Coming back to Mauritius after a few months in London, my mum was like “tone vine kler bien zoli”
And been even told by a boyfriend I very much regret dating for more than a year, that his sino-Mauritian parents would be embarrassed by me and they wouldn’t like my friends (mix of ethnicities), because under any circumstances even if I have some Asian blood too, not that it matters really, did I look like a sino-Mauritian. I was “Enn fam nwar”. He said he loved me and my gorgeous skin colour is what attracted him at first. But that same skin colour doesn’t fit his parents ideals and he doesn’t want to hurt them (???). I would be an embarrassment, a stain in other words. If I had been white though like his sister’s husband, that would have been welcomed.
All those and more, I’ve heard so many times. It’s crazy how skin colour affects people and their thinking. They would rather diminish others than step up themselves and reflect on their own behaviour and perception.
Your article was beautiful to read thank you for sharing.
Thank you for taking the time to flesh out these difficult experiences in this space. I am so sorry you had to endure such misogynoir in your relationship, and the micro-aggressions in own your family. How could he just pass on his parents' violence onto you, with a generous sprinkle of fetishisation, if he really loved you? I have been reading many testimonies like your own and it is clear that, sadly, our generation won't be the ones to put "an end" to colourism. Many of us still perpetuate its heartbreaking legacy in our homes, our intimacy, and our workplaces. Thank you for reading and for sharing your thoughts, I really appreciate it.
When I was told my daughter was turning brown like her dad 🤦🏻♀️ When she was bullied by a white kid at school about her skin colour, when I see brown people lightening their skin then talk about being natural 🤦🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
So many fake people being glamourised and promoted when all they are doing is promoting body shaming. Local and international!
Thank you for this. Went directly to my heart ♥️🙏🏼
It breaks my heart that your daughter, who must have been young at the time, was on the receiving end of such comments. It's crazy how early it starts, and how we pass on these insecurities onto the next generations. Wild!
Thank you for reading and sharing your story in this space - every single testimony adds to the conversation.
Oh this is so true !!! I met a ‘mauritian’ in Bordeaux who was just like this. He called himself A Mauritian when he didn’t even experience living in Mauritius. I remember being soo so angry . It’s quite disturbing seeing people live like this but like I often say those fellow mauritian “plis francais qui francais et plis blanc qui blanc” 🥲
Samem sa!! Nou tou konn sa. They are completely alienated from their sense of self and identity, and project their self-hatred onto the rest of us. But it's not entirely their fault - we grow up in a system that instils self-hatred in us. It's really complex! Mais bon, ena fwa nou dissan bwi kan nou tan sa ban kalite koze la. Prefer ale sa! Mersi pou to temwaniaz an tou ka.
Great article. I had the opportunity to reflect on colorism in Mauritius a couple of years ago when I did a research for work to enter the beautiful sector in India and the US.
In the US, it was interesting to learn that the background of colorism goes back to slavery, where slaves with lighter skin tones were in the house and dark slaves in the fields. Light skins got the opportunity to read, get an education...better job. This divide is still visible today: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/apr/09/colorism-racism-why-black-people-discriminate-among-ourselves. This is so visible in Mauritius amongst the kreol but hope that one day we will see beyond this division and will allow us to move forward with the reparations for slavery conversation.
Thank you for reading and for your commentary + resources. As the article you shared rightly suggests, colourism is internalised white supremacy. I also remember the pots of Fair and Lovely cream aligned on my aunt's dresser. It had a very dense consistency and a strange smell - but I had no idea, as a child, why she was lathering herself with it. That product was omnipresent in most women's skin care routine back in the days. Also, many famous contemporary Bollywood actresses have done some ad work for F&L at some point. It's a nightmare!
