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Priya Hein was born in 1976 in Mauritius, an island nation located in the Indian Ocean to the east of Madagascar. In 2017, She was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award by the National Library of Mauritius. She was also selected as an emerging writer for the Women's Creative Mentoring Project by the University of Iowa International Writing Program. From 2019 to 2021, she served as a member of the Integration Council in the city of Garching, Germany. According to Electric Literature Magazine, she is one of the twelve Mauritian writers who must be read.
Priya is a renowned author of children's books published in English, French, Mauritian Creole, Rodrigues Creole, and German. Rodrigues Creole is a dialect of Mauritian Creole, spoken in Rodrigues, an island belonging to Mauritius, situated in the Indian Ocean, with a population of around thirty-five thousand inhabitants. The number of people who speak this dialect is estimated to be around forty thousand. Her work has also been published in anthologies, literary magazines, and schoolbooks. Additionally, she has participated in numerous Mauritian book fairs and has appeared on various radio and television programs. She has also been shortlisted for the Outstanding Young Person's Award and the Mauritian Achievers Award.
She is a graduate of law from Manchester Metropolitan University and has studied political science at the IEP in Strasbourg in the north-east of France. Furthermore, she holds a bilingual master’s degree (MA in Politics and International Law) from the Free University of Brussels and has completed an internship at the European Commission. She has also worked at the European Parliament as a lawyer and translator of legal texts. In 2002, she relocated to Garching, which is close to Munich in Germany.
Priya began her career as a children's book author with A Little Dodo called Feno. When she visited Mauritius in 2009, she did not find any books about the Mauritian totem animal that she could buy for her daughter. The dodo is an extinct species of bird from the pigeon family. Unable to fly, it was not afraid of humans, as it evolved in isolation and without natural predators. Priya invented Feno's story and won over her daughter, as well as the Mauritius Minister of Tourism. The Adventures of Feno has been translated into French, English, Creole, and German. From then on, she never stopped writing.
With her stories and characters, she contributes to the promotion of Mauritian culture, as with the collection of short stories Sous le Flamboyant. To this day, it participates in Mauritian education, even in school textbooks. The Ki pose la is integrated into the primary education curriculum. Ti solo, the bird that did not know how to fly, was born from children's drawings in a workshop in Rodrigues; It addresses the notions of difference, tolerance, and self-esteem.
Mauritius, five hundred years of history
Mauritians are primarily descendants of Indian laborers, Chinese traders, African slaves, and Dutch, French, and British settlers. Portuguese sailor Don Pedro Mascarenhas founded the island of Mauritius in 1512, although he may not be the first Portuguese explorer to set foot on the island. In 1528, explorer Diogo Rodrigues named the islands of Réunion, Mauritius, and Rodrigues as Mascarenhas Islands, in honor of Dom Pedro Mascarenhas. The Portuguese did not settle permanently in them.
Dutch period (1598-1710) – a Dutch squadron led by Admiral Wybrand Van Warwick arrived in Grand Port and named the island as Mauritius, the of prince Mauritius of Nassau, the governor of the Netherlands.
In 1638, the Dutch made their first attempt at colonization, with the renowned Dutch navigator Tasman using the island as a base to explore the western part of Australia. Even though the Dutch left Mauritius in 1710, their influence remained evident, as they introduced sugar cane, domestic animals, and deer.
French period (1715-1810) – the French arrived in 1715 and renamed the island as Isle de France. The French governor, François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, established Port Louis as a base and shipbuilding center, which was vital in overseeing the India Ocean. During this time, there was an increase in the number of African slaves, and sugar cane emerged as a thriving industry in Mauritius.
Until 1767, the island was under the administration of the French East India Company. Officials appointed by the French government were in charge, except for a brief period during the French Revolution when the inhabitants created a government independent of France.
During the Napoleonic Wars, Mauritius became a base from which the French navy and privateers organized attacks on British merchant ships. In 1810, a British contingent was sent to capture the island, and in December of that year, the British successfully invaded and took control of the island.
British period (1814-1968) – Mauritius underwent rapid social and economic changes. Governor Robert Townsend Farquhar oversaw the beginning of the British administration, which promised to respect the language, customs, laws, and traditions of the French colonists who previously lived there. One of the significant changes was the abolition of slavery in 1835, which resulted in the Bank of England paying around 3,000 property owners compensation for the loss of their enslaved laborers who had been imported from Africa and Madagascar during the French occupation.
To replace the lave labor, planters participated in the “Great Experiment” initiated by the British government, which aimed to demonstrate the superiority of “free” labor. Between 1835 and 1914, Mauritius welcomed over 462,000 indentured laborers to work in the sugarcane fields. Most of these laborers were from India, but there were also workers from China, Comoros (an independent country in Southern Africa), Madagascar, Mozambique, and Southeast Asia, with many of them being of Hindu and Muslim origin.
