the Roland Armance Health Track that starts from the Loreto College in Rose Hill and ends near the roundabout in Beau Bassin. “This health track was re-covered with tar, but I wish to have it re-covered with some other material,” he said.

“I am also devoting much of my time to promoting social activities. The municipal council is working on a scholarship scheme for students from ZEP schools. We will encourage the setting up of a Federation of Handicapped Persons, which will be the perfect forum to promote social, cultural and sports activities for the disabled,” said Mr Emilien.

He also told NewsNow that the municipal council is trying to find a solution regarding the problem of street hawkers. “My only wish is to find solutions to a maximum of problems so that the next mayor can work in a more serene atmosphere,” he said.

QUATRE BORNES Mayor of Quatre Bornes Ramesh Anand Rajkoomar told NewsNow that his priority soon after he assumed office was to organise the cleaning up of

drains in the town. “This was urgent and we have completed a good part of this tedious job. We are pursuing the programme. We wish to avoid the disastrous consequences of heavy rainfall,” he said.

His next priority was to introduce some discipline, especially in the town centre. He added that he is conscious of the fact that the casino Ti Vegas has become a “real nuisance” for inhabitants of Quatre Bornes.

“We have been against this project right from the beginning. We will not sit back.

We will clean up Quatre Bornes and make this town a better place in which to live,” he promised.

Mr Rajkoomar revealed that he will meet Minister of Finance Rama Sithanen next week to get his support for putting a roof on the market in Quatre Bornes. “If the minister agrees to release the necessary funds, we will go ahead with the implementation of the project as quickly as possible,” he said.

The municipal council also intends to implement a “vast” programme of lighting of football grounds and volleyball pitches. He told NewsNow that he organised a site visit at Canal La Ferme to have an idea of how to upgrade the canal and cover part of it with concrete slabs. The resurfacing of roads is another priority.

“We are seeking the assistance of the National Development Unit in the realisation of some of our infrastructure development projects,” he said.

VACOAS/PHOENIX The Mayor of Vacoas/Phoenix, Mr Vijendra Dayal, explained that he is conscious of the fact that his mandate is the last one before the municipal elections are held.

“I inherited from the budgetary provisions of the former mayor and as such, I must ensure the completion in time of ongoing projects in the town of Vacoas/Phoenix,” said Mr Dayal.

He listed several of these projects, namely the construction of an omni-sports centre in Paillotte, fencing of football grounds and construction of cloakrooms in Glen Park and Highlands, construction of a commercial complex in the centre of Vacoas and construction of a bus shelter in Phoenix. Mr Dayal added that he is very keen to initiate the project for the construction of a lay-by in front of the municipality of Vacoas/Phoenix.

“There is the Pandit Cashinath Kistoe Aryan Vedic School a few meters away and this

causes road congestion in this area. With the construction of the lay-by, this problem will be solved and it will also provide better security for schoolchildren,” he said.

“I am very happy with the progress of the work of the municipal council since I assumed office,” said Mr Dayal. He explained that is satisfied with the scavenging service.

“Vacoas/Phoenix is one of the rare municipal councils that have never contracted out scavenging services, though we collect 100 tonnes of waste daily.”

CUREPIPE The Mayor of Curepipe Mr Coomara Pyaneandee conceded that it was not a easy task to get things going at the municipal council when he assumed office.

“First we had to face the problem of street hawkers. But I can say that I am 90% satisfied with what has been done so far,” he said.

He also expressed his satisfaction regarding scavenging services. “There has been a noted improvement. This year we have even been able to get the scavengers to work on January 1 and 2. Our decision has been welcomed by residents,” he said.

The mayor said he was pleased that end of year activities organised by the municipal council were well attended and took place in a peaceful atmosphere. Mr Pyaneandee explained that the untimely demise of the former Minister of Local Government Dr James Burty David has caused a delay in the presentation of the plan of action of the municipal council of Port Louis.

“One of my priorities this year is the reopening of the Curepipe Market. I intend to find a solution for the street hawkers who operate illegally. I wish to give a new impetus to the town centre. Pavements will either be repaired or replaced and an access for the handicapped will be constructed at the Town Hall,” promised the mayor.

Mr Pyaneandee told NewsNow that the municipal council will embellish the town centre with decorative plants and flowers.

Close circuit cameras will also be installed in the town to increase security. The mayor said that he will promote sports activities and wants to organise a flower show next month.

A Mauritian Cultural Festival will also be held soon, he announced.

This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius. Visit NewsNow.mu

NEWS In conversation… Jalil Sadool J

alil Sadool is a Mauritian 3D senior animator who recently worked on the James Cameron’s blockbuster, Avatar. This talented animator was in Mauritius in January for the release of this movie and sat down with Mauritius Now to share his experience and tell us more about his future projects.

You came to Mauritius for Avatar’s première. How does it feel to present a movie you worked on for years?

I actually worked on the Avatar movie for two and a half years. Presenting the movie in Mauritius was shocking as I’m not really used to being in the limelight. It was a little intimidating to see people look at you saying: “Whoa, this is the guy who worked on Avatar!” Well, in fact, it was me and 2,000 other guys. And I keep saying this to people when they congratulate me. It was a team effort.

Without my colleagues, I couldn’t have done it. My job is to make things move and without the colours and the people who work in the lighting department, there would be no movie. So, in presenting the film, there was a sense of pride and respect for that team work. It’s definitely a good feeling.

What did your family think of the movie?

Most members of my family are not big fans of action films. Yet, having a son working on a James Cameron movie made them very proud. They told me that the visuals were very beautiful and many of my cousins loved it. For them, it was a big deal to have a cousin working on such a great film. So yeah, the response was quite positive.

How did you manage to work on James Cameron’s movie?

I have to say that I got lucky. In the film industry, it’s not just all about talent, its being at the right place at the right time. I started to work on Avatar in 2006. At that time, I was working on Night at the Museum, starring Ben Stiller. In the past, I have animated furry animals from movies such as: Narnia, Garfield 2, and Charlotte’s Web. Animating movie characters can be stressful and very demanding. I got so sick of cats after Night at The Museum that I decided to go work for another company. I wanted to get the opportunity to work on something different. I applied to a company called Weta Digital in New Zealand, whom, at that time, were gathering people to work on Avatar. I sent them my portfolio and got lucky! They liked my work and gave me the job. I’m really lucky to work for them as they are the biggest animation company outside the USA.

How long have you been working in the animation industry?

I’ve been doing this job for five years. At the beginning, I wanted to be a 2D animator, to do drawings. My schooling was strictly 2D animation, drawing and flipping pages. But this kind of animation nearly died a few years ago and the movie animation now is mostly CG (Computer Generated) so I went to learn CG.

OR A SENI ROM TOR F ANIMA KBUSTER OC THE BL TAR’ ‘AVA

What prompted you to move into a career in animation? How did you go about pursuing it?

I grew up watching cartoons like Dragon Ball Z and Saint Seiya. When I was a little boy, I thought that cartoons were done by angels that lived in the sky and I kept saying this to people. I didn’t want to know that such beautiful cartoons were made by human beings.

When I left Mauritius for America in 2000, I started doing illustrations for comic books. I didn’t know at that time that I was going to bring characters to life; I thought I was only going to draw. So I attended drawing courses at an American university situated in Pennsylvania.

You attended the Edinboro University. Can you tell us about your experience there?

I chose Edinboro University because I didn’t want the pressure that you have in the big ones.

There, I met Mike Genz, who had been an animator at Disney for ten years. He left his job and chose to become a teacher. Not many schools have teachers who are from the industry. I was once again lucky to have a professional to show me everything I needed to know.

When I saw him do the amazing drawings of Deus, from the Hercules film, I said to myself: “Whoa, that’s what I want to do; I want to draw like him!” So, during my two years in this university, I focused on animation. My first project was a two-minute movie about a fisherman who falls in love with the worm he is about to use to fish. It took me a whole year to do this short film and I had to do about 3,000 drawings to bring that story to life.

Did art school fully prepare you for your first job as an animator or did you experience a lot of growing pains?

Just attending university is definitely not enough. I went to university and did my four years of study but to get a job in a company, you have to gain experience. So the problem was where to acquire this experience? When I was studying, I used to work until 4 or 5am and get up at 9am to attend class. I did this for many years. It was really hard but I had to get through this in order to get the job of my dreams. You need to surpass the student work.

Which piece of art in your portfolio are you most proud of and why?

Any artist will tell you that their latest work is their proudest achievement. Avatar is probably the work I’m most proud of. I really enjoyed working on the movie’s characters.

Are you working on another movie yet?

The next movie I’m working on is Tintin, directed by Steven Spielberg. It’s going to be released in 2012. I can’t tell much on that movie for now, but what I can say is that this movie is one of the much-loved projects of Steven Spielberg. He bought the rights years ago but he never had the opportunity to work on it until he recently met Peter Jackson. It’s definitely going to be fun to work on this project.

Any final words of wisdom for all the aspiring animators out there?

I teach for a university, one of the best ani-

mation universities in the world. It’s called animationmentor.com. As a teacher, I always tell my students: even when you fall down, remember to never give up! That’s the most important thing I tell people. You will be able to do it; it just takes some time to click.

Animation is about observation, not about what you learn in a book. You have to observe the world and watch how things move. Animation is the art of movement. The best animators are people who travel a lot because they observe how life evolves, moves and interacts with each other.

One last word for the Mauritian Avatar fans in the UK? Go watch this movie! I think the Mauritian people will love Avatar because we love action. That must have something to do with the fact that we live in a quiet country. Avatar will definitely blow your mind away!

Guillaume Gouges

NEWS

Tourism industry Mauritius’ agressive strategy I

n a world of change, one constant over the last two decades has been the sustained growth of the tourism industry in Mauritius, and 2010 might be even better. The Mauritian Government has announced that it wishes to have over one million tourists visiting the Island this year. An ambitious bet, but yet feasible. In fact, the alluring combination of perfect white beaches, hot sun and famously good service attracted over 900,000 visitors to this small Indian Ocean Island last year. The Mauritian Government is planning to expand the tourist trade to two million people a year in the next decade, a huge number of visitors, given the Island’s resident population of just 1.3 million.

2007 was also an exceptional year, with inbound tourism volumes growing well above the previous year’s growth. The market was rebounding from a poor performance in 2006 as a result of the Chikungunya pandemic. At the same time, however, growth was strong enough to reinforce Mauritius’ standing as a key tourist destination in the Indian Ocean.

Growth was significant in the context of the recession that became a global phenomenon in the second half of 2008.

The Government’s policy of attracting wealthy tourists by building 4- and 5-star hotels and upgrading existing accommodation has succeeded in generating higher revenues per tourist, while other popular destinations encountered difficulties due to the global crisis. On that positive trend, permissions for new travel accommodation constructions are being allowed for hotels with ratings of four stars and above. Luxury accommodation,

such as health and wellness spas, will also be the focus in coming years. But with 97 hotels and resorts (ten more are planned) ringing a 110-mile coast, Mauritius is fast running out of its one great natural resource: beach.

If Mauritius is now a world-known travel destination, this has everything to do with the tremendous work done by the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA). The aggressive organisation is present in most of the tourism festivals throughout the world and has taken initiatives that other countries have since copied.

One of them is ‘Mauritius without passport’. This initiative, which has been a great success, has allowed Mauritius to attract tens of thousands of tourists during the economic crisis.

Mauritius’ success in the tourism industry is also due to the fact that the Island lies in the same time zone as Europe. This means that the French, who make up the bulk of its visitors, don’t have to travel all the way to the Caribbean to sunbathe; nor do they have to sacrifice precious beach time for beauty sleep.

The ease of doing business in Mauritius coupled with the Government’s policy to allow foreigners to acquire immovable property for business purposes are already transforming the country into a major regional business hub. The property development landscape is witnessing major changes and significant potential exists for developing new business and industrial parks.

While France and the UK remain the largest contributors to inbound tourism, USA and India are emerging source countries. These two countries are expected to City of Port Louis

witness the highest volume growth rates over the forecast period. Significantly, this comes in the wake of a declining contribution from European nations, such as Germany and Italy. The decline in arrivals from

these countries stems from recessionary conditions in Europe.

The government policies have definitely helped put Mauritius on the world map.

Guillaume Gouges

Airport plan takes off The first stone has been unveiled for what is to become the most modern airport in this part of the world. The new Rs11 billion airport terminal in Plaisance will give Mauritius much-needed state-of-the-art infrastructure that will boost the Island’s reputation as a top-notch tourist destination.

