Since 1946, Réunion has been governed as a department of France and, thus, has a similar status to its counterparts in Metropolitan France. Consequently, it is one of the outermost regions of the European Union. It's like a little tropical Paris, complete with traditionally uniformed gendarmes. Owing to its strategic location, France also maintains a military presence on the island.
Réunionese, obviously, use Euros and drive on the wrong side of the road. I'm not fluent in French but I learnt it at school and this sounded a bit odd. That's because many don't use received French (à l'Académie Française). French is the official language, used for administrative purposes and in education. Yet, Réunion Creole, that derives from French, is widely spoken by those born on the island.
Although the first French claims date from 1638, the island was officially claimed by Jacques Pronis for France in 1642, when he deported a dozen French mutineers to the island from Madagascar. In 1665, the French East India Company sent the first settlers to develop a plantation economy, founded on the cultivation of coffee and sugar. From 1715 the French also began the cultivation of Mauritius.
As this was several centuries before the invention of farm machinery, or other means of harnessing of fossil fuels in place of human labour, the colonists bought slaves from African war-lords and Arab traders.
Wikipedia tells us that: "From the 17th to the 19th centuries, the French employed enslaved Africans, Chinese, and Indians as workers. Between 1769 and 1793 alone, some 80,000 slaves were imported to Réunion and Mauritius. Most of the non-Europeans on the islands were enslaved.
Today, the descendants of these slaves account for ethnic diversity in the population."
Yet, trafficking in people was not finished after tractors were invented. Over about two decades in the late 20th century (1963–1982), 1,630 children from Réunion were relocated to rural areas of metropolitan France, particularly to Creuse, ostensibly for education and work opportunities. That programme was led by influential Gaullist politician Michel Debré, who was an MP for Réunion at the time. Many of these children were abused or disadvantaged by the families with whom they were placed. Known as the Children of Creuse, they and their fate came to light in 2002 when one of them, Jean-Jacques Martial, filed suit against the French state for kidnapping and deportation of a minor. Although highlighting the issue, the case was dismissed by French courts and finally by the European Court of Human Rights in 2011.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 reduced the importance of the island as a stopover on the East Indies trade route and caused a shift in commercial traffic away from the island. Europe increasingly turned to sugar beet to meet its sugar needs. Despite the development policy of the local authorities and the recourse to compromise, the economic crisis became evident from the 1870s onwards. However, this economic depression did not prevent the modernization of the island, with the development of the road network, the creation of the railroad, and the construction of the artificial harbour of the Pointe des Galets. These major construction projects offered a welcome alternative for agricultural workers."
From the ship a shuttle service carried us, in the pouring rain, along the first section of 8.7 km of a new Route du Littoral, built on a viaduct, was opened in 2023 between Saint-Denis and Grande-Chaloupe. It improves traffic safety against swells and frequent rockfalls on the old coastal road. A final 2.5-km segment extending the road to La Possession is set to begin construction in 2026, with commissioning expected in 2030.
The bus dropped us in town where after a brief look at the beach (seen one - seen them all), we made our way, on foot, up the steep main street, Rue de Paris, past the cathedral, past the Hôtel de Paris and past a War Memorial. I was pleased to see that this bore the correct dates (1914-18). In places, like the US and ex-soviet countries, we have seen different dates to ours.
The Rue de Paris is lined with a number of large planters' mansions. Some are restored, some repurposed and some are in a state of terminal decay. One of these, la Villa de la Région, has become an art gallery. We dropped in to have a look and I was taken aback. There was a work by an early 20th century Australian artist: Rupert Bunny among the French daubers.
By now it was fine and hot outside. So, a pleasant browse around the gallery provided a cool break, before we continued up the hill to the Jardin de l'État (gardens ) and the Museum of Natural History. This too, turned out to be very interesting. In addition to the stuffed unusual wildlife, there was an exhibition about the French scientific expedition to observe the Transit of Venus.
In 1874 the French scientific expedition to observe the Transit of Venus from the Kerguelen Islands, celebrated in this exhibition was finally successful. The earlier one, nearer here, in 1769 was more problematic.
As all Australians are aware, this transit was of such great scientific interest that Captain James Cook was engaged to transport a scientific team, headed by Sir Joseph Banks, to observe the transit from Tahiti. He was then to continue west to find and map New Zealand and the east coast of Australia. A direct outcome was the first European settlement in Sydney 18 years later. And the European name of the trees that grace Awaba St, down to the beach - the 'banksias'. In Australia it is popularly said that had the first fleet not arrived with exactly the timing dictated by the Transit of Venus we would all be speaking French (and driving on the wrong side), follow the link to discover why.
The French astronomer, Guillame Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de la Galaisière, or Guillame Legentil for short, was not so lucky. Clouds blocked his observations. He made several visits to both Réunion and Mauritius in addition to Pondicherry in India (see our earlier trip). He tried several times during subsequent transits but weather and illness intervened. He's been dubbed "The most unlucky astronomer ever".
The exhibition was entirely in French but the diagrams and other elements were largely self-explanatory (pun?) and clearly demonstrated the principals involved and their importance in our understanding of our solar system and, by extension, it's place in the Universe.
The also had a nice Dodo cast and skeleton of a with an explanation.
Dodo cast and skeleton
THE DODO
A true myth and symbol of extinct animal species, the Dodo or Mauritius Dronte Raphus cucullatus disappeared, barely a century after the arrival of humans on the island. Thanks to numerous remains discovered in the Mare aux Songes, the constitution of the Dodo is known with precision. Large in size, weighing about fifteen kilograms, the Dodo had atrophied wings. Incapable of flight, it was easy prey to catch. Despite oily and bad-tasting flesh, it was intensively hunted by sailors stopping over on the spice route.
Like the Dodo, the Rodriguez Solitaire Pezophaps solitaria belongs to a specialized family, the Raphidae. They likely derived from a common dove-like ancestor that colonized the Mascarene Islands before losing the ability to fly.
Dodo (sp. Raphus c)
Cast in 1901.
As my readers already know, one of the benefits I gain from travel is the observation of the vast diversity of human beliefs, be they Marxism in ex-soviet countries or the vast panoply of religious beliefs, superstitions, and myths.
I was impressed by the Museum and its scientific approach, so as I passed the Cathedral again, still not a soul in sight, I wondered how much of the population are irreligious sceptics in the French tradition. In France half the population identify as Christian: Catholicism (47.0%); Protestantism (2.00%); Orthodoxy (1.00%), followed by Islam (4.00%); Buddhism (2.00%); and Judaism (1.00%). The remainder, over 33%, report having no religion. This is similar to other educated populations, even in extremely religious countries, like the United States, for example in California and the city of Boston, 33% are non-believers. Possibly why Trump hates them, even though they are more religious than Northern Europe and Australia, where around 40% report having no religion. Imagine!
According to the Institut National De La Statistique Et Des Etudes Economiques, the majority of Réunionese are Roman Catholic Christians (62.0%), followed by Hinduism (8.65%) and Islam (5.05%). Leaving 19% of Réunionese who have no need of religion.
One might have imagined that Mauritians doubted in similar numbers? Yet, as we saw there, like our driver, less than 1% report having no religion.
I was moved to write a limerick:
How religious is the isle of Mauritius
The statistics appear quite suspicious
Compared with elsewhere
It's extraordinaire
Why are Mauritians so superstitious?
Returning to down the hill we explored more of the town but were disappointed to discover that the Spanish tradition of Siesta is practiced here and almost everything was shut. The Ship beaconed me, with its all-day snacks and cocktails.
To see more pictures of Réunion click on the image above
