À l’heure du tout à l’image et du buzz sans suite, «l’express» souhaite faire découvrir la plume de poètes, de chanteurs, d’écrivains et de tous ceux qui jettent leur âme sur le papier, et qui mettent en mots des réflexions profondes.

Paradise island bestowed with emblems –

Our blessed blue sky and azure lagoons,

Our breathtaking tea and sugarcane plantations,

Our sandy beaches and seven-coloured earth!

Our prayers echo high in the sky as one,

Alleluia, La Ilaha Illallah, Om Namaha,

Glory to Jesus, Glory to Allah, Glory to Shiva,

Rejoicing our faiths and religions without fear!

Temples, Mosques, Churches, and Pagodas,

Standing by each other irrespective of their shapes and colour

Our festivals celebrated as one people as one nation,

Maha Shivratee, Cavadee, Ramadan, Lent,

Teaching us the power of devotion and sacrifices

Eid al-Fitr, Diwali, Christmas, Spring Festival, Easter

Teaching us the power of sharing and caring

Our beloved mother tongue – Kreol Morisien ever reigning,

Yet, always accepting of a plethora of other languages,

Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Telegu, Arabic, Marathi, Modern Chinese,

All blending our Mauritian roots firmly!

Our folklore music – the rhythms and sounds here to last,

Sega, Oriental, Bhojpuri, Western

Ravanne, Triangle, Sitar, Tabla, Guitar

All preserving our diverse and ancestral cultural heritage!

Paradise island blessed with fragrances and aromas –

Our dishes influenced by all continents of the globe,

In Praise of Franco, Sino, Anglo, Indo – Mauritian cuisines,

Sipek, Gato crab, boulettes and varieties of noodles

Dholl puri, Farata, Brié, Gato Piment, Sept-caris

In Praise of our Mauritian Creole cuisine and local drinks,

Rougaille Touni, Vindaye, Lentilles Fricasser,

Alouda, Glaçon rapé, Bois Cheri tea, Phoenix Beer

In Praise of our tropical fruits, gifted by Mother Nature,

Banane Zinzli, Goyaves, Bilimbi, Mangues, Litchis,

Jamblon, Longanes

Without forgetting Moris so Salad Confi

Our dishes, a melting pot of flavours with strong cultural ties!

Bio

Angkush Poonye

A Certified Chartered Accountant by profession and a poet by passion, he discovered his love for poetry when he was in secondary school. He published his first poetry book “The Aapravasi’s Legacy” in 2020, which narrates the journey of an Indian indentured labourer brought from India to Mauritius in the 1800s. With his second publication, “As One People, As One Nation” in August 2024, from which this poem is derived, he hopes to inspire Mauritians, especially the youth, about the importance of being a true patriot, and help the rising generations to learn more about the times when Mauritianism made a difference for the people and their beloved country, where God continues to bless thee, forever and ever.