The airport, ready by the end of 2012, will be able to accommodate the giant Airbus A380 in one of its docking ports. The foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister, Dr Navin Ramgoolam, who had the vision back in 1998 to embark on a major transformation of the country’s air travel infrastructure.

“The primary objective in the construction of this airport is to increase the capacity of the terminal to roughly 4.5 million passengers a year,” he said.

“During my last visit to China, I met with President Hu Jintao and asked the Chinese government for their help in improving our airport infrastructure and they agreed to a financing loan of $260 million under preferential terms. We should highlight this important diplomatic success,” said the prime minister.

He added that through this project he wanted to emphasise the diplomatic and political aspects of the decision. “This project unites two of our biggest partners, China and France,” said Dr Ramgoolam. Construction of the new terminal will start in March by the Chinese contractors China State Construction Engineering Corporation. The supervision of the construction phase will be done by Airports Terminal Operations Ltd, a newlyformed company owned 90% by the Airports of Mauritius; the remaining 10% is owned

by Aeroport de Paris Management. The new runways that will be built will be able to accommodate multiple flights at the same time and the terminal will handle a maximum throughput of 1,640 passengers per hour in the waiting areas.

“The process leading to this stage has been a long one strewn with obstacles. We have assisted the Mauritian partners with the loan procedures with the EXIM Bank of China.

We also helped in choosing the construction company based on recommendations of EXIM,” said Jean Marie Chevalier, the Chairman of Aeroports de Paris Management. The official laying of the foundation stone was performed on the area where the new terminal will be built.

“A page of the history of our airport will be turned with the construction of the new terminal,” said Pazhany Rengasamy, Chairman of AML. He also said that the company had made profits of Rs600 million for the past financial year and has received, in all, nearly 20,000 flights.

The China State Construction Engineering Corporation is the agency that has co-built the new terminal in Beijing unveiled during the last Olympic Games. The palm-shaped new airport terminal has been designed as a sustainable one and will use photovoltaic cells for electricity generation as well as recycling of rainwater for the sanitary needs. The design is the brainchild of Aeroports de Paris Ingenierie and the structural engineers are the American firm Louis Berger Group Inc. The total surface area of the new terminal will be 57,000 square metres and it will have eight docking stations for aircraft, including one that will be able to cater for the Airbus A380. There will be 52 departure gates.

Mahesh Bugnath This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius. Visit NewsNow.mu

NEWS A unique distillery with green credentials T

here’s a new Rum Distillery in Mauritius – and it’s one with a difference.

The Rhumerie de Chamarel is the first distillery here, an island known for its local rum, to make agricultural rum from pure sugar cane juice as opposed to molasses from which most rum is made. This means that the rum made at the Rhumerie de Chamarel tastes totally different to the average rum as the pure sugar cane juice gives it special flavours and aromas.

Currently only 5% of the world’s rum production is made from pure sugar cane juice. But the uniqueness of the Rhumerie de Chamarel doesn’t just stop there. It is one of only three distilleries in the world (the other two are in Martinique in the Caribbean) to do everything, from production of the sugar cane to bottling thefinished rum, on-site. And it is firmly committed to the concept of “sustainable development” and to being eco-friendly.

The Rhumerie is the brainchild of the Couacaud family, a Franco-Mauritian family that were pioneers in the fledgling Mauritian hotel industry some 30 years ago. They’ve since had tremendous success in that field and now own the Beachcomber Group with seven hotels in Mauritius, one in the Seychelles (the Sainte Anne Resort & Spa), and one scheduled to open soon in Marrakech, Morocco. Following their success with Beachcomber, the family decided to move into producing their own rum, a step partly prompted by the growing popularity of rum around the

world as an alternative, more sophisticated spirit than whisky, vodka or gin. This growing popularity has obviously been helped by the worldwide success of Bacardi but it’s also been fueled by the increasing demand for rum-based cocktails like Mojitos, Pina Coladas and Ti-punchs.

Also mindful of the growing global awareness of the importance of looking after the environment, the Couacaud family decided from the start that their rum, indeed their whole distillery, would be 100% eco-friendly, following the concept of “sustainable development” that is gaining in popularity in Mauritius. Indeed the Mauritius Government has instigated a whole campaign on the island, aimed at making Mauritius less dependent on fossil fuels, known as Mauritius Ile Durable (MID).

The Rhumerie de Chamarel fits right in with MID, concentrating its environmental efforts on recycling and ensuring that nothing goes to waste. To this end the bagasse, the sugar cane fibres remaining after the juice has been extracted, is turned into energy; all toxic fumes from the distillation process are filtered and cleaned before being released into the atmosphere; ashes created by the process are collected and used as fertilizers in the gardens and sugar cane fields; and the steam retrieved from the distillation process is used to water the gardens. In addition, a solar panel system provides the entire premises with hot water, and all papers used in packaging, etc are recycled paper.

The stone chimney that filters out all of the toxic fumes

The Rhumerie also offers guided tours of the distillery (Rs350 for everyone over the age of 13 and Rs175 for children up to the age of 12) which shows visitors all the stages of rum-making, from squeezing the juice out of the sugar cane through the entire distillation process to the cellars where the rum is aged in huge barrels to the final bottling procedure.

After the tour there is a rum-tasting where you can sample the various kinds of rum produced including White Rum, Coeur de Chauffe (a fine rum for connoisseurs), Rhum Paille (the dark, caramel-coloured rum), and Old Rum which has been aged in wood barrels for a minimum of three years. Having taken the guided tour of the distillery it’s certainly something I could recommend to all Mauritians and visitors to Mauritius. And the Rhumerie has even more to offer with L’Alchimiste available for booking for special events like birthdays, weddings, business dinners and staff Christmas parties and, while the rest of the factory shuts at 5.30pm, the restaurant can stay open until after midnight if that’s what you want. For further information on Rhumerie de Chamarel visit their website at www.rhumeriedechamarel.com.

Tony Smart

As an added attraction to all this ecofriendliness the Rhumerie has also been described as “one of the most beautiful factories in the world” and, having visited the finished product recently, I can vouch for that. It is certainly very beautiful, a far cry from one’s traditional image of a dirty, grey and grimy factory.

But the Rhumerie is much more than just a factory. It has a fine dining restaurant, L’Alchimiste, which can seat 80 people indoors and up to 120 indoors and outdoors if the weather is fine; and a shop called Sugar Cane which sells all the varieties of rum made at the Rhumerie, plus typical Mauritian arts and This article was exclusively provided by Newscrafts, locally made jewellery, and an exclusive Now: The First English-language daily internet clothing line created by the Rhumerie. newspaper in Mauritius. Visit NewsNow.mu

Reprieve for fashion & design students Fashion and design students at the University of Mauritius (UoM) were unsettled about about the prospect of being transferred to another institute. Last semester, they were informed they would be relocated to the Fashion & Design Institute in Ebène, operating under the Ministry of Industry & Commerce.

“We were not at all agreeable to such a situation. Here, at the University of Mauritius, we have the necessary equipment and facilities,” said Yudish Reetoo, a first-year student in Fashion Technology. The University of Mauritius offers two courses in the field of fashion, Fashion Technology and Textile & Fashion Design. Around 350 students are currently registered for the courses. Other institutions offering fashion & design courses include the Industrial & Vocational Training Board (IVTB) and the Textile and Apparel Development Centre (TADC) of Enterprise Mauritius.

“When we enrolled for the fashion course at UoM, it was at Rs18,000 a year. If we agreed to go to the new institute, it would be Rs22,000 per semester, which comes to nearly Rs50,000 per year, which is far above what we can afford,” added Yudish.

The setting up of the new Fashion & Design Institute is part of the Government’s drive to improve the textile and clothing sector on the island. The institute will provide academic courses in design, fashion, graphics and multimedia, and professional development programmes to enable industries to adapt to new technologies and keep pace with emerging trends. “At the UoM, the modules covered for these two courses do not only comprise of design or graphics but also accounting, management, engineering,” said Yudish Reetoo.

So fearing the worst, the students wrote to the Ministry of Industry & Commerce about the relocation – and, to their delight, the ministry told them it is not going ahead with it.

“We are indeed happy that there has been a positive reply from the ministry. Yet we are not feeling at ease since the problem may again crop up next year,” the students told NewsNow. Their unease may be justified. With the setting up of the Fashion & Design Institute, the courses at other institutions will in the long run be phased out, as the departments will be integrated with the new institute.

Zaynah Budulla-Bauccha This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius.

Visit NewsNow.mu

NEWS

Take your partners for the Big Vote waltz…

H

i folks! I am overjoyed to find you back on the threshold of this New Year. My new year’s resolution, just in case you’re interested, is to stick to the tea, no matter what political excitement comes our way in 2010.

Yes, and excitement there certainly will be because this is election year. The Constitution stipulates the holding of general elections every five years and in July, the National Assembly will dissolve automatically unless Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam decides to dissolve Parliament earlier.

So with the Big Vote on the way, speculation about alliances – and there has already been plenty of it in the past few weeks – can only increase. The permutations involving the three main parties – the Labour Party, Mouvement Militant Mauricien (MMM) and the Mouvement Socialiste Militant (MSM) – are hardly mathematically challenging, are they? Past electoral track records indicate that if any of the two major political parties strike an alliance, victory is assured. But this type of political calculation does not always work; the MSM/MMM alliance which was hammered by the Social Alliance at the general elections in July 2005. But Mauritian politics being what they are, there is a noted tendency to try the old magical formula of bringing two political parties, or rather two leaders, together in the name of national unity. In reality, all this means is that if a political party representing Community Y teams up with a political party representing Community X seal the knot, the interests of these communities will be safeguarded.

With this in mind, towards the end of last year fresh speculations emerged about a new alliance between the Labour Party and the MMM. Interestingly, the idea of getting Dr Ramgoolam and MMM leader Paul Berenger to work together again came from two former stalwarts of the MMM, Jean Claude de l’Estrac and former president of the republic Cassam Uteem. Mr De l’Estrac was the first to formally express his preference for a new alliance in an interview which he gave to Mauritius Times in December. And the first of Week-End newspaper for 2010 carried an interview with Mr Uteem in which he clearly stated that he is all for an alliance with the Labour Party. Mr De l’Estrac and Mr Uteem have recently publicly appeared in functions organised by the MMM – they were both at the end-of-year dinner at Domaine Anna last month. Knowing Mr Berenger, it is hard to believe he is dead-against a new partnership

“As of today, there is only one political certainty: general elections will be held this year” with Labour. Yes, he did express his opposition to such a move, but in a very mild way. And if he really didn’t want to work again with Dr Ramgoolam, why does he continue to give so much consideration to Mr de l’Estrac and Mr Uteem? After all, neither is now a member of his party... Could it be that, deep down, Mr Berenger believes the best way to get the MMM back to Government House is to forgive and forget and join hands with Labour?

Or is he serious when he stated, publicly, that he has a winning election strategy for the MMM. Does he believe his party can win the elections single-handed?

As the Big Vote approaches, political pundits are saying that never before has a ruling party anticipated the elections without the least fear of the opposition. No doubt this is because never before has the opposition been so divided. Mr Berenger and the leader of the MSM Pravind Jugnauth have spent much of the past four years attacking each other. The MMM even went so far as to take, like lost sheep, all those who were disenchanted with the MSM: from Sekar Naidu, Kishore Pertab, Dr Hurreeprem Aumeer to Joe Lesjongard.

And we should not forget the support the MMM gave to former MSM stalwart Ashock Jugnauth during the by-election campaign in constituency No. 8 (Moka Quartier Militaire) in March last year. Under the circumstances, it’s hard to believe Pravind Jugnauth would let bygones be bygones and seek a fresh alliance with the MMM – unless, of course there is a new imperative behind the move. And that could be if the MSM is convinced that Dr Ramgoolam has no intention of opening the Social Alliance door to the MSM. It should also not be forgotten that Pravind Jugnauth publicly stated recently that his main opponent at the next general elections would be...

Paul Berenger. So far – in public at any rate – Dr Ramgoolam has ignored the bait.

As of today, there is only one political certainty: general elections will be held this year. in their respective festive messages to the nation, both the President of the Republic Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Dr Ramgoolam referred to the elections. What Sir Anerood said was brief but heavy with meaning. “Next year (2010) general elections will be held and I urge the entire population to indulge in a clean and sane campaign and that the elections are held in a peaceful atmosphere.”

