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Revisionism, Mauritian style
Science fiction has always dreamt of some machine or medication that can make a person forget his/her (usually unpleasant) past instantly. Hollywood has served us countless examples of this condition. George Orwell used it at a more subtle level in 1984, where a ministry of Truth, in metronomic fashion, reconstructed the past to fit reality. In fact, in Orwell’s nightmarish world, the totalitarian party’s slogan was: “Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”
In Mauritius, there is no need for a totalitarian state. Our system of amnesia and incredible ability to lie even to ourselves makes the need for despotic control futile. Lying through omission is now a national trait. The revisionist agenda in Mauritian history has become so dominant that we are unwittingly ushering in a tide of ignorance that could have severe repercussions for future generations. A lack of knowledge about the past can only pile more pressure on the thin fabric that holds Mauritian society together. And thus, we will leave ourselves open to the unscrupulous manipulations of the political class.
Two recent events in Mauritius have really shown the extent to which we are prepared to rewrite history. The passing away of Satcam Boolell and recently the tenth anniversary of Gaëtan Duval’s death were both extreme examples of this revisionist trend in Mauritian history. Though Boolell was a ‘great’ politician (whatever the definition of a great politician is), many ‘things’ were left unsaid around his public life.
The Mohican dilemma</B>
And these ‘things’ are central to our history, ‘things’ that we should not forget, lest they are repeated. “The last of the Mohicans”, we must remember was a member of the Labour government, which denied the people its democratic right by abolishing the elections in 1976. In 1971, that same administration made political prisoners of the MMM leaders. It suspended twelve unions, closed a newspaper, Le Militant, and it banned public meetings until 1976.
Why was this information not deemed relevant in the obituary of Satcam Boolell. Though he was not personally responsible for these events, he was a cabinet member at the time, and would have approved what this other saint of Mauritian politics, Ramgoolam Sr., was doing. These types of attacks on civil society usually happen under fascist regimes only. But, in Mauritius, we are breeding a whole generation to forget these aberrations. In fact, past politicians all have a clean slate on which glorious lyricism can be printed at will.
Following this formula, it is hardly surprising to hear how Gaëtan Duval was the greatest person ever, who loved his country like no one else. Within this morass of praise, one hardly ever hears his demagogic approach to politics. This was the same Duval who opposed independence, siding with the reigning oligarchy. He was also responsible for some of the crassest communalism known in the country. Gaëtan Duval was also well- known for running a band of ‘Tonton Macoute’-type of political activists who terrorised the urban areas where they ruled. Intimidating political opponents was a natural tactic of Duval. And the death of Azor Adelaide will forever be associated with him. However, all these are conveniently forgotten. They are non-events in the new revised version of Mauritian history.
A blemished record in public life should not be cleansed and presented as one of heroism in afterlife. It is irrational and serves no good, except the bloated pride of a few families. However, such revisionism is not confined to Mauritius only. Ideologies dominate Irish history.
Depending on one’s leanings, the Irish revolution can be interpreted in different ways. While there are some who say that the rebels had no democratic mandate and therefore their action amounted to a coup, others say that since Ireland was a colony any talk of democracy is preposterous. However, the key difference from Mauritius is that there is a debate. The lack of any debate sadly reflects the present discussions about the Middle East, where the media and the intellectuals are collaborating with the US government to commit atrocities.
In Mauritius, the media is equally guilty of creating an information blackout surrounding ‘Mohicans’ and their cronies. This state of affairs, if perpetuated, will create an uninformed public opinion, one that with time will become far too easy to lead. And this is a dangerous road to follow. Public opinion in Mauritius is already ebbing towards the dark corner of ignorance. Constant failure to give the population an accurate picture of politics can only exacerbate this situation. History should not be the private playground of the elite. It belongs to the population and it is up to the media and the intellectual to always present the facts as they are “warts and all.”
The university :an ivory tower</B>
As Howard Zinn wrote in his classic work, A People’s History of the United States: “If history is to be creative, to anticipate a possible future without denying the past, it should, I believe, emphasise new possibilities by disclosing those hidden episodes of the past…” In Mauritius, those “hidden episodes of the past” get twice buried in print and broadcast media. But, more worryingly, it also happens in academic life.
After the glaring omissions about Duval and Boolell, not one academic had the courage to stand and tell the truth or point to the missing parts of the puzzle. They instead chose to fester in their own intellectual cowardice hiding in the ivory tower that is the university. If history professors will allow their own subjects to be debased in broad daylight, then they might as well call it a day, retire and choose to do something else with their lives.
But the real danger is ignorance. The rewrite of history at every opporunity is not in our interest. It is a huge gamble, which could be costly in the future.
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