Mauritius pavilion to showcase tropical-island culture

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This article was published 23/01/2024 (605 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Organizers of the Mauritius pavilion at the Westman Multicultural Festival can’t wait to open their doors.

“It’s always very exciting to showcase your culture to our Canadian friends, especially our Westman friends, and we always look forward to it,” said Kerselin Fumier, event co-ordinator for the Mauritius pavilion and vice-chair of the Westman Multicultural Festival.

“And the last time we showed our culture here, it was 2020. And then everything shut down, because of COVID-19. All of us are very excited to show our culture, food and music.”

The Mauritius pavilion will be open on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9 and 10, at Westman Immigrant Services multicultural centre at 403 13th St. in Brandon. The pavilion will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. both nights.

Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is a tropical island country that sits in the Indian Ocean, about 2,000 kilometres from the east coast of Africa. Mauritius is a tourist hub, welcoming millions of visitors annually. The country is renowned for its beautiful beaches like Belle Mare, Flic-en-Flan and Trou aux Biches. Mauritius is known for its biodiversity, is home to some of the rarest plants and animals in the world and once was the only home of the now-extinct dodo bird. Chamarel Seven Coloured Earth Geopark is home to Tortoise Park, where tourists can get close to giant tortoises that can live up to 150 years.

“Mauritius is a melting pot of cultures with influences from Indian, African, Chinese and European traditions,” said Fumier. The national language is Mauritian Creole, and Fumier said most Mauritians speak French and English as well. Mauritius also boasts a rich history and culture encompassing art, literature and architecture. And great food.

Fumier said while the Mauritius group was planning the menu, they went with famed national dishes and a bit of a smaller selection, since the group didn’t know how many people to expect after the pandemic.

For dinner, Fumier said the Mauritius pavilion will be serving a dish of fry noodle — a savoury mixture of noodles, cabbage, carrots, green onions and green garlic; a mixed vegetable pickle — a mixture of cabbage, carrots, green beans mixed with pickle spice; and the very famous farata — a kind of flatbread served with potato curry or tomato sauce. For dessert, try the Mauritian coconut flan, a decadent coconut-scented cake. The pavilion will also be licensed.

For entertainment, dance the night away to Mauritian music as Island Vibes return to play evening sets both Friday and Saturday. Fumier said there will be lots of pictures and information about Mauritius to check out as visitors are immersed in Mauritian culture.

But to pull it all off, the Mauritius pavilion really needs more volunteers.

“We are still looking for volunteers,” said Fumier. “We have the volunteer signup online” at gotothepavilions.com.

The Brandon Sun will be featuring each pavilion in the Westman Multicultural Festival in stories leading up to the Feb. 8-10 event.

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