However, tensions began to escalate between the Indian population and the Franco-Mauritian population from the 1920s onwards, leading to fighting and many deaths. This tension gave rise to the Mauritian Labor Party, which played a pivotal role in the elections held for the newly created Legislative Assembly in 1936 and 1947, which were the first steps towards independence.
Independence Act of 1968 - British rule ended in Mauritius with the Mauritius Independence Act of 1968, and Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam became the country's first Prime Minister. Although the British monarch, Elizabeth II, remained the nominal head of state as Queen of Mauritius, her constitutional functions were delegated to the Governor-General of Mauritius.
Black Lives Matter
Priya was inspired to write about racism and the consequences of colonization during the Black Lives Matter movement, which gained momentum following George Floyd's murder. BLM is a global activist movement that originated in the African American community. It campaigns against violence directed at black people and regularly organizes protests around police killings of black people, broader issues of racial discrimination, police brutality, and racial inequality in the United States criminal justice system.
“I lived in Germany at the time, twenty years ago and… when this happened we were shocked, the whole world, outraged and people were protesting in the streets, demonstrating and… talking about it and these horrible things that were happening and
I remember thinking how we don't talk enough about these things and I was hearing something disturbing. When I dared to talk about the racism I was facing, I was told “It’s not racism”; I was hypersensitive and as a woman, as an immigrant woman, I should accept that. I was silenced and I was very angry, outraged, disturbed, and shocked by the comments I was hearing, but... basically, they just did not want to know, and they told me that it's not racist and I was thinking how can they tell me that? How can you tell me what to feel?"
Riambel, her first novel
Her first novel, Riambel, won the 2021 Prix Jean Fanchette for its manuscript. Jean-Marie Gustave le Clézio, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2008, described the novel as "courageously understanding the complexity of ethnic relations in Mauritius... exhibiting great art in the sense of shame mixed with indignation and in the gaps of what is not said."
The village of Riambel is a place where ancestral Creole voices come together to form a strange chorus that reveals uncomfortable truths about slavery. These include harrowing details about sexual violence, unsanitary conditions in slave barracks, and the physical punishment inflicted upon them by their white "masters."
The narrative of this piece sheds light on the realities of life on a tourist-driven island, specifically from the perspective of the inhabitants who are descendants of slaves. It delves into the complexity of ethnic relationships in Mauritius, the social divide between the owners and their servants, and the status of women in this context.
"During the Black Lives Matter movement, I secluded myself for five days and nights to write a book. I felt an urgent need to express my anger and emotions in a raw and unfiltered manner. Writing was my way to channel those emotions as an outlet. After five days and nights, I was completely exhausted as it was my way of protesting. It was my way of protesting and I protested in the same way that, in writing, writing is not conventional at all.”
Behind the postcard beaches lies poverty
Riambel is a thought-provoking analysis of the sociopolitical structures and colonial past of Mauritius. The story revolves around fifteen-year-old Noemi (Noémie), who lives in the Africa Town slum located in the village of Riambel. She resides on the side of the street where conditions are harsh, and mixed-race and black people face numerous difficulties. They are the descendants of enslaved people who were freed from their chains but still find themselves trapped between poverty and racism. The white people's houses are located on the other side of the street, which creates a divide between two distinct worlds.
For as long as Noemi can remember, her mother has worked as a servant in one of those houses across the street, serving the De Grandbourgs, a wealthy white French-Mauritian family. Through a succession of vignettes, Priya Hein evokes adolescence spent on the border between two worlds: that of the Creoles from the slums and the Tilakaz, and that of the white people who live in mansions.
On her sixteenth birthday, Noemi is taken out of school and brought to work for the De Grandbourgs. This is the first time she experiences a world she will never truly belong to, and where she will suffer. Though Noemi helps her mother with work, she crosses a line that separates two worlds. What might be a harmless mistake on one side of the street, proves to be fatal for Noemi.
Her observations of the world around her are stark and at times, emotionally charged. Riambel’s “kan kreol” slum, in her view, is a “trash-filled ghetto where everything and everyone is starving and struggling to survive - even the dogs.” She describes her own home with a sense of shame, displaying the slightest signs of indifference: the “few provisions” stored in jute bags that serve as a refrigerator, the “few blackened pots and pans,” the “broken furniture,” and the pit of a bathroom.
Noemi occasionally directs her venom towards her mother, who behaves obsequiously and puts on a fake accent around her bosses. At school, Noemi yearns to learn about her ancestors, especially the women, and to be empowered to resist white rule. However, when she falls deeply in love with Alexandre, the grandson of her mother's boss, things become even more complicated.
Noemi accompanies her mother to her boss's house and observes the family's behavior and mannerisms. She notices how they use "good porcelain" only on special occasions, prefer being served, and do not interact with the staff. They end their meals with a tradition of having tea under the balcony. Noemi also takes note of their negative attitude towards black people. She shares how her older sister, Marie, was treated unfairly and fired from her job as a nanny due to racist remarks.
