How UNESCO supports Mauritius in preserving the memory of slavery and indentured labour
Mauritius has important places through which these histories can be explored, including Aapravasi Ghat, the Le Morne Cultural Landscape, the Intercontinental Slavery Museum and the National Archives Department.
But Dr Teelock cautions against assuming that heritage sites automatically translate into historical understanding.
“I would not say that there are massive crowds visiting these World Heritage sites as they have become more tourist spots and where people go to relax, rather than learn,” she states.
She believes greater investment in history education is needed, including better-trained teachers, stronger teaching materials and more accessible historical research. UNESCO’s General History of Africa and its pedagogical use is an essential tool and opportunity to address this gap.
“Much more needs to be accomplished as far as the State is concerned to provide the population with better trained and higher quality teachers,” she says. “Government needs to give a push to the teaching of history and geography.”
The sites, she stresses, are very different in character and present distinct challenges. Yet they share an opportunity: to connect people, particularly young people, with the complex histories that shaped Mauritius.
“More young people need to be brought into the Heritage field to be trained in various skills in heritage conservation and museum management,” she says, highlighting skills that are “solely lacking in Mauritius”.
With greater training and opportunities for young people to contribute to the interpretation and cultural promotion of heritage sites, she believes history can become more than a school subject.
“More people would be more conscious of their history and not just consider it as an examinable subject where one is taught to memorize facts, rather than to appreciate them.”
As the world commemorates the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition on 23 August, Mauritius’s experience underscores the importance of preserving memory, amplifying previously silenced voices and making heritage relevant to new generations.
Through a variety of interconnected initiatives such as the Memory of the World, the Routes of Enslaved Peoples Programme, the General History of Africa and the World Heritage Centre, UNESCO continues to support efforts to ensure that these histories are not forgotten - but researched, shared and understood as part of a common human history.
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