The prime minister dwelled more on the “issue” of general elections. After he presented, at some length, the economic achievements of his government against the backdrop of a harsh international environment, he asked a fundamental question – and supplied the answer. “Ask yourself how we managed to get out of this (economic) situation? This did not happen by itself. It happened thanks to lead-

ership and a long-term vision. It happened thanks to discipline in work and thanks to courageous measures taken on the local and international fronts. My actions were never motivated by populist reasons but by longterm vision. “Look at the recent budget. Many people in the opposition and commentators in the press announced that it would be an electoralist budget. You saw it for yourself how it was with the same discipline that we prepared the recent budget. Which clearly indicates that for me the future of the country is the first consideration. Before any electoral consideration.” Dr Ramgoolam made a second remark on the general elections which carries much weight. “Last year I said that 2009 is the year dedicated to the economy.

This year, 2010, will be the year of the outcomes, as it is the year of the elections. This year when the time comes, I will give the people of Mauritius the opportunity to choose its future through its vote. It is with confidence, serenity and pride that I will come forward to present to the electorate the achievements of my government and our projects for the future,” he said. He then referred to the criticisms from his opponents, which he considered normal in a democracy. “Everyone must have noticed that after they criticised, they could not present an alternative to what we have done and continue to do,” said Dr Ramgoolam. Interestingly enough, his last comments regarding the general elections are almost similar to those made by Sir Anerood.

“I wish that during the electoral campaign, we do not see demagogy and personal attacks but real civilised debates and that we inform Mauritians on questions which interest them,” said the prime minister. Dr Ramgoolam is evidently aware that his opponents, the MMM and the MSM, are divided. He is conscious that the opposition is not only fragmented but also that it can hardly present a common alternative to the present government.

With this in mind, he may choose to embrace the MMM in a post-electoral alliance.

Meanwhile, he might use the loyal opposition, the MSM, as a junior partner for the general elections. Dr Ramgoolam alone will decide whether he will smoke the pipe of peace with Mr Berenger, before or after the elections.

Sunil Gopal This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius. Visit NewsNow.mu

NEWS Why not use the water to ease the jams?

T

ransport improvements on the island have been earmarked by the government as a key area for investment. But while we wait months for new roads to be built to ease congestion, is there a quicker solution that would help ease the jams?

I was recently pointed in the direction of a smart chap by the name of Rory Kirk, who wrote about the idea of a water taxi on his online blog mauritiusinsider.blogspot.com.

This week I take a look at his idea and then assess whether it can be used on a wider scale to solve our transport problems. Kirk’s proposal is on a fairly small scale – a way to get from A to B around the north of the island by boat, using jetties already in place on the beaches to pick up and drop passengers. He makes a very good point about using fisherman, struggling to make a living on their boats, to work as water taxis. Providing them with more work could help to address poverty amongst poor fishermen. More importantly, it’s possible. Kirk points out that a water taxi service currently exists between the Beachcomber hotels Le Cannonier, Le Mauricia and the Royal Palm. A service like this – on a larger scale – serving public jetties at a modest price would encourage tourists to leave their resort hotels and see more of the island, providing more custom for local shops and restaurants.

Quite clearly, there are multiple benefits from developing local water taxi services, especially on an economic level. Problems?

Well not everyone would be happy. Kirk noted that hotel owners would not be happy to let guests leave their resort and spend their

money outside the hotel rather than inside.

Therefore it’s possible they wouldn’t allow water taxis to operate from their hotel jetties. I would also envisage that a significant proportion of fishing boats are not fit to carry passengers, simply because they were not built to do so and aren’t necessarily safe.

Boat maintenance probably isn’t a priority for poorer fishermen when money is tight.

Satisfying health and safety regulations may be tricky.

The tourism authority might be in charge of licensing water taxis but there would need to be some kind of sea police to pre-

vent rogue taxis from operating and to be on hand if there were any accidents. Could this damage business for vehicle taxis? Not if there are more tourists out and about.

Plus water taxis can only run in daylight.

Yet this could only be the beginning. Could there be a whole network of water taxi connections around the whole of the island to serve Mauritian commuters as well as tourists? Initially you could have a taxi service running from the north of the coast down the northwest and dock at Caudan in Port Louis. A short-term solution to the traffic woes of driving into or past Port Louis from

Bank of Mauritius aids trade The Bank of Mauritius (BOM) has presented to the business community the Regional Payment and Settlement System (REPSS) scheme which has been developed by the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Clearing House. Sources at the BOM indicate that the aim of the REPSS is to allow importers to pay for their imported goods and services in their local currency and at the same time allow exporters to also bill their clients in their local currency.

On both sides of the transaction commercial banks will have to go through their respective central banks. The importer’s payment to the exporter will be directed to the central bank of the exporter by the importer’s bank through the REPPS platform. The BOM will act as a “Compensation Chamber” and will hold an account of all cen-

tral banks of COMESA member-countries. Security of transactions will be ensured through the SWIFT system which is used by 90% of banks worldwide for their international transactions.

The payment of transactions will also be guaranteed by the central banks. It is believed that the REPPS will lower the cost of transactions, which will be around 1% to 4% of the total cost of the transactions. The cost of transactions made through intermediaries between member countries of the COMESA amounts to some $600 million yearly.

This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius.

Visit NewsNow.mu

the North? I think so. You would need larger boats, especially during rush-hour (which seems to extend all day these days). If the environmental impact of employing such boats were low, then this would also be a green alternative to using motor vehicles to drive to the capital. Plus it would make for a much more pleasant journey.

The only initial investment needed would be in acquiring passenger ferries, captains and stewards. If the route was successful, entrepreneurs could then look at extending the network along the east and west coasts.

I think this would work, although there are some limitations as to how it would affect traffic. Probably more traffic into Port Louis comes from the Central Plateau. Many drivers coming from the North pass through Port Louis to Ebène or other towns in the centre which are not reachable by water taxi. So the number of beneficiaries would be limited, but probably still sizable enough to look into this scheme seriously. Sometimes people need to think outside the box to solve a tricky problem. This is one such example. A water taxi service may be a greener, cheaper and quicker solution and might go some way to helping solve our transport conundrum.

Sabina Jacobs This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius. Visit NewsNow.mu

NEWS

Moves to boost food security

M

auritius imports 75% of its food requirements every year at a cost of Rs23 billion last year. But according to Minister of Agro-Industry Satish Faugoo, the country’s reliance on imported food is “disproportionately high” and puts the island at risk of severe problems in the event of another world food crisis. Now his ministry has introduced six new measures which he hopes will boost local agricultural production.

“We have always been a net importer of food and the food crisis the world experienced in 2008 has shown that we need to take appropriate measures to ensure that we have an adequate supply of food and become self-sufficient to some extent,” said the minister yesterday.

The measures will cost Rs110 million, which will come from the Rs1 billion that was voted for the Food Security Fund in the last budget. Top of the list is meat – it is expected the new initiatives will enable the country to nearly double meat production. As far as potato and onion production are concerned, the minister said that 80% self-sufficient should be possible by next year.

Mr Faugoo said 750 planters of fruits and vegetables have signed up to the crop-insurance scheme, which now covers some 27 crop types. The total acreage now insured is 2,000 arpents; the target is 5,500 arpents covering 2,500 planters.

Also in the raft of new measures are increases in the local production of milk and dairy products. A local dairy cow will give between 8-9 litres of milk daily, whereas imported cows will produce 20 litres of milk on

a daily average. The same type of inefficiency is noted in meat production; the carcass of a locally-bred goat will weigh on average 7.5 kilos, whereas that of an imported one will weigh 23kgs-24kgs.

The ministry will amend the Animal Disease Act to ensure the traceability of animals, which will ensure better management of herds as well as reduce illegal slaughtering of animals. New regulations on bio-security are also being worked on by the authorities to ensure higher quality of produce.  Purchase of dairy cows and heifers of improved genetic quality. This scheme will be managed by the Development Bank of Mauritius. Rs20,000 grant per heifer or Rs30,000 grant per dairy cow. (This represents 40% of the cost of the animal.) The remaining 60% of the cost will be financed through a loan on concessionary terms amounting to Rs30,000 per heifer and Rs40,000 per cow. Interest at 3% per annum over five years with a oneyear moratorium. Maximum of 50 head can be purchased at any one time.  Purchase of reproductive goats and sheep of improved genetic quality, again managed by the Development Bank of Mauritius.

Rs10,000 grant per head and soft loan of Rs10,000, one-year moratorium, repaid over five years, 3% interest. Terms of loan: 3% interest rate, repayment over five years and a one year moratorium.  Purchase of young bulls to be fattened up locally, to be managed by the Mauritius Post

Well done Mauritius!

Well done Mauritius. Your behaviour over the festive period has, overall, been praiseworthy.

According to the police, there were few road accidents caused by drunken drivers and warnings about speeding seem to have been heeded. Even thefts and brawls were on the low side, say police.

According to Inspector Fareed Muttur of the Traffic Branch, this positive report card is due to the reinforced presence of police on the roads. He also believes the numerous road safety campaigns over the past few months have finally paid dividends.

The police spent about Rs4 million on the campaigns – worth every rupee if they have saved lives.

From December 14 to 31, some 67,000 drivers were checked on the roads island wide, with only 97 drivers testing positive for alcohol. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mukhtar Taujoo revealed that over the last weekend of last year, 20 drivers of the thousands checked tested positive for alcohol.

According to Inspector Muttur, there was an increase in contraventions during December compared to the same period last year, but once again this was because of an increased police presence. “It’s good to know that our campaigns are paying dividends, that is there are fewer and fewer drivers risking drinking when they have to drive. “We have managed to decrease the level of fatal or serious accidents by 26% for December and our target is to further decrease it by an additional 50%,” says the inspector. The aggressive road safety campaign will continue.

Mayessen Nagapa-Chetty This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius. Visit NewsNow.mu

and Cooperative Bank (MPCB). Aim is to increase self-sufficiency in production of meat for the local market from 2.5% to 10%. Soft loan of Rs30,000 per head, 5% interest, repayment over one year.

duction. Will be available for cattle, goat and sheep farmers as well as chicken producers.

Maximum loan of Rs3 million for the purchase of equipment.

 Development of pastures, to be managed by the MPCB, is aimed at improving quality which will in turn increase output. Scheme will consist of 50% grant, or Rs17,000, whichever is lower for the cost of the pasture per arpent. Maximum of 25 arpents.

 Construction and renovation of buildings for farming, to be managed by the DBM. Improve the environment in which animals are raised, hence improving their output and improve the quality of the produce. Maximum loan of Rs3 million at 5% interest rate, over 8 years, with 3-year moratorium.

 Purchase of agricultural equipment, managed by the MPCB, aims to modernise agriculture and farming and reduce costs of pro-

This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius. Visit NewsNow.mu

MAURITIUS LIFE Ebène the thriving business hub D

uring the last five years, Ebène has gone from a mere sugarcane field to a dazzling property development region. Since 2005, about 18 skyscrapers have been built in what is considered today as Mauritius’ new neuralgic centre.

The Cybercity in Ebène is attractive to both local and overseas companies. It has the great advantage of being centrally located and having been specifically designed to meet modern companies’ technological needs. It will be close to the new business and administrative centre planned for the Highlands region, and is linked by the main highway to the airport in the south (25 minutes away) and the capital, Port Louis.

It is fast developing into a major business centre, and has already attracted a number of multinational companies to locate their regional and African headquarters, including SBC, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Accenture, Infosys, TNT, Intel net and Hinduja.

The Ebène Cyber Tower, which was the first building to be built in that region, was part of a plan by the Government of Mauritius to develop information and communications technologies as a fifth pillar of the nation’s economy. With the creation of the Business Parks of Mauritius, BPML was a key initiative of the Government’s objective to transform the

“The Cybercity in Ebène is attractive to both local and overseas companies”

Mauritian economy into an innovation driven economy based on knowledge. The mission of BPML is to position Mauritius as a regional centre of excellence for ICT outsourcing.

Five years after it began operating, the Cyber City accommodates a number of companies engaged in the outsourcing, ICT, offshore, communication, and financial sec-

tor. Most of them are known worldwide. The Cyber Tower, the first and the main building of the Ebène Cyber City, still shines as the biggest and most appealing building of the region. It was awarded the ‘Intelligent Building of the Year’ by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), USA, in 2005.

