The quintessial guide to uplifting the morale of a depressed nation. This is like a good game, in that everyone can participate. Yes, that means you too. If we all play together, things might just start to look up for us.

1. Change styles. Recently, many of us have been picking up a brush and lending a hand to create the impressionist painting “The Dour State of the Mauritian Economy ”. In fact, it’s a grossly overrated work. What most people are looking for is the collection entitled “We Need to Regain Faith in our Institutions”. It was stolen from the Museum of Mauritian Dignity after the little-publicized exhibition, “How the Chagos Archipelago was given to the UK and it’s people kicked off ”. It includes the masterpieces, “The Judiciary Cleans up its Act”, “What Really Happened in Grand Bay” and “Will a Commission of Enquiry ever Lead to Something Conclusive?” Ethical portrayals of reality are all the rage nowadays. We give should give it a shot too.

2. Build sports facilities. It’s a classic that’s been used all over the world. The thinking on this one is dead simple. If we want to keep kids off the streets then we must give them football pitches, basketball courts and athletics facilities. These must be lit at night so kids can continue to play after the sun has set. They must be clean and safe. The rewards will be twofold. Not only will it help youths stay out of trouble, but we might see our country compete at the highest international level in sports. Think Cuba. Buckland’s and Chimier’s exploits needn’t have been a one-off.

3. Adapt the educational system to suit the country’s goals. If we truly want the country to become a cyber-island, then the way we teach must become a priority. This is a basic premise for any “grand projet”. Memorization and regurgitation are not the way forward. Our students must be taught to think for themselves and to question their environment. The way we teach general knowledge, language skills and practical experience must be revised and updated. Young people want to be entertained so a more interactive school experience must be made available to them. In addition, if we want the digital revolution to reach all segments of the society, as revolutions should, something must be done to address the high prices of telecommunications in Mauritius.

4. Protect the environment. A very obvious objective yet difficult to attain as we too often sacrifice the environment in the name of development. Once we’ve ruined what nature has given us there’s no getting it back. Clean rivers, lagoons, air, fields and cities are the least we can offer coming generations. Remember Yeats’, “A thing of beauty is a source of joy forever”.

5. Tell jokes. Laughing stimulates the release of chemicals that are extremely beneficial to our health. Here’s an example, but please don’t get offended ladies, it’s meant as a compliment. A man was walking on the beach when he stubbed his toe on a partially buried bottle. He picks it up and when he opens it a genie floats out and offers to grant him one wish. The man says, “I always wanted to visit America but I’m too scared of flying and I hate boats. Could you build a highway from Mauritius to New York so that I could just drive there?”.

The genie answers, “Are you crazy sir? I’m a medieval genie not an engineer! How do you expect me to do what you’re asking? Please make another wish”.

The man thinks for a minute and says, “Well, women have always been a mystery to me. If I could understand the female psyche, I think I’d be happy”.

To which genie immediately responds, “Please tell me,Sir, would you like your highway to have two lanes or four? ” Share the joy, it’s free.