Charles Baudelaire once lamented over the fate of ?those dead, those poor dead [who] endure terrible sufferance?. But then, the relatives of those whose tombs have been desecrated and looted are in total distress. This is just what happened to families in West Cemetery. As more and more cases of desecration are reported in the largest cemetery of the island in Port-Louis, one can?t help asking about the responsibility of everyone in the face of such manifestations of insensitivity and savagery.

?What to say! You should ask the authorities?, deplores with palpable anger a relative whose family vault has been damaged. Alerted, the police, under the supervision of ACP Mukhtar Din Taujoo, have set up a close watch on the cemeteries and six suspects were arrested last week: among whom bricklayers, fishermen, and manual workers.

Efforts have been made to preserve the tombs. ?Some of them are actually protected by the law on ancient monuments but this is not sufficient?, explains Benjamin Moutou, whose Tamil ancestor, the first of his lineage to have died on the island (in 1807) is buried there. But a new step in horror has been reached when thieves have opened the tombs, taken out ?every scrap metal, from golden teeth to the plumbing that surrounds the coffin.?

To remedy to the situation, the Lord mayor, Reza Issack, has suggested that the municipal council in charge of the management of the cemetary, reallocates items in the budget for the constitution of a mobile security brigade for cemeteries. For the moment, the two officers who work on the night watch at West Cemetery are on provisional basis!

<B>Training program</B>

The municipal council has not stopped there. During the past months, the lord mayor has madee several site visits with his engineers. Jean Claude Caroopen, a councillor, is convinced of the value of the ancient graves : ?We have already tried to replace the domes of the tombs.? ?We are also working with philanthropists to improve the state of the cemetery?, adds Reza Issack.

Philippe La Hausse de Lalouvière is one of them: he has participated in the setup of the Fort Blanc Foundation, a fund, which, with the help of sponsors, has begun the restoration of ancient tombs in the ?Fort Blanc area? and is monitoring a training program for local tourist guides for that site, arguably a potential place of interest for visitors in terms of heritage and history. Under this action, inhabitants from Cassis, with the help of Father Gérard Mongelard, from Saint-Sacrament Church, seem well sensitised to the value of Fort Blanc and its surroundings.

?We are not just coming here to restore but also to revalue?, explains Philippe La Hausse. Already discussions with the municipality have led to a promise from the latter to raise the cemetery walls and portals. ?It is time to act now. We have constituted our fund to run our program. The authorities have promised to put lights and increase the watch. We are waiting, hoping that the light will not be an advantage for robbers in case of deficient watch.? Until now, thefts occurred in the daylight, between 3 pm and 6 pm when the cemetery was left aloof.

One measure also advocated by Philippe La Hausse is to mobilise all stakeholders to find effective solutions. Similarly, Jean Claude Caroopen underlines the role of the twinning of Port-Louis with towns like Saint-Malo in Brittany and La Possession in Reunion island: ?We have enormous support and feedback from their representatives to take part in the preservation of the old French cemeteries.?

But the problem is ours too: strong links relate our present lives to our late elders. A site like West Cemetery stands for some of us as a book open on our hidden identities: the most ancient inhabitants of Isle-de-France, from Europeans to Indians, historical figures like Remy Ollier, governors ? under the French and the British eras - are buried there. They share the fate of this sacred land alongside common men, maybe friends or relatives.

<B>A book on identities</B>

Jean Claude Caroopen believes that an effort to clear wastelands in the surroundings will improve the security. ?We have obtained the sollicited lamps. Other items have to be approved?. Jean Claude Caroopen also wants to set up a dialogue with all stakeholders. A meeting with the minister of Local Authorities, James Burty David, is scheduled today at 11 am on that issue.

In the meantime, Philippe La Hausse points to the remarkable work achieved recently at Saint-Jean Cemetery in Quatre-Bornes. ?The plundering has stopped since the church took security measures, both in terms of infrastructure and human resources?.