The presence of Apollo Bramwell Private Hospital (and Apollo Bramwell Nursing School), the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), the University of Mauritius (UoM), the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE), the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate, the Mauritius College of the Air (MCA), makes the region one of the most developed and most well-planned regions in Mauritius, and even in the Indian Ocean.

Ebène is convenient for some of the country’s most desirable residential areas, including Moka, Floreal and Curepipe, and is only about half-an-hour from the coast for those who seek beachside living. The lively towns of Rose Hill and Quatre-Bornes are also close by.

The Cyber City has no doubt become a thriving and vibrant business hub and many of the country’s bright, young people now work in Ebène. As a result, social and other facilities here are developing fast.

Guillaume Gouges

Google makes internet search quicker Google Caching Servers (GCS) have been officially launched and will enable Mauritian Internet users to get quicker access to Mauritian sites.

Launching this new Google initiative, Mr. Asraf Dulull, Minister of Information and Communication Technology, said it will promote Mauritius not only as a destination for IT-Enabled Services, but also for hosting Internet content for the African region, given the country’s excellent ICT infrastructure and connectivity.

It will also create spill-overs for other sectors as far as Internet content development is concerned. Mauritius, said Mr. Dulull, is relentless in its pursuit of innovative and creative ways in which government can leverage on technologies to roll out new modes of service delivery and to better serve Mauritians.

He added that available statistics confirmed that Mauritius is now improving in its Internet usage density – with multiple ICT centres created for women and students having free usage at schools.

“Already with a population of 1.2 million plus there are more than one million mobile subscribers.

“They do not only make use of SMS but now they surf the Internet.”

The government, said the minister, is investing in proper infrastructure to follow the “24/7” concept and to that effect it will soon launch a programme to allow for ICT resources to work at home, especially for women.

According to Suraj Ramgolam, Chaiperson of National Computer Board: “In today’s digital era, we cannot afford to lose precious time in waiting for contents to download and we realise that every little effort counts.

“Today its Google and tomorrow might be some other players who come forward with new ways of enriching the Internet user experience. I can assure you that, at the level of the NCB, we will work towards this continued improvement in broadband connectivity so that tomorrow, Mauritius is placed safely on the digital map.”

The caching devices, when deployed in a country, accelerate and improve user experience as well as save international bandwidth and cost. Most web pages include resources that change infrequently, such as CSS files, image files, JavaScript files, and so on.

These resources take time to download over the network, which increase the time it takes to load a web page. Caching allows these resources to be saved, or cached, by a browser or proxy. Once a resource is cached, a browser or proxy can refer to the locally-cached copy instead of having to download it again on subsequent visits to the web page.

Besides leading to a dramatic reduction in page load time for subsequent user visits, enabling caching can also significantly reduce the bandwidth and hosting costs for the country as a whole.

It works like this: Once anyone within an exchange point’s sphere visits a webpage, the information is cached and it becomes much faster for anyone else visiting that website to access it. Pre-fetching of data also improves performance over time, even for dynamic content. This is an interesting strategy. It’s a win for ISPs (less international traffic means lower costs) and a win for end users (pages load faster).

This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius.

Visit NewsNow.mu

MAURITIUS LIFE Nando’s: Mauritius’ spicy spot S

ince its re-opening in December, Nando’s restaurant has encountered an overwhelming success. The company, just as famous for its wacky advertising as it is for its Portuguesestyle flame-grilled chicken is the new place to be. Situated on the ground floor of the newly revamped wing of the Trianon Shopping Centre, the brandnew Nando’s restaurant can accommodate up to 115 guests at any one time for lunch and dinner.

The re-opening of this famous restaurant after nearly ten years has been quite an event. And if you ever wonder why, here is a simple reason: Nando's signature flame-

grilled Peri-Peri chicken is a totally unique taste experience.

Fresh, A-grade chickens are butterfly cut and marinated in Nando's secret home-made recipe marinade for 24 hours, ensuring that the flavour goes right through to the bone.

In addition, its legendary flavour, Nando’s cuisine owes its success to the fact that its chicken is flame-grilled rather than deep fried. Evenly browned and equally succulent, Nando’s chicken is lower in fat and cholesterol and maybe the leanest chicken in town. But the secret of the world-famous restaurant resides in its Peri-Peri sauces: Lemon and Herb, Mild, Hot or the Extra Hot PeriPeri sauce.

Present in 27 countries, Nando’s has more than 800 restaurants around the world where flame-grilled chicken with its famous Peri-Peri sauce is served daily. In the United Kingdom alone, Nando’s boasts nearly 180

restaurants. Overwhelmed by the success of their Nando’s franchise, the Mauritian owners are already planning to open a second restaurant this year.

Guillaume Gouges

Mauritian recipes Each month Mauritius Now will bring you a variety of delicious and exciting recipes presented to you by our very own specialist chef from Mauritius.

Visit www.mauritiusnow.co.uk for all the latest recipes, which are updated every month.

Dholl Puri Ingredients (Seves 8) 1/2 kg gram dholl 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder A pinch of salt 1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin 1 kg white flour salt 2 tablespoons oil A mixture of ghee and oil to cook the dholl purees

Method Boil dholl in about 2 cups of water with salt and turmeric until just cooked.

Drain and grind dholl grains in a foodmill.

Add cumin, mix and keep aside.

Sift flour and some salt, rub into mixture 2 tablespoons oil. Mix to a soft dough with some water. Leave to rest for at least half an hour.

Divide dough into small balls, flatten them roughly with your hand and place in the centre of each about 1 tablespoon of ground dholl. Enclose filling in dough.

Roll each stuffed ball carefully, with a rolling-pin to a circle about 15 cm diameter.

Heat up a flat saucepan. Brush the pan with oil and place the pooris in. Cook on one side until slightly risen and flip onto other side until just cooked. Do not overcook or the pooris will harden.

Chicken Bryani Ingredients Chicken cut into pieces and half cooked 3 medium potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks) 1/4 teaspoon yellow powder 1/2 cup melted ghee 2 big onions, sliced 1 cup yoghurt 1 teaspoon ginger/garlic mixture 1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon powdered clove

4 cardamoms (split) 1/2 teaspoon powdered turmeric 2 tablespoons powdered cumin 4 tablespoons chopped mint leaves 6 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves 2 green chillies Salt 1/2 Kg Basmati rice (half-cooked in salted water with a cinnamon stick and a few cloves and drained) Some saffron strands (jaffran) Method Add some salt and half of the yellow powder to the potatoes. Mix well and fry in the ghee for 1 or 2 minutes. Remove.

In the same ghee, fry onions until brown.

Keep aside.

In a large pot, put the half-cooked chicken pieces, the potatoes and all the other ingredients except onions, yellow powder and saffron strands. Pour in 1/4 glass of water and add some salt. Mix carefully.

Spread over half of the rice. Top with half of the fried onions and ghee.

Dissolve remaining yellow powder in 1/4 glass of hot water. Stir in the saffron strands.

Sprinkle the yellow mixture over the rice/ chicken mixture.

Spread remaining rice on top and proceed in the same way with remaining ghee, fried onions and yellow mixture.

Cover tightly and simmer till all moisture evaporates and rice is cooked through.

Serve hot with tomato chutney and cucumber and carrot salad.

Extracts taken from Mauritian Delights by Mrs Lalita Sookhee, which contains over 300 absolutely delicious Mauritian recipes.

To purchase, please contact Mrs Lalita Sookee: lalitabsookhee@hotmail.com 1 Farquhar Street, Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius.

Telephone: 230-425-3803/230-750-1860 Fax: 230-425-3803

EVENTS

in association with

Dates for your diary PUBLIC HOLIDAYS FOR MAURITIUS National Day (Independence) Friday 12th March Ougadi Tuesday 16th March Labour Day Saturday 1st May Assumption if the Blessed Virgin Mary Sunday 15th August Eid-Ul-Fitr* Friday 10th September Ganesh Chaturthi Sunday 12th September Arrival of Indentured Labourers Tuesday 2nd November Divali Friday 5th November Christmas Saturday 25th December * The exact date of this festival is subject to confirmation as its celebration depends of the visibility of the moon.

What’s on H

i, my name is Tasha Chellen and I’m looking forward to being your monthly ‘Events’ columnist for Mauritius Now. Every issue you can expect me to cover events all over the UK: from fairs, to club nights and family parties, so watch this space for advice and news on various day trips or even night outs! Right, so what do we have in store for you for March?

Firstly, we have a very special occasion for Mauritians coming up; our beautiful island will be celebrating 42 years of its independence and its 18th year as a republic. Definitely an occasion to commemorate, so what better way to start than an evening out with Back2Reality, London’s finest Urban/Mauritian night, who are bringing you their own version of the Mauritian Independence Celebration for 2010 at the stylish Agenda Bar on Saturday 13th March. In the past, Back2Reality have given you ‘Flashback’, ‘Wear Your Colours’ and who can forget the original ‘White Party’ which over the years has had appearances from hot artistes, such as Lloyd, Shaggy, Collie Buddz, Wayne Wonder and Crazy Cousins to say the least! As with past events, this event will not disappoint, so make sure you have your tickets in advance, as you can expect to be dancing the night away to music provided by some of London’s finest DJs in a great venue, for a truly momentous occasion.

Now, Mauritius isn’t the biggest Island, but if you attended last year’s Mauritian Open Air Festival, you would have thought different. Down Lane Park in Tottenham Hale was heaving with an eclectic mix of people all brought together to celebrate the great Mauritian culture, and we were spoilt for ways in which to do this. There were stalls packed with traditional Mauritian food, entertainment for children and a brilliant host of performers and, to top it off, a Phoenix Beer counter. This year’s 2010 Mauritian Open Air Festival again promises not to disappoint. Located again in the spacious surroundings of Down Lane Park on Sunday 8th August, you will be treated to another fun-filled day of dazzling music by well-known performers from Mauritius, authentic food and drink, some big giveaways and not forgetting something for the whole family, with fairground rides, bouncy castles to name but a few. I asked the organisers what their goal was for this year’s event, they said: “Our ultimate goal is to bring our Mauritian community in the UK closer together, we can only do this with your help. This year, we look forward to bringing you a bigger and better event”.

If you are interested in setting up a stall for this year’s event, please call 0800 389 0062, you can also visit the official website www.mauritianopenair.com for pictures and videos from last year's event.

In next month’s issue, we will be gearing up for the Easter holidays so make sure you pick up April’s copy of Mauritius Now to find out all the latest on events in the Mauritian community.

If you want to contact me with any news or upcoming events that you would like to hear about, email me on tasha.chellen@mauritiusnow.co.uk I look forward to seeing you around at these events!

Tasha Chellen

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Mauritius Now brings you unrivalled news from Mauritius and the UK every month, and provides a platform for a diverse range of passionate and authoritative views – allowing you to make up your own mind on all the important issues.

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SHOWBIZ A

s a member of the Otentikk Street Brothers (OSB) since 1992, Blakkayo is today considered as a pioneer on the Mauritian Ragga music scene. His new album, Love & Respect, has been at the top of the charts for weeks.

He sat with Mauritius Now and talked about his career and future plans.

Your new album, Love & Respect is a smash hit. How does it feel?

I always feel honoured to see that people like my work. But the most important thing for me is when people pay attention to the positive messages of my songs. Since the album’s release, I often hear youngsters singing my songs and that makes me really happy.

Interview: Blakkayo

You have been working on this album for the past three years. Why did it take you so long?

Alongside my solo career, I’m also a member of the OSB Crew. During the past three or four years, we have been quite busy performing throughout Europe: Austria, Slovenia, Germany, and recording the group’s album. Performing on the international scene was a wonderful experience as I managed to meet a lot of great artists.

I must say that I’m not the kind of guy who can multitask. As a matter of fact, I preferred finishing working on the group’s album before starting to write and record mine.

Your music seems more mature. How has Blakkayo evolved during the years?

I realised, while composing this album, that my way of writing has radically changed. I’m far less rebellious than in my first two albums. I also realised that I need to educate people through my music and tell them about their rights. In my previous albums, I told them to stand against the system, to not let it abuse them. Now I tell them to “mobilize” as it’s the only way to stand against the system.

Your songs have always carried messages about love and respect. How important is that kind of message?

If my music carries messages of respect and love, it’s because I chose to live that way in the first place. These two aspects should be the most important thing in one’s life. It’s important for me to spread this message and I hope that people will understand it.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I get it in everyday life, on the road and when I talk to people around me. Above all, I look for inspiration in the gospel of Jah. He has already told us everything. I’m just trying to spread His messages using the Reggae music.

