Slide 1

The Stolen Dreams of Africa

Je M’appelle Amazing Africa

14 minute read ● by Mbong A. FT.

The ocean was whispering and its gentle whistler pierced through our first-floor apartment overlooking it. Inside, the early morning gentle echo was greeted with excitement, loud kiddy noises, and a tangible energy of anticipation. 

It was 4:00 am on the West Coast of Mauritius, and we were five days into a two weeks family vacation. Today was the day. The last four days had been nothing but relaxed, we had sought to start off slow – swimming on the beach, basking in the sun, collecting seashells, embarking on a lazy read here and there, and getting lots of sleep. Today was the start of what the kids would call ‘some real fun.  

It would ordinarily take a lot of effort to get my crew up at 4:00 am but everyone was awake with energy levels as high as the waves in sight. Because?  We were going to swim with the dolphins!!!.

My best effort to reduce the commotion in the early hours of the day only went as far. And as I struggled to get everyone out of the apartment by 4:45 am, I still had to deal with a few of the usual “Mommy I can’t find my sunshades, I can’t find my hat, I can’t, I can’t”. And for once, I could say with confidence, “ I have everything you need, just make sure you have your swimming costume on, and let’s go!”.

It was about a five minutes drive from our apartment to the other end of the beach where we would board a speed board for the day’s adventure. We sailed for a good 45 minutes into the sea and hovered around for another 30 in search of a dolphin pod, just when it was beginning to feel like we wouldn’t spot any dolphins, there they were. And there was no greater excitement as we jumped in. We had been ready for this moment for thirty long minutes and not even my four-year-old was willing to waste any more time.  The dolphins were well aware of our excitement, and as we made our chase, they showed their excitement, skipping and crisscrossing over us as we swam along. This all felt like magic.

And there was more magic to come. When the chase was over and the dolphins had continued their morning swim to other shores, our boat captain took us to the Crystal Rock, to behold the pure clarity of the Indian ocean under the rising sun. We sat on the crystal rock in the middle of the sea, with the beauty in sight imposing a silence which was rather unusual. And we all took a moment to admire the beauty of this ocean, as clear, gentle, and pure as could be.

It’s been three years since that holiday but the kids still talk of this experience like it was yesterday. Swimming with the dolphins in the high sea of the Indian was no doubt the highlight of any adventure we’ve had as a family.  But there were other subtle experiences that made Mauritius that paradise worthy of its name for me.

Living in South Africa, it had been over 10 years since I last attended a catholic mass that was said in French. Sunday mass in Mauritius took me to places I had not been to in a long time. If you are familiar with the Roman Catholic rites, then you will know these lines, they don’t quite hit the same notes for me in English. When the priest started the opening rites, my heart melted in joy, my kids and hubby had not seen me so lit up in a while…

“Le seigneur soit avec vous” and I responded with every fibre of enthusiasm in me, my energy was tangible, 

“Et avec votre esprit”.

“Randon grâce au seigneur notre Dieu”, 

“Cela est juste et bon”, 

Vraiment il est juste et bonne de te rendre grâce,…..he continued. 

Oh Lord, that took me to a place where everything was good and pure, it was nothing short of the seventh Heaven for me.  It was on this day my kids committed to taking my French lessons seriously, I came out of mass feeling like the 10-year-old who had just received her first holy communion at Paroisse St Louis in Bonaberi. It was refreshing, I was in a complete state of untainted happiness. The singing in Mauritian Kroell spiced the edges of my awe.

I love the tradition of the Catholic church, it’s universal nature. This was a reminder of all that I love about my faith. It doesn’t matter where I am in the world, finding a catholic church and attending mass has always been subtle magic. Yes, I did attend mass in Vienna – Austria once. And even though I have no understanding whatsoever of Austrian, it felt right, I was in the right place, and it was good –  but that’s a story for another day.

In this story, shopping in an open market in Port Louis shouldn’t have been a big deal for someone who only knew open markets for the first 27 years of her life. But I hadn’t been to one for a long time. For my kids it was their first experience in an open market, they couldn’t stop talking about it, the Mauritian open market left us all with souvenirs we still enjoy today.

Wine tasting in La Chamarel, the home of Mauritian rum, wasn’t subtle, it was intense. Hubby and I certainly had a great time tasting all those flavours, from coffee to coconut rum, old and mature and every flavour in between. The spirit of hot drinks got me and although I am not your true alcohol drinker, this was an experience I would joyfully indulge in again. My older daughter and my son were getting none of this, so they had their famous line for any such activity which excludes them in hand, “are we done yet?” I guess, there’s only so much apple juice that can keep you excited for hours.

The trip to the Seventh colour earth and the waterfalls happened on the outing. This girl from Menchum and its falls is yet to see a waterfall that gives her a wow feeling, and this wasn’t different but the seven-colored earth was intriguing. My crew was excited by both and that sufficed for the effort.

What is a holiday on a paradise island without a few cruises? The sunset cruise, speedboat cruise, and any kind of cruise on offer. In one of the speedboat cruises, my son, then 6, got a chance to control the boat for a good minute. We were obviously jumpy about it but the captain had his mind made up. Oh boy, those few seconds left him feeling like the son of the land and king of the seas. 

And on one of those cruises, we were taken to a ‘lost’ island for a traditional Mauritian lunch, and lots of fresh coconut water to go with it. There seemed to be just so many small islands on the island of iIe Maurice, which tell a story of their own.

As an environmentalist, tuna has always sounded like a forbidden fruit.  Mauritius offered me a unique experience to indulge in fresh tuna. We had made a stop by the nearby fish store, and all that was on offer was freshly caught tuna. The shop owner gave me the full context of how this tuna landed in his fish store and it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out freshly caught tuna. The braai that evening was nothing like I had had before.

It is hard to associate an island like Mauritius with wildlife and I had not associated Mauritius with wildlife, or wild animals of any kind. But we got more intimate with wildlife in Mauritius than we have in our multiple game drive over the years. From feeding giant turtles of over 140 years to feeding goats and giraffes to cuddling a baby alligator, the kids had a swell of a time connecting with wildlife. For me, the experience with the century-old turtles provoked a resolve to take it slow and easy with the game of life. You’ve surely got to take it slow to stick around that long right?

We had planned to take a bold walk with the lions but arrived a few minutes after the cut-off time. My oldest daughter and I were obviously looking forward to it, but it turns out hubby and my son had it all planned for a miss. Needless to say who are the brave hearts in the Fokwa Tsafack’s clan. A miss which provides a justification for a return.

The magic of Africa is ours to enjoy, and Mauritius certainly had a lot in store for us, not all of which could be accomplished on one trip, a return was imminent. 

This is my Africa, join me to celebrate the wonders of this beautiful continent, in Je M’appelle Amazing Africa !!