Let's play Sirandann (work in progress)
Background
According to the 2022 Mauritius census, 90% of Mauritians identify Kreol Morisien (KM) or Mauritian Creole as their home language. KM is born out of the slaves and indentured labour who were trafficked from Madagascar, the East African coast and India into Mauritius, by successively the Dutch, French and English colonial powers. Rooted in French and with significant influences from East African, Malagasy, Indian, and English languages, KM has evolved into a unique aggregation.
In my lifetime, I have watched the definition and usage of KM shift from carrying layers of stigma, prejudice and social indicators, to gaining recognition and status through efforts to standardise its structure, meaning and functionality. While French and English remain predominant in formal government and business settings, KM is commonly used as the lingua franca fostering cohesion in various domains of social and online communications, daily life, media, formal education and the arts. KM has grown into a marker of national identity in Mauritius and amongst the diaspora.
One unifying example of KM is Sirandann, a riddle game that traces its origin to the slaves, and embodies their resilience. In Wiehe, G (2009), ‘Sirandann; Petites Devinettes’, Editions Vivazi, Mauritian-French author Nathacha Appanah prefaces (translated by me), ‘Sirandann are not just riddles. This oral jousting in Creole, made of enigmas, is an 'eye-opener' about our surroundings. It's a way of expressing the world, of removing its everyday mask, and surprising it. The Sirandann reveal to us a strange, fantastical, comical, and always poetic universe.’
By introducing an Australian audience to Sirandann, I aim to investigate how the genesis of KM mirrors the complex dialogue between Mauritius's past and present. This exploration will span from the Dutch, French, and English colonial practices that governed the slave trade and indentured labour to contemporary efforts in open and at times challenging discussions, reparations and reconciliation. Notable examples include the Truth and Justice Commission of Mauritius, the Aapravasi Ghat, the Intercontinental Slavery Museum of Mauritius Ltd, the 2024 French film 'No Chains, No Masters', and the French town of Blois with their 2024 exhibition, 'Faces of Ancestors: The Froberville Collection Returns to Mauritius'.
The game starts with a repeated question, like a bait, from the host to the players, ‘Sirandann? Sirandann? Sirandann?’ to which the players reply in unison, ‘Sanpek!’ as their agreement to start…
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