The Racism in Mauritius They Don’t Want You to Know About | Mauritian Activist Sharon Latour

Overview

The video features Mauritian activist Sharon Latour, who discusses racism, inequality, and anti-Black discrimination faced by the Creole community in Mauritius (people of African descent whose ancestors were enslaved). The segment argues that Mauritius’s colonial legacy continues to shape current social, political, and economic structures, while official systems obscure the community’s specific identity and needs.

Key arguments and claims

1) Creoles of African descent are effectively erased in constitutional categories and data

• Sharon says the Mauritian constitution classifies Creoles as “general population,” a “faceless” category that does not recognize African-descended Creoles as a distinct group.
• She claims Mauritius has not collected or published up-to-date data on Creole/African-descended populations, despite UN calls during the International Decade for People of African Descent.
• She disputes commonly cited figures (e.g., “27%” found in online references), arguing that the lack of public census/data collection makes such numbers unreliable and undermines political accountability.

2) Colonial policy is presented as the root of continuing inequality

• Sharon emphasizes that Mauritius was a major hub of slavery under the French Empire and highlights the “Code Noir” (“Black Code”) as a system she describes as among the most brutal in human history.
• She recounts abuses under French slavery law, including:
  • branding
  • mutilation (e.g., cutting off ears/hands)
  • destruction of family and identity (children denied names/personhood)
  • forced Catholic conversion
• She also claims the British had a period of influence after French rule, but argues that French brutality against African-descended people remains central to Creole identity and trauma.

3) Land and economic power remain concentrated

• Sharon argues that a very small Franco-descended elite (she cites “less than ~5%”) owns most land—especially sugar estates, which she says dominate the landscape and economy.
• She frames this as structural inequality: Creole descendants are described as displaced from ancestral land, while elite families retain control.
• She cites a Truth and Justice Commission report (described as roughly a decade old and around 500 pages), which she says documents injustices and recommended reforms that were not implemented, especially regarding racism and land claims.
• She claims land restitution has not occurred in practice (she mentions approximately “400 claims” as an estimate).

4) “Rainbow nation” unity is criticized as hiding racial realities

• Sharon rejects the idea that Mauritius can be treated as harmonious without addressing discriminatory categories and missing data.
• She argues that “unity” rhetoric can be used to avoid accountability because disparities cannot be measured or legally targeted when identities are not recognized.

5) State-linked repression and alleged police corruption (“drug planting”)

• The video discusses alleged police brutality and corruption, including claims that officers “plant drugs” (described as framing/blinding) in the homes of political opponents or activists.
• A central case is Kaya (an activist associated with both Creole identity and cannabis legalization efforts):
  • Sharon claims he was arrested during a protest and died in police custody
  • she says riots and public outrage followed
• The video also mentions a case involving Bruno Lorette, with allegations of drug planting and extortion linked to activists.
• The segment claims organizations including Amnesty International and other NGOs have investigated such issues, and mentions alleged abuse including denial of access to lawyers during arrests.

6) UN and decolonization frameworks are presented as failing locally

• Sharon says UN recommendations and reform calls (such as constitution changes, anti-discrimination measures, census/data collection, and slavery awareness) have largely not been acted on.
• She positions her activism within broader decolonization, including:
  • revising education to remove/reshape colonial history
  • removing or recontextualizing colonial monuments
  • building regional African-descended solidarity

7) Activism is described as early-stage and facing social stigma

• Sharon says the Anti-Colonial Memory Project is not the only organization addressing Creole issues, but that Creole-specific advocacy is described as socially divisive in Mauritius.
• She suggests that political engagement is often viewed as “dirty,” which she says reduces the formation of organized legal/advocacy structures.
• She claims her generation is more willing to pursue legal frameworks and international human rights mechanisms than earlier generations.

Main outcome / ask in the segment

The video frames the central demand as constitutional and policy reform, including:

• recognition of Creoles/African descent in national categories
• collection of public demographic data
• implementation of Truth and Justice Commission recommendations
• legal anti-racism measures
• land redress
• accountability for police abuses

Presenters / contributors

• Sharon Latour — Mauritian activist; member of the Anti-Colonial Memory Project
• Darren — Host/interviewer (appears to be the interviewer in the excerpt)