The President's Fund for Creative Writing in English encourages budding writers to send their poems, short stories or novels to its Board. If their pieces are good, the authors get help to have their work published. The Fund provides 80% of the total cost of publication. The authors have to contribute the remaining 20%.

But for the Mauritian writer, the dream and enthusiasm stop right there. Some Mauritian libraries are willing to sell three or five copies of the writer's first book, others will not take any copies because they say: ?Books of Mauritian writers have been on the shelves for five years and they have never been sold!?

This is a hard truth, painful to swallow but it is the truth. Mauritian readers will not buy books by Mauritian authors because they do not know them. We have all been brought up with the pre-conceived notion that the best authors come from abroad; that Mauritian authors write poorly and are absolutely not gifted simply because they are ?third-world country products?. But we forget that many famous authors, ?third-world country products? come from Africa and India. Africa and India encourage their authors. Africans and Indians are proud of their authors. They consider them talented. Before the work of an African or an Indian author crosses the national borders, he is already known and appreciated by his own people!

This can also happen in Mauritius. The elected members of the National Assembly, who form part of the present government and the Opposition, can unite to help Mauritian authors continue to improve by being creative. The education officers of the ministry of Education and the ministry of Arts and Culture can work together to promote Mauritian writers by choosing their works to be studied for SC and HSC and GCE O and A levels and at tertiary level too. It would be healthy to see more Mauritian authors than European ones studied in our colleges! Why not open book clubs in all village councils and municipalities, youth clubs and old age groups across Mauritius to encourage reading Mauritian authors in all languages that they write.

Once upon a time, purchasing articles at a hypermarket in Mauritius was a dream or the privilege of a lucky few! But now the poorest among Mauritians can purchase there because our mindsets accept that a hypermarket is a place where people come to buy what they need. In the same way, our mindsets can be transformed concerning Mauritian writers !

If a writer cannot sell his books in his country, then he has two choices: If he is rich, he can go abroad and pursue his writing career there and become a successful author. If he is poor, he either stops writing and lets his inner being die in the process; or if he is brave enough, he continues to write, though in despair, but at least his inner being will breathe !

Brinda RUNGHSAWMEE