Heritage tourism and identity in the Mauritian villages of Chamarel and Le Morne

The island of Mauritius, situated in the southwest Indian Ocean region, is an integral part of southern Africa. A significant majority of its population, known locally as Creoles, are the descendants of African and Malagasy slaves who were forcibly relocated by European colonisers over a period of 300 years. This article discusses the situation of the Creoles living in two villages on the west coast of the island, focusing on the juncture between attempts to reconstruct Creole identity and the state's desire to encourage heritage tourism on the island. The article argues that efforts to emphasise the black, slave aspects of Creole identity and history risk the suppression of ethnic diversity and hybridity in Mauritian society. Currently, the dominant classes on the island are keen to articulate a homogeneous identity and history for Creoles as a means to obtaining a space of value and power in a society in which ethnicity is highly politicised. Some see this as a means to achieve national reconciliation and nation building. Heritage preservation, narrowly conceived, may actually undermine nation-building processes and essentialise Creole identity and history, however, unless the diversity of Creole experience is represented in a broad-based approach to heritage preservation and management.