Ça m'a beaucoup "éclairé" :) de lire "Le malaise Créole etnnic Identity" de Rosabelle Boswell. Cette recherche de "purity" et ce rejet de "hybridity" est expliqué. J'ai réalisé que c'était bien plus complexe que d'avoir la peau claire. Mo mem mo enn Créol milat 🤪En ce moment, je vis à Pailotte où j'ai acheté une maison. Et bien tenez vous, toutes les semaines j'ai la chance que ma voisine "Nani", m'insulte. "Créole pa konn viv" et le dernier en date c'est "créole CACA". J'ai été à la police plusieurs fois. Rien de concluant. Son petit fils m'a traité de "pitin" etc. Oui je suis mauricienne. Non je ne bougerai pas de là. Maurice c'est mon pays au même titre que n'importe quel mauricien. Si vous voulez venir manifester devant ma porte, let me know 🤪 En attendant, je lis du Mandela et du Luther King pour me donner du courage. Nous donner du courage à ma petite famille de créoles🙂
Je suis désolée et enragée que t’aies du subir ces remarques racistes et misogynes. Exakteman, to pa pou bouze. Je vais relire “Le malaise créole” bientôt, et je suis d’accord avec toi - les lectures des “elders” nous aide à comprendre la complexité de nos histoires plurielles, et de nous rendre compte que cette lutte nous précède. Courage à toi et merci de partager ton témoignage ici.
C'est un plaisir de partager avec des gens qui comprennent l'injustice subie. Mais je me dis que je trouverai la lumière au bout du tunnel. Step by step. Ce combat fait de nous des gens meilleurs, plus conscients, plus solides, plus humains. 'The other' à l'image du Caliban Warrior, prend la charge du discours. Oui je ne cède pas ma place comme Rosa Parks! Essayer d'être le capitaine de ma destinée malgré ces "cacades"🤣 Le challenge c'est de conserver sa joie et son sourire. Merci Sabrina pour cette plateforme ! Take Care 🙂
If I was in that situation, I'd be so uncomfortable. Like who the hell saw that Mauritian girls are not pretty ? I lived in mru for 20 years and I saw many girls who are comfortable in their skin. How ironic to be a Mauritian who doesn't appreciate the multicultural aspect of our island.
Also, I wouldn't appreciate it if my bf said that girls in my country aren't pretty ...
Those were literally the thoughts racing through my mind as she waited for me to react to her comment. AND that last line - clearly they are made for one another because they both sure don't know how to properly compliment somebody!
“Li nwar me so leker kler.”
“Tone sombrer, mett la creme.”
Coming back to Mauritius after a few months in London, my mum was like “tone vine kler bien zoli”
And been even told by a boyfriend I very much regret dating for more than a year, that his sino-Mauritian parents would be embarrassed by me and they wouldn’t like my friends (mix of ethnicities), because under any circumstances even if I have some Asian blood too, not that it matters really, did I look like a sino-Mauritian. I was “Enn fam nwar”. He said he loved me and my gorgeous skin colour is what attracted him at first. But that same skin colour doesn’t fit his parents ideals and he doesn’t want to hurt them (???). I would be an embarrassment, a stain in other words. If I had been white though like his sister’s husband, that would have been welcomed.
All those and more, I’ve heard so many times. It’s crazy how skin colour affects people and their thinking. They would rather diminish others than step up themselves and reflect on their own behaviour and perception.
Your article was beautiful to read thank you for sharing.
Thank you for taking the time to flesh out these difficult experiences in this space. I am so sorry you had to endure such misogynoir in your relationship, and the micro-aggressions in own your family. How could he just pass on his parents' violence onto you, with a generous sprinkle of fetishisation, if he really loved you? I have been reading many testimonies like your own and it is clear that, sadly, our generation won't be the ones to put "an end" to colourism. Many of us still perpetuate its heartbreaking legacy in our homes, our intimacy, and our workplaces. Thank you for reading and for sharing your thoughts, I really appreciate it.
When I was told my daughter was turning brown like her dad 🤦🏻♀️ When she was bullied by a white kid at school about her skin colour, when I see brown people lightening their skin then talk about being natural 🤦🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
So many fake people being glamourised and promoted when all they are doing is promoting body shaming. Local and international!
Thank you for this. Went directly to my heart ♥️🙏🏼
It breaks my heart that your daughter, who must have been young at the time, was on the receiving end of such comments. It's crazy how early it starts, and how we pass on these insecurities onto the next generations. Wild!
Thank you for reading and sharing your story in this space - every single testimony adds to the conversation.
Oh this is so true !!! I met a ‘mauritian’ in Bordeaux who was just like this. He called himself A Mauritian when he didn’t even experience living in Mauritius. I remember being soo so angry . It’s quite disturbing seeing people live like this but like I often say those fellow mauritian “plis francais qui francais et plis blanc qui blanc” 🥲
Samem sa!! Nou tou konn sa. They are completely alienated from their sense of self and identity, and project their self-hatred onto the rest of us. But it's not entirely their fault - we grow up in a system that instils self-hatred in us. It's really complex! Mais bon, ena fwa nou dissan bwi kan nou tan sa ban kalite koze la. Prefer ale sa! Mersi pou to temwaniaz an tou ka.