"Riambel" is an eye-opening exploration of the violent history of slavery and how it continues to impact and harm the lives of the people of Mauritius. In the past, white men had sexual access to the bodies of enslaved women, and the author, shows us how similar power dynamics exist in seemingly consensual encounters today. However, Hein's perspective on race and ethnicity is limited by the white-Creole conflict. The novel chronicles a series of tragic events through a diary format.
Priya demonstrates how the abolition of slavery still affects the lives of the people of Mauritius. Exploitation and racism still exist beneath the surface. Despite access to education and living near the sea, Noemi's future seems predetermined, with no prospects for a better life.
Priya's writing
The book's writing is exquisite and well-structured with alternating periods. The chapters are brief and are made up of vignettes that provide a deeper insight into the lives of both present-day and past Mauritian people. We get to know the moving and beautifully narrated life story of Noemi, as well as the stories of other women - mothers, daughters, sisters, and girls who were once enslaved. These female voices of multiple generations come to us through songs, recipes, snippets of poetry, and ghostly interludes, connecting Noemi's tale with Mauritius' broader history of colonial violence and resistance.
The narrative is as heterogeneous as Riambel, the place. The fragmentary narrative structure where voices, apparitions from the enslaved past, recipes, poetic extracts, songs, and stream of consciousness weave in and out of Noemi's first-person perspective. For a novel concerned with the historical repercussions of slavery and colonialism, this formal eclecticism proves appropriate.
"The sea holds a significant place in Noemi's heart, as well as for the people living in Mauritius. Being a small island, the sea is visible from most of our rooftops, and we can smell, hear, and feel it. It has a personality of its own with varying moods. The sea is omnipresent and a significant aspect of our daily lives as it is a source of income for many people. You can witness fishermen leaving for work early in the morning and returning late at night. Tourists go diving on boats, adding excitement to their vacations. In the book, Noemi perceives the sea as a means of escape, but later, it becomes overwhelming for her. While writing the novel in Germany, I missed the sea, and that feeling might have seeped into the book as many readers thought I was in Mauritius."
The narrator shares her life story and how she grew up between two different worlds - that of the slums and the whites. Noemi talks about the impact of racism, colonialism, and slavery on her life, but also about her dreams and aspirations. She has a complex relationship with her island, which both fascinate her and holds her back. Being a woman and a Creole in a society that has only abolished discrimination on paper is a heavy burden to bear. Noemi struggles with the weight of a patriarchal and racist society.
"I wanted to include vignettes in my writing because the lives of enslaved women were often short-lived and fragmented. They suffered tremendously at the hands of their masters, experiencing trauma such as rape, abortion, and addiction, which can make it challenging to think coherently. To capture this reality, I created a fragmented narrative that reflects the disorienting effects of trauma. Rather than writing long chapters, I followed my instincts and wrote what felt right for the story. The fragment was my way of rebelling against the conventional writing style and protesting the injustices suffered by these women."
Priya measures emotions and manages to provide us with a comprehensive summary of what Mauritius is really like in just two hundred pages. She reveals the sordid reality behind the travel agency images, while also capturing the vibrant colors and sensations that the island has to offer. The descriptions of the sea are particularly moving, and the relationship the narrator has with it is truly touching.
In writing, poems can bring a nostalgic and poetic touch to a story, adding to its beauty. Blank spaces on pages can act like silences conveying emotions that cannot be expressed through words. A novel full of subtlety can encourage us to look beyond postcard landscapes and broaden our gaze to earthly paradises.
The author's pride in her country's heritage shines through her condemnation of colonialism, especially through the food culture. The novel is punctuated with culinary recipes, which offer a sensorial journey into Creole culture. The language used in describing the dishes transcribes the emotions placed in the cuisine. Priya generously shares cooking recipes, which create an alternative history or archive that resisted and survived colonialism, much like the people did.
“These women were often uneducated, so recipes were their way of passing down their legacy, traditions, customs, and secrets from one generation to another. I wanted to showcase their generosity and highlight what they were doing. The recipes are not fancy or expensive. They consist of simple, everyday foods that can be found at low cost, such as the ingredients to make tomato chutney. The octopus salad is perhaps a little more sophisticated because it requires octopus, but it is still a common dish in Mauritius. Another reason for these recipes was to create a literary pause amidst the violence of the narrative. A little softness and is something to look forward to momentarily. Something that is good for the soul and can help women throughout the day.”
Tour through Europe
In 2023, Priya Hein embarked on a journey across Europe to promote her debut novel, Riambel. During her trip, the author visited the United Kingdom, France, and Norway to showcase her book, which was released in English by The Indigo Press and in French by Éditions Globe. The book rights have also been sold in Catalan (to Sembra Llibres), and all other translation and audiovisual rights are currently available.
The first promotional event for Priya Hein's book was held at Foyles Charing Cross in London. Along with fellow author Florian Grosset, they celebrated a special evening rethinking the history of Mauritius through modern literature. Real Magic Books hosted a reading event the following day to celebrate the book's release. Priya Hein also visited several bookstores, including Pages of Hackney, Daunt Books, Clapham Books, and The Berkhamsted Bookshop, to sign copies of her book.
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