You are considered as the best artist on the Mauritius’ Ragga music scene. How have you achieved this?

As far as I can remember, I’ve always listened to Reggae. When I was 13, I started writing songs and noticed that people liked it. That’s when I knew this was what I would do to earn my living: write and sing my own songs. It was the best choice I’ve ever made! It’s really a dream come true.

Where do you see this Ragga genre going?

As everyone knows, Ragga initially comes from Reggae. During the past years, Ragga has changed and come to be known as Reggae Dance Hall, Seggae and Reggaeton. It will surely evolve again and again in the years to come. This is possible because the foundation stone – Reggae – stays strong,

Who are the people that have influenced you the most in your career?

I have learnt a lot from local and foreign artists. The ones who influenced me are Kaya, Groupe Latanier and Berger. I wanted to be as successful as them. I also like Shaggy, Bob Marley among others. All these artists are like spiritual guides for me.

I’m trying to do as well as them.

You have performed in various countries around the world, are you surprised at how large a fan base you have gained outside of Mauritius? And why do you think you have been so successful?

I have been very pleased to see foreigners in Slovenia and Czech Republic enjoying our music even when not knowing anything about Mauritius. I never thought that I would one day perform in these countries. It was a great experience and I hope that other Mauritian artists will get the opportunity to

perform on the international scene as well. This is clearly the result of hard work.

What lies ahead for Blakkayo?

I’m actually promoting my album and will be on tour throughout the Island. I’m planning to organize some concerts in the Indian Ocean. We will begin to work on the OSB Crew album shortly afterwards. It should be released at the end of the year.

Any messages for your fans over in the UK and when can we expect to see you in the UK? I want to thank them all for the support. Each time we went to perform in the United Kingdom, the Mauritian community there has always greeted us with a warm welcome. I look forward to seeing them again soon!

Guillaume Gouges

SHOWBIZ In conversation with Bruno Raya A

s the Lead Artist of the Otentikk Street Brothers (OSB), Bruno Raya is today seen as one of the best artists on the Mauritian scene. For the past eighteen years he has helped bring Seggae music both to the national and the international music scene. The singer and music producer talks about the next OSB crew album and his successful career.

You have been on the Mauritian music scene for a long time now, how do you think it has evolved over the years?

The OSB group is celebrating its 18th birthday this year and I can say that the local music has continuously evolved, and has even conquered the world. Mauritian artists are invited to perform at festivals throughout the world and this has helped a lot in making the Mauritian ‘ghetto music’ known to a larger audience. Mauritian artists are definitely proud of their music, which may not have always been the case 20 years ago. I must admit, I strongly believe that this newfound respect for Mauritian music and artists has a lot to do with the hard work that the OSB crew has done for years now.

Where do you see this music genre going?

The ‘ghetto music’, which has its own language, has been adopted by the mainstream. We now hear people everywhere saying “bonto”, “siloy”, “la faya” and this makes us proud as it’s recognition of our culture and way of life. Mauritian artists are going to be more and more visible on the international scene during the years to come. I can only see things getting bigger and better.

Who are the artists that have influenced you the most?

I have always loved what we call ‘black’ music. I’m quite an activist and I like text music with substance. Like a lot of people, I have been influenced by Bob Marley and other Jamaican artists.

Louis Armstrong, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson have also inspired me in my career. Among the Mauritian artists, I learnt from Kaya and Ti Frer. These two have done a lot for the country’s culture and I have a deep respect for them and their music.

Babylon is telling us. Our music urges people to go out and fight for their rights. OSB, like many other crews, doesn’t hesitate to blow the whistle whenever needed. You can say that we use musical politics to fight the ‘politricks’ of Babylon.

How do you and the rest of the crew concentrate on your solo careers as well as your group commitments?

We communicate a lot so as to make sure that our timetables don’t overlap. It’s not really a problem. One OSB crew member, Blakkayo, recently released his solo album. While he was busy recording it, the other members of the crew and I started working on the group album. Every member of the group is quite independent and often busy with solo commitments, but this is no problem to the group.

Festivals in Mauritius are ever increasing – what are your thoughts on this?

Well, a lot of events organized in Mauritius are given the name of ‘festival’ but very few are up to the standards. Only three festivals in Mauritius are really worth talking about: the International Kreol Festival organized by the ministry of Tourism, the Reggae Donn Sa Festival, and the Samemsa Festival.

The OSB Crew is made up of strong individuals, each with your own personalities and characteristics – how does this impact on the way you work together?

We all indeed have different characters but the one thing that unites us is the respect that we have for each other. As long as relationships are built on a foundation of respect, it’s easy to work with each other, despite the different characters that naturally exist within a group of people. But, to be honest, it hasn’t always been easy as every member of the OSB crew has their own ideas, opinions and way of looking at things. We have no choice but to get along and respect each other. We believe in what we do and that’s the most important thing.

I have noticed that Mauritius has attracted the likes of many huge artists recently – how and why has this happened?

Getting them to perform in Mauritius was not easy at first.

But we managed to do it thanks to the people we met over the years whilst performing in other countries. We used to perform on the same stage with various artists in Slovenia, France, Canada, and Germany. We talked about the possibility of them visiting and performing in Mauritius and many of them said they were definitely interested in visiting our little island one day. That’s how it was done in the beginning. We then started inviting and promoting artists professionally and that’s what made our reputation. We have managed to bring to Mauritius artists like The Wailers, Alpha Blondy, Pierpoljak and Sean Paul.

Your songs often carry a message, including those of political and social reform. How important do you think music is as a medium to positively influence others and highlight key issues?

In fact, all our songs carry messages, whether it’s political, social or religious. Our aim is not only to have people think and talk about key issues, but also to have Babylon (the Mauritian government) react, make decisions and take action on important issues. We can’t remain silent and accept everything that

OSB also run a successful clothing line which has gone from strength to strength – how did you branch out into the clothing industry?

As OSB started to become more popular and our fan base expanded in Mauritius and other countries, famous clothing brands approached us and said they wanted us to wear their outfits. After some time, we realised that some fans would buy the shirts we were wearing, so we decided to create own clothing brand, Otentikk Street Wear. It has been very successful!

You have a show called ‘Bonnto Clip’ which promotes new music in Mauritius – how has the show helped to shape the current industry?

This show, which has been aired for five years now, has really helped the Mauritian artists build their notoriety. Some of them were unknown to the public even if they had already released their album. Having their music videos being aired on Bonto Clip boosted their sales and some of them even managed to perform on the international scene. Artists and people often congratulate me for this show. My aim was to give to the local artists a launching pad for their career. I’m glad that it’s a success. Today it’s not only Mauritian artists that benefit from this show, but also a lot of artists from Reunion Island, Seychelles, Madagascar, Rodrigues and Comoros.

In recognition of your hard work, you have received many awards – which one do you hold closest to your heart?

Apart from physical awards, I think the thing I hold most dear to my heart is the reaction we get from the crowds at our OSB concerts. I know that I’m doing the right thing and that I’m at the right place when I see in their eyes that they are enjoying themselves. I’m also very proud of a trophy that OSB won in a contest that was held in Poland two years ago.

We finished sixth out of 600 participants!

You have performed in various countries around the world, are you surprised at how large a fan base you have gained outside of Mauritius? And why do you think you have been so successful?

We are really happy to see that our fan base is growing more and more each year. The reason behind this is simple: Seggae music is something that unites people. This music has its own identity and it’s quite appealing. When people listen to Seggae, even if they are not Mauritian, they can’t help but love this music. Through this music they can discover Mauritius and our multi-ethnic and peaceful country. Every time we perform in a country, people always want to know more about where we come from. European people like the warmth that comes from our Seggae music.

What lies ahead for Master Cool B (Bruno Raya) and the OSB crew?

The OSB crew members have been working on their solo albums which are going to be released soon. We are now working on the group’s album, which will be entitled Rezolityon. We are also planning to have world-famous artists perform at the Reggae Donn Sa Festival which is going to be held this year. It’s going to be a busy year and we’ve got a lot of projects underway.

Any messages for your fans over in the UK and when can we expect to see you in the UK? Firstly, I want to thank them for all their support. I want them to know that we respect and appreciate all the love they have shown us, and we urge them to keep supporting us so we can continue to grow stronger and push our messages further. We need their support in order for us to do this. They need to be proud to be Mauritians and to be even more proud of their culture! We are actually working on OSB’s next album. We will be sure to consider doing a performance in the UK when it is released.

Guillaume Gouges

TRAVEL

Club Med Albion The western coast of the island of Mauritius is a unique place, located between majestic mountains and a coastline bathed in crystal clear waters and sheltered by a coral reef. This natural jewel is home to the first 5 Trident Club Med Resort of La Plantation d’Albion, devoted to Epicurean pleasures. Trees line this 21-hectare site, which looks out over a bay framed by two white sandy beaches. The wide open spaces and the sunsets will delight lovers, who will also be able to try out various sports activities and keep themselves fit whenever they choose. The fun is always accompanied by refined and flavoursome dining, fit for any occasion.

The location, with its multitude of colours and tastes, its turquoise sea, and peace and tranquillity, will undoubtedly uplift your mood and make you wish to come here again and again to experience a vacation to remember. The beauty of this location lies in the delightful contrast, a melting pot; where past and present is smoothly blended together, offering all visitors and tourists an extravagant time.

The Resort is devoted to fulfilling its guests’ desires and offers discreet, attentive service in its swimming areas (including a breathtaking

infinity pool that brings that ideal Zen touch), bars and ‘Table Coup de Coeur’ restaurants.

The chefs pull out all the stops to ensure you have a fabulous and entertaining meal.

The Phare restaurant is undoubtedly a must.

This local speciality restaurant is in a heavenly setting a few yards from the sea. Enjoy the subtle and exotic flavours of local cuisine, typically Asian, with the delicate flavours of vanilla and curry.

If you want to enjoy your meal in a heavenly setting, the Distillerie is a perfect address. Located close to the main swimming pool, this restaurant welcomes you for all your meals in three separate sections: the open-air terrace, the covered terrace or the first-floor dining area with its magnificent view of the sea and the lagoon alongside the Village.

As well as a great variety of land sports, Club Med La Plantation d’Albion offers PADIcertified diving with exceptional coral and abundant sea life at dive sites in close proximity to the Resort. This place has adopted a suit-yourself mentality: a huge, new luxurious resort, in lush grounds on a perfect beach, with every possible activity, but no pressure to do anything.

Club Med Albion’s luxurious Spa is operated by the famous French brand Cinq Mondes and includes duo treatment rooms, a private spa and a private hammam with exfoliation room are some of the spaces in which guests can relax and rejuvenate. The Spa is fantastic, in a dedicated 800sq m space of teak, slate, fluffy robes and orchids, with treatments ranging from four-day rituals to facials and eight types of massage.

The Club Med in d’Albion definitely aims to cater to every whim of its guests with its individual service.

Guillaume Gouges

Tamassa Hotel Resort & Spa Located on the beautiful sandy beach of Bel Ombre, lapped by a turquoise lagoon which almost blends with the skyline, the 4-star Tamassa Hotel awaits you. It stands at the end of a long avenue of mature coconut palms with a picture postcard landscape stretching across sugarcane fields towards the mountains beyond. Moreover, the magnificent fine, sandy beach, which fronts the Hotel, provides an ideal excuse for long walks at sunset or in the moonlight.

Bel Ombre, which is on the unspoilt southwest coast of Mauritius, offers spectacular walks and drives through lush, tropical hillsides and a range of open-air activities in beautiful countryside. The traditional-style architecture of the Hotel blends perfectly with the tropical setting. In front of the worldrenowned Hotel lies a turquoise lagoon that almost blends into the skyline. Here, travellers of the world unpack and relax.

Everyone who visits Tamassa Hotel Resort & Spa will choose their own way of whiling away

the sun-blessed days – for those who seek a more active holiday every facility is available including tennis, golf and big game fishing, for the water sport enthusiasts the Hotel has its own boathouse, called ‘Dilo’, with a wide variety of options that include water-skiing, windsurfing and kayak paddling or snorkelling. One cannot miss the superb corals and a wonderful array of brightly coloured tropical fish.

Much appreciated by honeymooners from around the world, Tamassa Hotel’s friendly staff gives the latter special attention. On wedding days, the resort offers a wedding cake and makes sure the guests are given a special menu. The bride can also opt for Spa sessions, a manicure and pedicure to make that special day perfect.

