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Mauritius


I cannot testify to the truth of this story. It’s certainly a possibility.

It goes that in Mauritius there was a slave population taken from different African countries. They were put to work cutting sugar cane, which is brutal work. At some point they were given freedom and they asked, what do we do to earn a living to survive?

They were told that they were to continue cutting sugar cane.

The story ends with the slaves en masse, going to the highest mountain and jumping to their death.

The sugar cane people had nobody to harvest the crop. They worked out a deal where they would bring indentured servants from India who were bound to a 7-year contract.

Which probably explains why, as I walked off the plane in Mauritius, I felt like I was in India. Beautiful women in saris, light caramel colored people everywhere, Indian shopkeepers, temples, and a general feeling that I was on the wrong continent.

Although at that time I’d never been to India.

Mauritius is an island nation located off the east coast of Africa and I got a chance to shoot it from the air. One of the images you’ll see is of vast patterns of different patches of land, each with a giant pile of rocks in the center. I was told that this evolved from farmers trying to get rid of the rocks and having no way to transport them. Not wanting to build walls with them, the farmers simply placed all the rocks in the center of the lots so they would have most of the farmland to cultivate.

As always, the people held the greatest fascination for me.

Line Up of Sitting Women in Saris, Mauritius
Line Up of Sitting Women in Saris, Mauritius
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Women, One with Arms Folded, Mauritius
Women, One with Arms Folded, Mauritius
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Young and Elderly Women, Mauritius
Young and Elderly Women, Mauritius
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Man with Red Ring, Mauritius
Man with Red Ring, Mauritius
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Young Girl Hand to Ear, Mauritius
Young Girl Hand to Ear, Mauritius
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Man Shading Face, Mauritius
Man Shading Face, Mauritius
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Child Leaning Against Pole, Mauritius
Child Leaning Against Pole, Mauritius
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Bus Station, Three People, Mauritius
Bus Station, Three People, Mauritius
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Row of Children, Mauritius
Row of Children, Mauritius
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Men on Ladder, Mauritius
Men on Ladder, Mauritius
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Child on Mom's Shoulder, Mauritius
Child on Mom's Shoulder, Mauritius
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Man Staring at Me, Mauritius
Man Staring at Me, Mauritius
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Man in Yellow with Red Table, Mauritius
Man in Yellow with Red Table, Mauritius
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Man with Scales, Woman with Vegetables, Mauritius
Man with Scales, Woman with Vegetables, Mauritius
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Boy with Blue Sweater with V, Mauritius
Boy with Blue Sweater with V, Mauritius
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Soccer Field Boy with Bike, Man with White Hands, Mauritius
Soccer Field Boy with Bike, Man with White Hands, Mauritius
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Elderly woman in Blue Sari, Mauritius
Elderly woman in Blue Sari, Mauritius
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Green Christ Figure on Red Crucifix, Mauritius
Green Christ Figure on Red Crucifix, Mauritius
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Curepipe Post Office, Mauritius
Curepipe Post Office, Mauritius
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Two Children in Tree, Mauritius
Two Children in Tree, Mauritius
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Woman Shopping with Red Produce, Mauritius
Woman Shopping with Red Produce, Mauritius
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Clouds and Sea, Mauritius
Clouds and Sea, Mauritius
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Aerial, Waves and Mountains, Mauritius
Aerial, Waves and Mountains, Mauritius
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Aerial, Calm Sea and Mountains, Mauritius
Aerial, Calm Sea and Mountains, Mauritius
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Waves from Beach, Mauritius
Waves from Beach, Mauritius
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If You Bathe Here You May Be Drowned, Mauritius
If You Bathe Here You May Be Drowned, Mauritius
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Boy's Face, Red Fabric, Mauritius
Boy's Face, Red Fabric, Mauritius
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Aerial of Fields with Mound of Rocks in Center, Mauritius
Aerial of Fields with Mound of Rocks in Center, Mauritius
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Lily Pads, Mauritius
Lily Pads, Mauritius
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Landscape and Clouds, Rocks on Left, Mauritius
Landscape and Clouds, Rocks on Left, Mauritius
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Woman in Blue with Earring, Mauritius
Woman in Blue with Earring, Mauritius
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Market, Flowers, Cakes, Mauritius
Market, Flowers, Cakes, Mauritius
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Close-up of Boy on Table in Market, Mauritius
Close-up of Boy on Table in Market, Mauritius
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Fire in Field, Two Men, Mauritius
Fire in Field, Two Men, Mauritius
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Smiling Man Bending Over, Mauritius
Smiling Man Bending Over, Mauritius
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Black Mound Smoke Coming Off, Mauritius
Black Mound Smoke Coming Off, Mauritius
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Facade of Palm Trees, Mauritius
Facade of Palm Trees, Mauritius
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Women with Cigarette at Game, Mauritius
Women with Cigarette at Game, Mauritius
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Two Boys with Display of Fruits, Mauritius
Two Boys with Display of Fruits, Mauritius
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Three Temples, Mauritius
Three Temples, Mauritius
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Landscape Glowing Light, Telephone Wires, Mauritius
Landscape Glowing Light, Telephone Wires, Mauritius
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Man, Colorful Shirt, Yellow Background, Mauritius
Man, Colorful Shirt, Yellow Background, Mauritius
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Two Kids, One Eating, One Smiling, Mauritius
Two Kids, One Eating, One Smiling, Mauritius
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Close-up Profile of Young Woman, Mauritius
Close-up Profile of Young Woman, Mauritius
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Chan Tunc General Retailer, Mauritius
Chan Tunc General Retailer, Mauritius
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Women in Muddy Field, Mauritius
Women in Muddy Field, Mauritius
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Mom with Two Kids, Field in Background, Mauritius
Mom with Two Kids, Field in Background, Mauritius
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Two Kids Watching Water Pump, Mauritius
Two Kids Watching Water Pump, Mauritius
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Bearded Man in Market, Mauritius
Bearded Man in Market, Mauritius
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Happy Kid Portrait, Mauritius
Happy Kid Portrait, Mauritius
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