Mauritius celebrates the 187th anniversary of ‘The Great Experience’ 

The 2nd of November is a public holiday marking the commemoration of the Arrival of Indentured Labourers in Mauritius.
The island is often described as a peaceful multicultural, multilingual, and multiethnic mosaic. This is the result of colonisation from settlers and the workforce they brought along, mainly through slavery and engaged workers.
More than 80% of the ancestors of Mauritians passed through The Aapravasi Ghat to make the island their home.

“With the abolition of slavery in 1833 in Britain and with its implementation in 1835 in Mauritius, the British turned to India to work on the sugar plantations to perpetuate their colonial domination in the hey-day of the industrial revolution and the nascent days of capitalism.”
– Ms Bhaswati Mukherjee, former Ambassador of India. 

Named ‘The Great Experience’, introducing indentured labourers in colonies was an attempt to replace the slave trade system.
The first batch of 36 Indian immigrants arrived in Mauritius on November 2, 1834, aboard the ship ‘Atlas’. The trip took 6 weeks and they had to stay an additional 2 days at The Aapravasi Ghat.
Afterwards, they made their way to Antoinette Sugar estate, their new place of work. 150 years later, a monument was commissioned on the site of the then sugar estate, with their names inscribed, to commemorate their arrival. It reads: “A tribute to the Indian immigrants who first set foot as indentured labour on this sail in 1834. With their toll, sweat and blood they nurtured this island which today is heaven of peace and prosperity”.

From 1834 to 1924, more than 450,000 men and women made their way to the island as indentured labourers. The majority came from India but they also came from China, South East Asia, Madagascar and East Africa. They were cheaper labour than ex-slaves. Ex-slaves cost 50 pounds a year while the labourers cost 3 pounds a year with a monthly salary of Rs 5.

The success of ‘The Great Experiment’ in Mauritius led to its adoption by other colonial powers. This resulted in a worldwide migration of more than two million indentured labourers. The buildings of the Aapravasi Ghat have welcomed nearly half a million people and are among the earliest explicit manifestations of what was to become a global economic system and one of the greatest migrations in history.

UNESCO declared The Aapravasi Ghat as a World Heritage Site in 2006.

This public holiday is an opportunity to reflect on the great toils and struggles of the indentured labourers and their contribution in building the Mauritius of today.

Plan a visit!

Discover the remains of the depot, sleeping quarters, a replica of the boat used for the voyage, a model of dwellings and an insight into the lifestyle of indentured labourers.
Opening hours are from 9 am to 4 pm on weekdays and till noon on Saturdays.
Free entrance!

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