Gastronomy is given an essential place in the restaurants of the resort. The main restaurant is divided into three sections and based on the exciting concept of open kitchens, which adds a touch of theatre to the range of international cuisine. At Tamassa guests enjoy a selection of tempting dishes described as ‘a world of savours’. ‘Show’, the main restaurant, offers a unique dining experience with Japanese, Thai, Indian and Mediterranean influences. ‘Play’ as the name suggests is the Hotel’s beach restaurant and bar with a typical Mauritian laid-back friendly atmosphere. With your feet in the sand, one can enjoy a hearty salad lunch or enjoying Latin cuisine at the beach restaurant and bar.

The Lounge Bar, which combines modern and traditional touches, is the place to be if one wants to enjoy fresh and delicious dishes in a subtle atmosphere. The white, blue and ochre shades add a warm glow to the wood, steel and glass surfaces and fittings. The lounge restaurant also offers a wide variety of international beers, spirits and liqueurs. Tamassa Hotel Resort & Spa in Bel Ombre is a true Mauritian experience!

Guillaume Gouges

The ultimate golf experience One of the world’s truly cosmopolitan countries, Mauritius has become a sort-after destination for holiday makers, sun-lovers and romantics. Now, with world-class golf courses, Mauritius has emerged as the golf destination in the Indian Ocean region.

Being an ancient colony of the British Empire, golf has been practiced in Mauritius since 1902 when the first Golf club (The Gymkhana) was open by the Royal Navy members. Today, with its dozen 18-hole golf courses and as many 9-holes, Mauritius has become a golf destination. Most courses are within hotel resorts, designed to world championship standards. Semi-independent golf courses are now accessible to tourists and locals.

One of the country’s most beautiful golf courses is Tamarina. Carved into the rugged south-west savannah land coast of Mauritius, between mountain and sea, Tamarina Golf Estate and Beach Club is the first residential golf estate on the island.

Overlooking the crisp blue waters of Tamarin Bay, crossed by

the beautiful Black River gorges and Rempart River, the Estate stretches over 206 hectares of what was once a deer hunting chassé, at the foot of towering Rempart Mountain.

What is pleasant about the Tamarina layout, apart from its superb design features, originality, attractive setting and topclass conditioning, is the generous width of the holes, which will appeal to holidaymakers. And it has five sets of tees. If you fancy yourself as a long-ball hitter, try the pro tees at 6,886 meters! It will also be freely open to visitors.

Other world-famous golf courses also await you throughout the Island. The Belle Mare Plage Resort, created in 1994, is one of them. The plush resort boasts two grand golf courses that have been designed by Hugh Biaocchi and Peter Alliss. The golf course created by Biaocchi is called the Legend.

The course has been carved out of bush-covered volcanic rock in some areas and shaped over low-lying flood plains in others. Featuring 18 holes, the most challenging ones are

the tree and bush-lined fairways. The second course at Belle Mare Plage, designed by Peter Alliss, is called the Links.

Fast becoming a firm favourite with the golfing fraternity, Mauritius also has several other golf courses, namely the La Paradis and Le Saint Geran. Le Saint Geran is situated in the midst of a plantation of coconut palms and also comprises of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy whereas Paradis is situated on a secluded private peninsula. Another super luxury golf course is the One&Only Le Touessrok Golf Course where isolated golden beaches, framed by Casuarina trees provide the perfect backdrop to a splendid golf course. Some of the holes have exotic names such as Lava Rock, Razorback, Tidal Pool, Plateau Verde, Rock Ledge and Carry Me Home.

Exotic Mauritius with its friendly people, stunning beaches, international cuisine and spectacular golf courses is the catalyst for your golfing holiday of a lifetime.

Guillaume Gouges

RESTAURANTS & BARS

MAURITIUS Iguana Lounge

Royal Road, Grand Bay, 00 (230) 263 5758 Fresh tamales with chicken in red or green salsa, and vegetarian ones, with chillies, are the draw at the Iguana Lounge, a colourful restaurant located on the coastal road of Grand-Bay. This is what good Mexican food should taste and look like – vibrant colours, fresh taste and great prices! The atmosphere here is cosy, the neighbourhood is lively, and the owners are very generous and friendly.

One of the things you will absolutely love about this place is its décor and atmosphere.

The interior has vivid colours on the wall with original pictures and trim. The colourful, hand-painted chairs seem to have been imported from Mexico. A cheerful decoration that make dining at the Iguana Lounge pleasant. The restaurant bears its reputation well whether through its décor or dishes. The restaurant indeed proposes lively and friendly evenings as well as a refined cuisine. Which explains well why the spot is full every evening.

Every Mexican restaurant serves chips and salsa before the meal, but none serve a salsa like the Iguana Lounge. The cilantro is prominent, but not overbearing. It’s heavy on the onions, but not very spicy. It’s homemade and the fresh taste is far superior to what you typically get in chain restaurants.

For upscale Mexican – excellent burritos and chilli con carne – look no further. This typical and tasty dish consists of fine pasta and a dressing made with meat, bell peppers and onions. All is topped up with a delicious whipping cream.

The Chef split the Nachos with the Works – beef, chicken, beans, guacamole, sour cream and cheese. It compares very favourably with the nachos you can get elsewhere and is probably better than most. The use of queso blanco helps make the flavour stand out above most nachos I’ve had.

The enchiladas de mole arrived, accompanied by a small serving of seasoned rice and pinto beans. The smoky, rich mole sauce coated the enchiladas, filled with shredded chicken and topped with shredded queso fresco.

Unlike overly cheese-ridden cuisine, which is common in South American restaurants, the mole sauce is the focus with these enchiladas – so much so that you will surely use some of the crispy chips to make sure none of the sauce goes to waste.

There are also a number of typical Mexican sodas, juices, and something called an Orchata – a drink made of rice with cinnamon, vanilla and sugar. It’s a bit sweet and very refreshing. For this and much more, the Iguana Lounge is definitely something worth experiencing!

Guillaume Gouges

NIU restaurant Ruisseau Créole, Black River, 00 (230) 483 7118 Sushi lovers everywhere should make the pilgrimage to NIU restaurant at least once in their lifetime. The sushi here is so fresh and delicious that one would think that it had just been harvested from the ocean only minutes beforehand. Even cocktails exploit fresh produce with selections like the lychee martini and mango mojitos. Don’t be surprised if you spot a few earth-loving celebrities at the sushi bar or on the patio outside.

The food here is a must for anyone who enjoys sushi, Japanese cuisine, or even one wishing to take a ‘walk on the wild side’ if they’ve never had Asian fusion food before. Every entrée here sets itself above other local Japanese restaurants in terms of tastiness, and this restaurant is definitely recommended for one wishing to dine at a top notch Japanese eatery. Furthermore, the other aspect enjoyed by the locals is that of price.

Located at the feet of the mountains of Black River, the NIU restaurant combines a mineral as well as a contemporary interior design. The restaurant is very attractive, located in air-conditioned comfort for yearround enjoyment, making the most of the standard Japanese restaurant where people seem happy to wait and sample sake in ranges of fruitiness and dryness, and sweetish milky versions. And like so many new restau-

rants, it offers its own cocktail list, notably a must-be-nourishing pear gimlet.

These influences are also reflected in the fresh, wild-caught fish and organic meats featured on the menu. Popular choices include the Tuna Carpaccio with gingered wasabi sauce, the fish fillet with fruit salsa and Thai red curry beef with salad and steamed rice, all artfully presented.

Try the Banzai Roll (shrimp tempura and crab in soy paper) and Baked Scallop Roll to experience their classics. Haven’t jumped on the sushi bandwagon? The chicken teriyaki is also a very popular menu item. Best is gently grilled black cod in smoked soy with sweet grilled garlic bits – a delicate fish, strikingly surrounded by pungency. Then there is the splendid Vietnamese-style braised fish fillet with garlic pepper sauce.

NIU restaurant’s beyond-sushi ambitions extend to dessert, making its own perfectly respectable ice creams. It also has a lovely, intense flourless chocolate cake and smooth chocolate muffin, which fall into the category of Should Try Once.

Live music is one of NIU restaurant’s top bills, and contemporary jazz and blues is stealing the spotlight thanks to a new generation of talented local musicians, such as Eric Triton, who have developed their own style. The NIU restaurant is no doubt a refreshing place to discover new tastes.

Guillaume Gouges

RESTAURANTS & BARS UK

In conversation with…

Mauritius Paradise M

auritius Paradise is a Mauritian food outlet run by owners Kevin Lutchmiah and his wife, Anusha. Trading for almost two years now, they have built up quite a reputation for supplying some of the tastiest Mauritian food around. I seized the opportunity to meet up with them and see what all the good rumours were really about.

Located in the Market Hall at Wood Green Shopping City, I found Mauritius Paradise set amid a range of fresh produce suppliers and stalls.

I was given the privilege of sampling a few delicacies for myself. The menu is diverse, and includes traditional favourites such as Dholl puri and Mine Frit, hearty home cooked dishes like Briyani and tasty quick-fix snacks such as Gateux Pima and Samosas. They also sell Mauritian products that are very hard to find in the UK.

“We have a lot of English and Caribbean customers.

The Caribbeans in particular really like our food because it is very similar to their cuisine”

I sat down with Kevin to find out more about the business.

IC: Hi Kevin. Thanks for giving me a chance to sample some of your dishes. Firstly I would like to know what inspired you to open Mauritius Paradise. Has it been easy to build a clientele?

KL: I initially carried out a survey of Mauritian people. The results showed that there was a high demand for more Mauritian foods outlets. We opened Mauritius Paradise in June 2008, and on our opening day we had more than 900 customers, it was manic! It hasn’t been hard to build a clientele at all because the demand was already there.

IC: Apart from your Mauritian clientele, do you have customers of different nationalities buying your food?

KL: We have a lot of English and Caribbean customers. The Caribbeans in particular really like our food because it is very similar to their cuisine. We have many Europeans: Italians, French, and Germans who buy food from us and take back to their respective countries. We are well-known outside of London; ‘word-ofmouth’ is a very effective advertising tool!

IC: I’m glad to hear that business is thriving during this difficult economic climate.

KL: Thank you. Yes, I’m pleased to say that business is good at the moment, we have been very busy. We work hard every day to provide our customers with excellent food and service.

We normally sell out of everything by 5pm, so the hard work is definitely paying off.

IC: Prior to opening Mauritius Paradise, did either you or Anusha have any experience in the food service industry?

KL: We had a restaurant back home in Rose Hill, Mauritius, called Chicken Cottage.Anusha’s parents also had a restaurant in Quatre Bornes a long time ago, so Anusha has a lot of experience in the restaurant field. She learnt to cook Mauritian food from her mother and has since become an excellent cook herself. She is constantly trying to improve the menu here and is always experimenting with different dishes and flavours at home.

IC: How easy is it to run Mauritius Paradise?

KL: It’s very demanding and consumes most of our time. Being well organised and putting thought into what we do makes the day-today operations run smoothly. We pay a lot of attention to detail and always maintain a high level of customer service. Customer satisfaction means everything to us. We recently had a three star rating on food hygiene and we are very proud of ourselves.

IC: Does Anusha do most of the cooking?

KL: Yes. She cooks the food at home and I deliver it to the shop. The food is prepared and cooked fresh every day. Unfortunately, we cannot cook the food on the premises because the shop is not fitted with an extractor. However, snacks are freshly fried on the premises upon customer requests.

IC: Do you cater for large events?

KL: We cater for all events; weddings, parties and birthdays. We recently catered for the Walthamstow New Year Party. That was a lot of fun; we got to spend the New Year doing what we enjoy with good friends and family.

IC: So Kevin, what are the plans for the future?

KL: We are considering opening a proper restaurant in two to three years’ time. Mauritius Paradise operates according to the Mall’s open-

ing and closing times. We would like to open a restaurant that operates late into the night with some live in-house Mauritian Sega music.

We want to be able to provide an enjoyable atmosphere for our customers, as well as great Mauritian food. That’s the plans for the future.

IC: I’m sure that by the time you do open it you’ll have a long list of customers waiting to get through the door! Thanks for taking the time out to talk to us Kevin; I wish you and Anusha all the best for the future.

