Acorit

by Emmanuel Richon

The author Emmanuel Richon, in his new book Acorit comes up with a new
concept to explain interculturality in the Mauritian context.

In his analysis, the author deconstructs the concept of interculturality, within the
Mauritian perspective, to show us that at the core of it lies/lays (the answer) this
new concept - which he calls - Acorit.

The author raises very important questions, and also points to the fact that the
media there is dealing with what is perceived to be a tangible paradox in the
everyday life of the Mauritian population. Is it really the ideal paradise (image)
we continuously sell or is it hell for the people there? Whether an intercultural
society is, in the long term, a recipe for disaster is not an idea that most of us
entertain with a degree of conviction; nevertheless, the author Issa Asgarally
postulates such a belief and believes the cataclysm is latent. The author similarly
raises the question whether there is really conflict in such an amalgam of
cultures, and explains to us that, without a doubt, it is clear that conflict is
present. And that according to the law/unity of opposites, based on the Kantian
theory, we are naturally bound to have discord in order to have accord. Thus
interculturallity does not necessarily bring about the kind of harmony one hopes
for within a society, as otherwise it is lack vigour and will wither away. That this
process of discord and accord is natural and important, otherwise society will
lack the constant, continuous, impetus/dynamics for it to progress with
equilibrium and enrichment in its evolution. It is believed that such a process will
bring about a rapprochement, a better understanding of the different cultures;
and in the course of it, all the cultures involved are enriching each other.
However, the author here posits that this process has, at the core as on the
surface, begun a very long time ago.

He explains that we do not have to think intercultural to become intercultural.

This idea of thinking of the intercultural now in an effort to achieve it in the
future is a misconception - a fallacy. This is what some intellectuals and
government officials are, in theory, imposing on its subjects. Making the people
believe that there is an ultimate good - sonnum bonum - for them to strive for.

The author asks such questions as are the people being alienated and forced into
embracing a concept that they themselves find intangible and elusive; the power
that be and some of the intellectuals are making this intercultural phenomenon a
sine qua non. And the author asks, should not the people be feeling free to
embrace (as they already have) otherness, without this constant, continuous,
rhetoric and demagogical discourse?

The author moreover advances that the people have already been living,
experiencing, and feeling the good entente amongst themselves between
neighbours. That Interculturality has taken place a long time ago, and it took
place in/through various aspects of the Mauritian society. He shows us with
concrete examples that this practice is already in the here and now (to think
that we have to make it happen is acting as a hindrance to its continuous
progress) and it has taken place at the very inception of this relatively new
nation. He illustrates this in the habits of the various groups of the population on
the island; and confirms that we already have a mosaic/plural identity.

He further explains that we ought not to think of interculturality as a fix

ensemble of individual cultures, juxtaposed, and impermeable. Along the same
line as no man is an island, a culture is the same, it needs, borrows and relies
on other cultures. A culture evolves, it does not remain fix and stagnant. And the
fact that there was no indigenous culture, the various groups have learned to
cope, adjust and adapt to their new environment. And as all the different
cultures converged in this new context, there was only one way to progress, to
move forward and they found it in acorit.

The author confirms that the word acorit itself was a word invented, in that
context, on the island of Mauritius, for there was a need for it.

In many ways, Mauritians have broken down barriers (communal/ethnic, etc.)

and have learned to be friendly with one another from the very beginning. The
author illustrates this through many examples, and one of them is during the
period of slavery. A period seen as the matrix for acorit: a new context common
to all which was conducive to this attitude. He describes that we understand
ourselves in that we see ourselves in others - see oneness in otherness. Thus, in
the process, there is no doubt, we understand the experience as real and not as
self-deceiving. And in so doing, from the inception of our society, we understood
otherness - lalterit. And this process has been pivotal/vital for the different
groups of people to work together, properly, in accord.

LAcorit, further explains the author, is a Mauritian Creole culture, it is a new -

art - way of living together. As a concept it continuously places othernessbefore
sameness and its process consists of a radical movement from sameness
towards otherness thus acorit. This concept of acorit has survived well until
the 80s, says the author, when the economic boom brought about this new
individualistic mentality. Nevertheless all is not lost, since it is a society built on
mutual respect and also on tolerance, which is seen as a choice rather than an
innate attitude.

The author emphasises the fact that interculturality (accorit) is already here, in
a continuous process, we need to live it in the here and now: Ce faisant, en
repoussant constamment linterculturel dans le futur, on nglige sans doute la
complexit du rel dj prsent, qui comporte toujours la fois et plus ou moins,
un multiculturel de sparation, un transculturel dunion, un interculturel
dchange et un co-culturel de projets.

The author has gone to great length to explain the Mauritian psychology to us;
and in so doing has got/revealed a good grasp of the Mauritian psyche, and has
shown us truly where this entente between cultures emanates from in accorit.
All that remains, for us, to do is to consciously embrace what we have held dear
through decades of progress, and continue to enjoy this rich and beautiful
society that we live in.

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MauritiusMag