The Chimera of Return: A Deep Dive into 1921

Books

‘Redevenir l’Isle de France ? Un récit politique’ — By Lindsay Rivière

History is often written by the victors or the status quo, frequently glossing over the “mad” deviations that failed to change the map. In Redevenir l’Isle de France ?, veteran journalist Lindsay Rivière rescues one such deviation from the footnotes of Mauritian history: the “Retrocession” movement. Launched exactly a century after the 1921 elections that marked the movement’s peak, the book explores the bold, arguably utopian demand for Mauritius to be returned to France after over a hundred years of British rule.

A Utopian Agenda

The premise of the Retrocessionists — led by figures like Dr Maurice Curé and the journalist Edouard Laurent — was as simple as it was provocative: exchange Mauritius for the French enclave of Pondicherry. For a small group of “idealists,” the goal was to trade British subjects’ status for French citizenship under the Tricolore.

Lindsay Rivière masterfully dismantles why this “chimera” gained such traction. While modern readers might find the idea of reversing 110 years of history “farfetched,” the author illustrates how it became a vessel for the deep-seated frustrations of the Gens de Couleur (People of Colour). This community, caught between a “haughty” British administration and a dominant Franco-Mauritian sugar oligarchy, viewed French Republican ideals as a path to the civil rights and social dignity that were systematically denied to them under the Union Jack.

The Sandwich of Identity

At the heart of Lindsay Rivière’s analysis is a poignant study of the Gens de Couleur. He describes them as a community “suspended between two worlds,” intellectually elite yet politically marginalised. Despite attending the prestigious Royal College, they were often capped at intermediate professional levels, excluded from the high spheres of the civil service, and socially shunned by the white sugar-estate owners.

The book does not shy away from the darker nuances of this struggle. Lindsay Rivière notes with candour that the movement was partly fuelled by an apprehension toward the rising demographic and political weight of the Indo-Mauritian community. The Retrocessionists dreamed of a “Greater French Indian Ocean” colony — comprising Mauritius, Reunion, and Madagascar — where the “Indian element” would be diluted by a larger Francophone population. It is this “introspective and sometimes painful” honesty that gives Lindsay Rivière’s work its journalistic weight; he is not just writing history, but the “history of the everyday” mentalities.

Geopolitical Naivety vs. Colonial Iron

One of the most striking aspects of the narrative is the “surprising naivety” of the Retrocessionist leaders. Lindsay Rivière points out that they fundamentally misunderstood the British Empire’s intent. Britain did not seize Isle de France in 1810 for mere prestige; they took it for its strategic command of the route to India and its economic potential as a sugar powerhouse.

The author highlights the role of Sir Winston Churchill, then a key minister, who made it clear that England was in Mauritius to stay. Meanwhile, France viewed this “unsolicited display of affection” with considerable embarrassment, having no desire to jeopardize its diplomatic relations with London over a distant colony.

A Legacy of Resilience and Emigration

Lindsay Rivière, who succeeded André Masson as editor of Le Mauricien at just 24, brings a personal sensitivity to the text. Having seen his own family depart for Australia during the massive waves of emigration in the mid-20th century, he writes about the “latent bitterness” that eventually decimated the local community of colour.

Redevenir l’Isle de France ? is an essential read for understanding the slow, difficult journey toward the universal suffrage of 1959 and independence in 1968. It sheds light on a period that prefigured the modern Mauritian landscape — one defined by complex alliances and a “love-hate relationship” between the sugar oligarchy and the rising political class.

Ultimately, Lindsay Rivière’s work is an invitation to look at history “without complexes.” By documenting this forgotten quest to return to the past, he helps us better measure how far the Mauritian nation has travelled toward its own unique future.

*  *  *

The Microcosm of Tromelin: A Study in Cruelty and Resilience

‘Les Fantômes de l’île Tromelin’ — By Jean Claude de l’Estrac

The history of the Indian Ocean is often told through the lens of grand colonial ambitions, maritime strategies, and the sugar industry. However, in his latest work, ‘Les Fantômes de l’île Tromelin’, Jean Claude de l’Estrac pivots away from the macro-history of empires to focus on a visceral, human tragedy that remained buried beneath the coral sands of a tiny islet for centuries. Part historical investigation and part evocative narrative, the book breathes life into a story that is as haunting as it is heroic.

A Journey from the High Lands to the Abyss

JC de l’Estrac begins his narrative not on the decks of a ship, but in the heart of Madagascar. This is a crucial distinction. By detailing the lives of the captives in the Imerina highlands, the author restores their identity before they became “cargo.” He meticulously explores the social structures of the time — the Andriana (nobles), Hovas (commoners), and Andevo (slaves) — providing a rare glimpse into the cultural and spiritual world these individuals were violently uprooted from.

The journey of 340 kilometres to the coast, with captives on foot and traffickers in filanjana (palanquins), is described with a “chilling precision” that highlights the complicity and cruelty of the era. The reader is forced to confront the grim reality of the slave trade: a chain of human exploitation involving both foreign captains and local intermediaries.

The Wreck of the Utile

The core of the tragedy unfolds in 1761, when the French East India Company ship, L’Utile, carrying a “contraband” shipment of Malagasy slaves destined for Isle de France (now Mauritius), shattered against the reefs of Tromelin (then known as Isle de Sable). Of the survivors, 122 were French sailors and 90 were Malagasy captives.

The ensuing cohabitation on a desert island — a mere kilometre of sand with no trees and no fresh water — serves as a stark microcosm of human nature. JC de l’Estrac depicts the “collapse of empathy” that occurred when the French sailors constructed a makeshift vessel from the wreckage. While they promised to return for the Malagasy survivors, they sailed away, leaving 88 souls to a fifteen-year exile in the middle of the ocean.

Fifteen Years of Fire and Resilience

Perhaps the most moving aspect of the book is JC de l’Estrac’s refusal to treat the abandoned Malagasy as mere victims. Instead, he portrays them as “resistants.” For fifteen years, against all odds, they maintained a fire that never went out, built stone shelters, forged tools, and even sustained new life — a child was born on that desolate bank of sand.

By the time Captain Jacques de Tromelin finally arrived in 1776, only seven women and a nursing infant remained. Through JC de l’Estrac’s prose, these “ghosts” are finally given a voice. He transforms a sordid colonial anecdote into an epic of human dignity, exploring the profound spiritual grief of these survivors who feared they would never be buried in the ancestral lands of their forefathers.

A Mirror to the Present

Jean Claude de l’Estrac, a seasoned journalist and former diplomat, uses his deep knowledge of the region to bridge the past and the present. He does not shy away from the complexities of history, including the uncomfortable truths regarding internal complicity in the slave trade.

Les Fantômes de l’île Tromelin is more than a book; it is a “sepulcher of paper.” It arrives at a time when sovereignty over Tromelin remains a point of contention between France and Mauritius, but JC de l’Estrac reminds us that the island’s true legacy belongs to those who suffered and survived there. This work is an essential contribution to Indian Ocean literature, offering a necessary path toward reconciliation by honouring the humanity of those the world chose to forget.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 24 April 2026