It could be said that The Magic of Tiéga was written, if not in response to or to correct, then at least to add some depth to people’s general perception of Mauritius.
To most this name brings to mind an island paradise, situated somewhere in the Indian Ocean or maybe even the Caribbean Sea; the kind of place one takes one’s family for the holiday of a lifetime. Palm trees are imagined, white sandy beaches, a sea blue and clear and warm, and of course there’s rum, and let us not forget the Dodo. This is a destination for the exclusive set, not those used to jaunts over to Málaga or Magaluf or cheap European city breaks. Although things have changed it still very much holds this prestige: ‘Wasn’t Mauritius where so-and-so celebrity went on their hols, or this or that member of royalty?’ you might hear.
As for its people they’re black or brown aren’t they? Indian or African looking, no mixed, no all of the above. Are they indigenous? Well that one gets a real shrug, for unless you have some connection to the island or you’re a specialist scholar, why would you know? If you’re French maybe you could answer a few more of these questions, but in Britain you’d pretty much draw a blank.
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