Imran Coowar and Rikesh Patroo

Mauritius Paradise Wood Green Shopping City, London N22 6YQ Tel: 020 8826 0632, Mob: 07854 411351 Email: mauritiusparadise@msn.com Web: www.mauritiusparadiseshop.com

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LIFESTYLE Lifestyle with Stef W

hen a few months back I was approached by the lovely people behind Mauritius Now I had no idea that today I’d be sitting here writing an introduction for my own lifestyle page.

I have been a journalist for a few years now, writing about lifestyle, health and beauty – my passions – and, over the next months, I will share my expertise with you: reviewing products, trying treatments, explaining how to recreate hot looks, quizzing the experts, giving away my make-up tricks, discovering new labels, hot shops and hangouts.

Rest assured: I will put myself through a fair amount of pampering and humiliation for your reading pleasure!

I also would love to hear from you readers about what you’d like to see featured in this page; what style, fitness, make-up, skin and hair care advice you are curious about and any tips you have to offer.

This month I went out searching for the best in hair and body care, and have put together a guide of some of the most exciting and effective products on the market.

In my search for the best of body care I have also had the honour and the pleasure to have breakfast with the lovely Radio and TV presenter Emma Forbes who has just been appointed spokesperson for organic beauty brand Wild Organics (see review). Emma chatted about her own attempt and the obstacles she has faced when trying to set up an organic beauty line a while back, so when Wild Organics asked her to get involved, she jumped at the chance. It was refreshing to see a celebrity who is knowledgeable and passionate about what she’s endorsing and who, ultimately, is after what we all are: a luxurious, effective and ethical product that works in harmony with nature. “I try to buy green and eco where possible,” said Emma, “and recently became worried about the amount of chemicals I was applying to my own and my family’s skin every day... yet I’m a girl who loves to pamper!”

Several eco brands have come out with top marks in my tried and tested reviews this month. It’s inspiring to see more and more beauty lines taking the environment issue seriously, and it’s also fantastic to see how the quality, effectiveness and wow factor of organic products has improved in the last few years: products we actually want to buy, not feel that we should.

I am very excited about Mauritius Now and delighted to be part of this project, let our new adventure begin!

Happy reading! Till next time...

Stef Bottinelli

TRIED AND TESTED: BEST OF HAIR CARE

Clynol Collagen Boost and Age Expertise

Schwarzkopf Professional BC Bonacure With over 100 years of hair care expertise, it’s no surprise that Schwarzkopf Professional have come up with another winning hair care line. The BC Bonacure Hair Therapy range uses amino acid cell rebuild technology to restore hair’s health and beauty. The Moisture Kick Shampoo (£8.65) contains a derivative of hyaluronic acid (the natural acid found in living organisms that helps cells and tissues hold on to water and acts as a cushion and lubricant against tissue damage) which helps hair retain moisture, restores elasticity, and adds bounce and a gorgeous shine. Follow with the BC Bonacure Moisture Kick Recharger (£9.85) – also containing hyaluronic acid – a conditioning foam mask that works in minutes to give you lustrous, fresh-from-the-salon hair. If you suffer from a sensitive, dry, itchy scalp or you regularly have your hair dyed or chemically relaxed, the new BC Bonacure Sensitive Soothe range has been created for you. Try the Sensitive Soothe Shampoo and Conditioner (£9.95/£10.95) and for extra care, the Sensitive Soothe Scalp Serum (£14.45) will calm scalp irritation and discomfort.

For styling, try the Schwarzkopf Essensity Smoothing Cream (£9.95), a brilliant product that doesn’t turn your hair into a sticky, greasy mess. Use on clean, dry hair for a smooth and glossy finish.

Also in the same range: Repair Rescue, Colour Save, Volume Boost and Hair + Scalp.

For stockists check: www.schwarzkopf.co.uk Best for: Normal to dry/frizzy hair. Great for curly hair, sensitive scalp and for post-holiday tresses dried by the sun and sea.

Why is it that we all rush out to buy any face cream that claims to erase wrinkles but we never think about anti-aging products for hair? That’s where Clynol comes in. This smart German brand has created a range specific for older hair. Using a collagen antioxidant compound, this line restructures hair, infusing it with moisture, strengthening it and giving it a fantastic softness and manageability. The Collagen Boost Vitalise Shampoo (£8.45) cleanses the hair without drying it. Follow with Collagen Boost Reinforce Conditioner (£9.45) and for a special moisture surge use the Collagen Boost Fortify Treatment (£9.65) once a week or when needed. To protect your hair from the heat of hairdryers and straightening irons the Clynol Flatter Iron Spray heat protector (£9.50) is a musthave for sleek, shiny results. Also in the Clynol line: Clynol Curl Anti-Frizz, Colour and Care, Repair, Moisture, Aloe Sensitive and a huge array of styling products for all your needs. Not tested on animals. For information: www.clynol.com / www.hairsupermarket.com Best for: Older hair (40+), very dry and damaged hair.

Tints of Nature Parabens, sodium and strong sulphatefree, organic brand Tints of Nature uses only certified organic plant and fruit extracts, the packaging is made from recyclable materials and it’s not tested on animals. The result is perfectly cleansed and hydrated hair with added UV and pollution protection. The range includes Tints of

Nature Shampoo (ultra moisturising with almond, sunflower and jojoba oil), Conditioner (with seaweed, chamomile, aloe and comfrey), Sulfate-Free Shampoo and the Seal and Shine Leave-In Conditioner, all priced at £5.99. Tints of Nature also does a truly fantastic range of ammonia, parabens and resorcinol-free home hair colours, enriched with chamomile, orange, grapefruit, aloe vera and comfrey. The tints, priced at £7.99, come in 24 stunning shades, from natural to vibrant fashion colours that cover all greys. Stockists: Harrods, Fenwick, John Bell & Croyden, Planet Organic and leading independent health and organic stores or check www.tintsofnature.co.uk. Best for: All hair types and for those who want the best in hair care without the added chemical nasties.

Kérastase Nutritive Masque Oleo-Relax A deep conditioning mask for dry and frizzy hair from one of the best-loved professional hair care brands, Kérastase Nutritive Masque Oleo-Relax leaves hair ultra soft, nourished and shiny. Normally priced at £25.30, www.wantthelook.com is currently offering a 15% discount, pricing the hair mask at £21.50. Best for: Dry, frizzy, coarse and all hair in need of tlc.

Aubrey Organics Island Naturals Replenishing Shampoo and Conditioner Gone are the days of boring eco products.

Aubrey Organics is another outstanding vegan and organic hair brand made from 100% natural ingredients, free from sodium lauryl sulphate, parabens and petrochemical, it’s not tested on animals, it’s biodegradable and uses recyclable packages. Highly moisturising thanks to a concoction of nature’s best butters (shea, almond, jojoba, mango, coconut and aloe) the Replenishing Shampoo cleans deeply without stripping the hair of its natural moisture, whilst the super rich Replenishing Conditioner instantly gives it softness and hydration, detangling it and giving wave and curl definition. Added allspice provides the lovely, sexy smell. Very rich yet non-greasy, a little goes a long way.

Normally priced at £9.42 each, Aubrey Organics are currently doing a promotion: buy the conditioner and get the shampoo free at www.aubreyorganicsuk.co.uk or call 0800 0851 697. Best for: Curly, dry and frizzy hair. Recommended for relaxed and natural afro styles.

MONEY & JOBS Rs200bn to build ‘green’ Mauritius M

inister of Finance Rama Sithanen revealed yesterday (18/02/10) the government will spend Rs200 billion on infrastructure projects over the next 10 years. These developments will take place within the parameters of the “Green Mauritius” objective “so that they enrich instead of destroy our environment”. The minister made the announcement at a half-day workshop on Sustainable Reporting organised

by ACCA Mauritius in partnership with the London College of Accountancy and British American Investment.

The resource persons for the seminar were Enrique Torres and Shivani Rajpal from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The Sustainability Reporting Framework, of which the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines are the cornerstone, provides guidance for organisations to disclose their sustainability performance. It covers organisations of any size or type, and from any sector or geographic region, and has been used by thousands of organisations worldwide as the basis for their sustainability reporting.

The guidelines, of which the G3 is the latest, facilitates transparency and accountability and provide stakeholders with a universally applicable, comparable framework from which to understand disclosed information.

“The government is implementing green procurement and encouraging the construction of green buildings,” said Mr Sithanen.

“The green buildings will be an important solution to the environment problem and it is an area where the private sector has a very meaningful contribution to make.

“It is not only about new construction but more importantly about renovating existing buildings and applying new technologies to make them more energy-efficient and more environmentally-friendly.”

He explained that sustainability has to be looked at from a broader perspective, taking into account economic growth, social progress and environmental enhancement as these objectives are increasingly interlinked. Meeting those challenges said the minister, depends heavily on sustainable activities on the part of all stakeholders, including the government, businesses, consumers and employees.

“Corporate activities must be responsibly planned and run in terms of equity and social justice. Businesses will need a progressive and stable environment to flourish but for this to happen, social justice and equity must prevail,” said Mr Sithanen.

He believed that looking at the bottomline, that is profitability, was not sufficient in the face of the impacts of economic activities on the environment. Companies have a duty to look at the triple bottom line – so-called PPP: people, planet and profit balance sheets. The same opinion was expressed by Ashish Ramyead, Chairman of ACCA Mauritius.

“People, planet and profits can no more be segregated and businesses cannot rely solely on the single bottom-line that is profits. but people want to know about the triple bottom-line,” he said. “Sustainable reporting has come a long way since its launch 10 years ago. We will embark upon the development of a roadmap for the implementation of G3 guidelines in Mauritius with the cooperation of the competent authorities,” said Deva Kanaksabee, head of Group Reporting at British American Investment.

Mahesh Bugnath This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius.

Visit NewsNow.mu

Recruitment drive is on at our hotels A major recruitment drive is underway as the hotel sector gears up to accommodate a projected 900,000 tourists this year – a welcome boost after a bitterly disappointing 2009.

During the past week, most hotels have started recruiting based on the expectation that the worse may be over and the industry will recover to normal levels this year. Growth rate should be around 5% with visitor numbers up by a conservative estimate of 40,000.

Operators point out that figures could in fact be much better as we move along in the current year. The growing optimism that the world economy is recovering from its worst economic crisis in decades brings a ray of sunlight to the operators’ previously clouded vision.

There are signs that our main markets, mostly in Europe, are on the upswing and visitors will be here in numbers in 2010. A survey of the vacancies indicates that seven major hotels started a recruitment campaign last week. The good news that will provide some relief for worried hotel workers is that the positions available are diverse – from administrative jobs, through food and beverages service to manual workers.

The Intercontinental Hotel, for instance, is recruiting for its front office, f&b service, kitchen, administration and recreation. Anahita Resorts is looking for recruits in administration, housekeeping and f&b service, among other positions.

The new trendy spot in Ebene, the Four Points by Sheraton, has vacancies in its administration, housekeeping, f&b service and front office. Like the other hotels, it is also recruiting across-the-board. The Grand Mauritian is also seeking employees in more or less the same fields.

The tourism sector was badly hit by the global economic crisis and contracted by an estimated 6.4% in 2009. This figure, though, is better than the initial forecast at the beginning of the year of a 10% contraction. To help hotels reduce their costs to cope with the reduction in demand, the government came up with a novel programme in the work-training mix scheme.

This allowed hoteliers to put some of their staff on the programme to reduce the staffing in their establishments.

Under the scheme, which was set up under the National Empowerment Foundation, employers would be refunded the basic salary of the employees on days on which they

attended training. The ceiling for the NEF’s contribution was Rs3,000, the employer paying the difference.

The slump in tourist arrivals came to a halt last November when a surprise 4% jump in visitors was recorded. Tourism receipts for the year ending December 2009 are thought to have reached some Rs36.5 billion, compared to receipts of Rs41.2 billion for 2008.

With the expected economic recovery of our main tourism markets, the numbers are expected to reach pre-crisis levels. The number of arrivals projected for this year, that is 900,000, is slightly lower than the 907,000 for 2007.

Another factor which looks likely to give hotels a boost is the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. This event is expected to have positive effects on tourism for countries in the region as football fans seek accommodation in countries such as Mauritius.

This article was exclusively provided by NewsNow: The First English-language daily internet newspaper in Mauritius.

Visit NewsNow.mu

PROPERTY

Ireko Realty I

n January 2009, Alan Paske moved from the UK to Mauritius to take control of Ireko Realty the Estate Agency division of Ireko Group. As a member of the British American Investment Group of Companies they are in turn part of one of the largest corporations in Mauritius.