Great article. I had the opportunity to reflect on colorism in Mauritius a couple of years ago when I did a research for work to enter the beautiful sector in India and the US.
One of the best selling product for a company like Unilever is Fair and Lovely, their skin whitening product in India ( and south east Asia). There, having light skin is opening the door for more career opportunities (even in Bollywood) and opportunities to progress in the society: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/25/unilever-rename-fair-and-lovely-skin-lightening-cream-inclusive-beauty
In the US, it was interesting to learn that the background of colorism goes back to slavery, where slaves with lighter skin tones were in the house and dark slaves in the fields. Light skins got the opportunity to read, get an education...better job. This divide is still visible today: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/apr/09/colorism-racism-why-black-people-discriminate-among-ourselves. This is so visible in Mauritius amongst the kreol but hope that one day we will see beyond this division and will allow us to move forward with the reparations for slavery conversation.
Thank you for reading and for your commentary + resources. As the article you shared rightly suggests, colourism is internalised white supremacy. I also remember the pots of Fair and Lovely cream aligned on my aunt's dresser. It had a very dense consistency and a strange smell - but I had no idea, as a child, why she was lathering herself with it. That product was omnipresent in most women's skin care routine back in the days. Also, many famous contemporary Bollywood actresses have done some ad work for F&L at some point. It's a nightmare!
Ça m'a beaucoup "éclairé" :) de lire "Le malaise Créole etnnic Identity" de Rosabelle Boswell. Cette recherche de "purity" et ce rejet de "hybridity" est expliqué. J'ai réalisé que c'était bien plus complexe que d'avoir la peau claire. Mo mem mo enn Créol milat 🤪En ce moment, je vis à Pailotte où j'ai acheté une maison. Et bien tenez vous, toutes les semaines j'ai la chance que ma voisine "Nani", m'insulte. "Créole pa konn viv" et le dernier en date c'est "créole CACA". J'ai été à la police plusieurs fois. Rien de concluant. Son petit fils m'a traité de "pitin" etc. Oui je suis mauricienne. Non je ne bougerai pas de là. Maurice c'est mon pays au même titre que n'importe quel mauricien. Si vous voulez venir manifester devant ma porte, let me know 🤪 En attendant, je lis du Mandela et du Luther King pour me donner du courage. Nous donner du courage à ma petite famille de créoles🙂
Je suis désolée et enragée que t’aies du subir ces remarques racistes et misogynes. Exakteman, to pa pou bouze. Je vais relire “Le malaise créole” bientôt, et je suis d’accord avec toi - les lectures des “elders” nous aide à comprendre la complexité de nos histoires plurielles, et de nous rendre compte que cette lutte nous précède. Courage à toi et merci de partager ton témoignage ici.
C'est un plaisir de partager avec des gens qui comprennent l'injustice subie. Mais je me dis que je trouverai la lumière au bout du tunnel. Step by step. Ce combat fait de nous des gens meilleurs, plus conscients, plus solides, plus humains. 'The other' à l'image du Caliban Warrior, prend la charge du discours. Oui je ne cède pas ma place comme Rosa Parks! Essayer d'être le capitaine de ma destinée malgré ces "cacades"🤣 Le challenge c'est de conserver sa joie et son sourire. Merci Sabrina pour cette plateforme ! Take Care 🙂
After a few days in Mauritius, I got my Mauritian tan back and my own Mum told me I looked prettier on the first day I came 🤦🏾♂️
Ayo. And we both know that you’re at fullest potential under the Mauritian sun vs. the Metz grisaille
If I was in that situation, I'd be so uncomfortable. Like who the hell saw that Mauritian girls are not pretty ? I lived in mru for 20 years and I saw many girls who are comfortable in their skin. How ironic to be a Mauritian who doesn't appreciate the multicultural aspect of our island.
Also, I wouldn't appreciate it if my bf said that girls in my country aren't pretty ...
Those were literally the thoughts racing through my mind as she waited for me to react to her comment. AND that last line - clearly they are made for one another because they both sure don't know how to properly compliment somebody!
Sadly it doesn't even surprise me anymore 😔
I feel you. It shouldn’t surprise me anymore, but it still catches me off guard when it happens