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On July 25, 2020, the Japanese ship MV Wakashio ran aground on the coral reef off the east coast of Mauritius. The ship offloaded more than 1,000 tons of oil into the island’s pristine lagoon, including its Blue Bay marine reserve.
The situation is critical because Mauritius is a focus of biodiversity. But beyond the environmental consequences, there is the human impact. Oil spills have important social and health implications. Those exposed can suffer liver damage, skin and lung disorders, increased risk of cancer, reproductive damage, and post-traumatic stress.
In response to the crisis, the Mauritian government temporarily closed schools and gave fishermen small compensation. . Citizens also marched admirably to stem the oil tide.
Over the years, Mauritius has become a middle-income country, with the growth of its financial, industrial, tourism, and information technology industries. But the ocean remains of great importance to many poorer Mauritians who depend on it for their livelihood, culture and leisure.
It is particularly important for vulnerable communities living in villages along the coast, the majority of whom are Creoles, of African descent and Malagasy. From the mid-17th to the 18th century, the ancestors of the Creoles were brought to Mauritius and forced into slavery. After the abolition of slavery in 1835, many Creoles settled in coastal towns.
When Mauritius gained independence in 1968, it was still a hierarchical society. It continues to be run by powerful Franco-Mauritian families and influential “upper caste” Hindu Mauritians. Dynastic politics became the norm.
Despite advances in tourism and human development, some communities struggle with poverty and are marginalized.
Although the collection of ethnic data on who lives and where ceased in the early 1980s, I have conducted research on racism, poverty and social change in Mauritius for more than 20 years. In my experience, the villages most affected by the oil spill are among the poorest areas of the island. These towns are also inhabited mostly by Creoles.
A Truth and Justice Commission (TJC) in 2011 documented that African descendants in Mauritius still suffer from racism and poverty. She also asked:
reparations through positive discrimination and a comprehensive rehabilitation plan in the schooling of children, better housing conditions, elimination of discrimination in the labor market, whether in the public and private sectors, revision of the electoral system to pave the way towards a better representation in Creole electoral districts.
The oil spill highlights the plight of impoverished communities living along the coast, and policy makers must act on the report’s recommendation to address inequalities in Mauritian society.
Poverty
The areas hardest hit by the oil spill include the main city of the Grand Port district, Mahebourg and seven other villages in the southeast. According to language use and religious practices recorded in the 2011 Mauritius census, these villages are predominantly inhabited by Creoles and other vulnerable communities that depend on the ocean for their livelihoods.
A Facebook group titled “Rivière des Creoles”, after a river in southeast Mauritius, has shared images of oil-soaked mangroves, beaches and dead fish, and images of locals sunk knee-deep in oil residue. This is just a snapshot of what these communities are facing now.
Artisanal fishing is vital to provide employment and protein opportunities to more than 4,000 households in the coastal regions.
The beaches and the sea are also culturally important in Mauritius. Creole communities created the music and dance of the Sega. Traditionally performed on the beach, Sega’s music and dance still provide a respite from hard work. Public beaches and lagoons are environmental and cultural assets.
The oil spill will be disastrous for these communities. By looking at the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico ten years later, researchers found dangerous toxins in popularly consumed fish, equally toxic results are evident in humans.
My concern is that the oil spill will be especially disastrous for vulnerable coastal creoles, not only because of the immediate and long-term health implications, but because the creoles remain marginalized. They are at a higher risk of not being helped to sue for damages.
Going forward
To ensure the protection of vulnerable coastal communities, the response of leaders to the disaster must be transparent, coordinated, supportive and swift.
Leaders must address the immediate effects of disasters and anticipate the long-term consequences. Communities exposed to oil, for example, should be monitored to allow early detection of damage related to exposure.
The government, together with civil society, must also claim damages from the de jure owners of the MV Wakashio, who in turn must pay for the immediate and anticipated loss of ecological, economic, health and cultural benefits. Apologies are not enough.
Rosabelle Boswell receives funding from the UK GCRF One Ocean Hub project and the South African National Research Foundation.
By Rosabelle Boswell, Professor of Ocean Cultures and Heritage, Nelson Mandela University