Alan has 25 years’ experience in Estate Agencies having worked for two of the major corporate Estate Agency groups and, before moving to Mauritius, was a director of an independent Estate Agency and Financial Services company based in the East of England.

He has wide experience in all sectors of the property market.

Alan reviews market trends in the current Mauritian property market.

“Mauritius has remained relatively unscathed by the effects of the worldwide economic crisis. Although some sectors of industry and agriculture have suffered downturns with loss of employment, the significant falls in property values seen in Europe, the US and parts of the Middle East and Asia have not been seen in Mauritius.

“Certainly high-end properties have seen the number of sales reduce, particularly in the IRS schemes, which are aimed at overseas buyers and are, in the main, seen as high value holiday homes on golf resorts. To some extent these schemes have been superseded by lower cost RES (Real Estate Schemes), which offer lower cost properties in smaller projects.

The domestic market, where properties are purchased by Mauritian Nationals and those foreigners with a right to buy, is still buoyant with a range of existing properties, and new developments are attracting willing buyers.

“Ireko Realty are finding that a significant number of Mauritians who live overseas now wish to purchase property on the Island, either as a base for themselves in Mauritius, as a long-term investment, where they anticipate capital growth and rental income, or often as a home for a dependent relative. In all of these cases there are properties available across the island that would be suitable.

“Likewise, the commercial property market is expanding. Office accommodation is in high demand as overseas companies come to Mauritius. Established local businesses are moving to better-equipped modern buildings and taking advantage of the improved road links to new business centres

“Mauritius has remained relatively unscathed by the effects of the worldwide economic crisis” such as Cyber City in Ebène. There are also a number of retail complexes around the Island which will offer a greater choice of shops in a more European style.

“Mauritius is an excellent place to invest in property at this time. Ireko Realty have a number of new projects coming to the market to suit all needs from, two- and three-bedroom apartments to luxury villas and with prices ranging from less than MUR3 million (around £60,000) on to high value individual properties to suit those people where price is of no consequence!”

Alan Paske can be contacted in Mauritius by telephone on +230 263 1717 or +230 467 7488 or by email apaske@irekorealty.com Ireko Realty’s properties can be viewed at www.irekorealty.com

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SPORT Blue Marlin Football Club Hi everyone, and welcome to the Mauritius Now Sports column. My name is Will Mathieson and I’ll be your resident sports reporter over the coming months. Despite having covered a wide range of topics - including politics, music, art and popular culture over the years, my journalistic career began as a sports reporter. I am now hugely excited about returning to my roots, and equally excited about joining the Mauritius Now team. I already know the Mauritian community to be hugely passionate about their sport and I hope to be able to honour that passion in this section. If you want to get in touch to discuss any of the topics that appear on these pages, please feel free to email me: will@mauritiusnow.co.uk or visit my blog on the sports section of www.mauritiusnow.co.uk

A

fter a brief hiatus, Blue Marlin Football Club will return this year to take part in Mauritian football’s most prestigious cup competition, the Mauritian Football competition. With founding member Ravin Soobadoo (pictured right) at the helm, and an impressive run of league form to date, Blue Marlin is confident of repeating its record five previous successes in the tournament.

Mauritius Now caught up with Ravin, and club captain Yaemish Rughoo (pictured below), to discuss their chances in the Cup, their past achievements at the club, and where they see the future of Blue Marling lying.

William Mathieson: Hi guys, and thanks for taking the time to talk to us. The club came into existence in 1993, and you were one of the founding members Ravin. How did it materialise?

Ravin Soobadoo: The name came from a group of Mauritian post office workers who worked at Mount Pleasant post office and ran a social club (Blue Marlin Social Club). At the time there was only one Mauritian team north of the river, named Pamplemousse, which I was a part of. There were three of us at the club that were unhappy with the direction the team was going in. We decided that it would be better to start our own team with the help of the people that we knew from the post office, under the name of Blue Marlin.

WM: And what sort of progress did the team make in its early days?

RS: We started off playing friendlies.

We quickly realised that there were lots of Mauritians that wanted to play football but, more importantly, wanted to play under a common [Mauritian] identity. Soon enough we had a massive influx of players who were involved for the social side of it as much as the footballing side. We’d train and then go for a curry and a few beers. I’m sure a lot of the guys were there for the drinking more than the football! But, in a way, we had established our own form of community project. Even the guys who were involved for fun very often ended up dragging along mates that turned out to be extremely good players. We developed a very strong core squad.

WM: Could you briefly outline the path the team has taken since then.

RS: We joined the Tottenham and Haringey District League in 1994 with a squad that was 80 per cent Mauritian. It was a really tough first season; we didn’t win a game for three months and many players found that even more of a reason to go for a curry instead! We finished the season in the bottom half, but we weren’t relegated. We stayed in that league for four seasons and won four titles, including two cups in one day: the T&H Divisional Cup in the morning and the Mauritian Football Competition in the afternoon!

WM: You mention the Mauritian Football Competition there. Could you put into words what it means to your team and Mauritian players in general?

Yaemish Rughoo: It’s the pinnacle of our season. The trophy always takes pride of place. The players get really fired up because we see the matches as the biggest games of the season. There’s a big divide between teams that are north and south of the river because we never get to play each other, so it makes it extra special.

WM: You’ve actually won the competition five times; more than any other club. After some time away from the competition, how excited are you about returning to it?

YR: It’s been a while since we’ve played in the competition and we’re fully aware that the standard has improved. There is a new crop of players that we haven’t had the opportunity to play against before. I expect it to be massively competitive this year. We’re going to be up against the best Mauritian players in the country.

RS: A lot of the teams are looking forward to playing us again.

We’ve been told that the tournament isn’t the same without us!

And now we want to claim what we believe is rightfully ours!!!!!!! No, seriously we want to make up for the last few years where we have not been involved in the tournament! We are really looking forward to being part of the Mauritian footballing family again.

WM: Elsewhere, how has this season been going?

RS: We had been playing in the Middlesex County League, which was a league of a very high standard in North and East London.

Because of our location, and the location of most of our opponents, we found that it was a huge strain on resources and many players struggled to make away games. As a result we have moved into the Essex Business Houses League this season, which is also a quality league. We’re currently top of Division one with two games in hand. In fact, we’ve just won a top of the table clash against our nearest rivals. We beat them 3–0 away, which was a fantastic result for us. Because of the high standard that we are now involved with we have had to diversify our squad to a certain extent, in order to remain competitive.

The team is still around 60 per cent Mauritian…

YR: …And new players are made aware that it is still a Mauritian club at heart.

RS: In Yaemish we have the best Mauritian player in the country, in my opinion. His game is so adaptable and he is so versatile.

He can play across the midfield, upfront and even in defence.

WM: So, as captain, do you prefer to play in the centre then?

YR: At the moment I’m actually playing as a left wing-back.

We’ve adapted our style of play this season, from a 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2. The new strategy has really worked for us, and more often than not we come out on top.

RS: A team requires real discipline to successfully implement a 3-5-2. This is our first season of trialling it and we think we have reaped the benefits. A great asset of the team is our ability to change our formation and tactics midway through the match. We have utilised it well in tough matches.

WM: So, clearly your aims for this season are to win promotion to the premier division but to also regain the Mauritian title. Beyond that where does the future lie for Blue Marlin F.C.?

RS: Football is the national sport of Mauritius; they absolutely love it, and they especially love English football. We have already been lucky enough to tour Mauritius, competing against sides from their top professional division, and even playing at the national stadium. That has provided us with a wonderful amount of exposure and given us a great platform on which to build upon.

Blue Marlin is well known in both England and Mauritius and we hope to turn it into a core symbol of the community in years to come. By keeping the club going we retain our identity and honour our roots. We are confident that the next generation of players, that are coming in now, can take the club even further in the future. Lots of clubs at this level, and of this nature, only last a certain amount of time. We are lucky enough to have a whole community supporting us and a very loyal following of supporters. It makes it a lot easier for the next generation to inherit a thriving club.

We know how to run a club that is a joy to play for. We have had players that have left to play semi-professional football but returned to us further down the line. These are not just Mauritian players and the fact that we have people wanting to play for us again says something about the atmosphere within the team.

YR: I’ve grown up with this team in my blood. I first became involved in 1999 and it’s the only club I’ve ever really played for at senior level. Both of my younger brothers play for Blue Marlin and I see that as proof that it really is a family club.

RS: Blue blood runs through my veins! It takes up a lot of my time and my wife is constantly on at me to ‘give up the club!’ She understands though; it’s like my third child!

This year’s Mauritian National Tournament will take place at the end of the season and will feature the very best that Mauritian football has to offer.

For anyone who wishes to train or join Blue Marlin FC, please contact 07748 721 702.

If you wish to watch any of Blue Marlin’s home games, their home pitch address is Barkingside Rec, Mossford Green Barkingside, Ilford, Essex, IG6 2GW.

SPORT In conversation with…

Bruno Julie T

he professional Mauritian bantamweight boxer, Bruno Julie, faces his hardest test yet as he prepares to come back from a year out of the ring. After having won Mauritius’ first ever Olympic medal in boxing, he is now aiming for the gold at the World Championship. He sat down with Mauritius Now….

What main events will you attend in 2010?

My next challenge will be the Commonwealth Games in September. There will also be the World Boxing Championship that will be held in India. My main objective this year is to be amongst the top three in the Commonwealth Games and I am having intense training sessions so as to be fit for these major events.

In 2009, injuries kept you away from the ropes. Have you recovered?

Yes, completely! I injured my right shoulder during the Olympic Games in 2008. This injury prevented me from boxing and even training for almost a year. During that time, I missed the World Championship in Italy and got eliminated early at the Jeux de la Francophonie. It was a really difficult time for me as everyone expected me to do even better after having achieved third place in Beijing a year earlier. Now that I’m better, I’m ready to get back to the top.

Is there more pressure on you now since you won an Olympic medal?

Absolutely! The pressure comes from both my coach and from the public. They want me to go in the ring and win all my matches and when I don’t, it seems that the public don’t understand. I try not to get distracted by all the fuss around me and rather focus on my training. I’m quite confident that this year will be a great one.

Has being the first Olympic medal winner of the country changed your life?

It definitely has. Children here in Mauritius see me as a role model and want to practice boxing to be like me. I always tell them that they should not only try to be as good as I am, but better. Since Beijing, young boxers come to me for counselling and I’m glad to help. When I’m not training, I help my coach, Romeo Caliste, as he trains the youngsters. The numbers have been increasing since 2008.

What would you ultimately like to accomplish in boxing?

I see myself going straight to the top. I think that I have the tools to achieve this. I’m aiming for a gold medal at the World Championship this year. I’m also already getting ready for the next Olympic Games. I will try to get the gold this time.

In what way have you changed as a fighter?

I have changed my approach to training and to the competition. I’m much more serene as a boxer and I know that what I have learnt in the training camps is going to help me in the ring.

“Children here in Mauritius see me as a role model and want to practice boxing to be like me. I always tell them that they should not only try to be as good as I am, but better” Let’s get back to that tremendous fight against the Venezuelan fighter, Hector Manzanilla, in Beijing. How did you feel when the bell rang at the end of the match?

I was thrilled and relieved. It took a little time for me to realise what I had accomplished. My coach, who was in the corner of the ring, handed me the Mauritian Flag and yelled: “You made it, you made it!” I couldn’t believe it.

When I arrived in Beijing, one week earlier, I told myself that I should give my best and try to bring back a medal for my country.

I was in a positive state of mind and tried to keep that positive attitude all along. This was definitely the best time of my life.

That day, you even impressed the BBC commentators, who called you the ‘Mauritian Magician’. How did you feel about it?

It was a real honour. I’m proud to have been able to put forward Mauritius in an event like the Olympic Games.

Mauritians throughout the world were in front of their television screens that day to support you. Did this not put even more pressure on you?

Not really. I was not at all aware of the overwhelming support. I definitely knew that this was going to be the match of my life, but I did not think at that time that the entire country and people throughout the world would be watching. I only realised the scope of the support back at my hotel room after the match.

I received hundreds of text messages and phone calls from all over the world. People I didn’t even know congratulated me. I don’t even know where they got my phone number.

That was crazy!

What would you like to say to your fans in the UK? I’d like to say thank you for all your support that you’ve given me throughout the years with my career and through my ups and downs. Hopefully, you guys can come out to watch one of my fights one day. Thank you again.

Guillaume Gouges