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     Bringing the lions to life!!   Lion dance has been part of the Chinese Culture for thousands of years and is very popular around the world. Traditionally, lion dances are performed to scare off bad or evil spirits with loud drums and cymbals and to attract good fortune and good luck. There are a number of myths around the lion dance, one of which is a celebration in a village when a mythical monster called Nian was driven away successfully. Did you know that before the lions do their performances, they must first be blessed by an eye dotting ceremony or a lion-awakening ritual? The purpose of this blessing ceremony is to awake and empower the lion so that it can bring protection, good luck, health and prosperity. During the eye dotting ceremony, the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, body and legs are dotted in red with a brush.                                                                                              Dot the eyes, so that the lion can see. Dot the nose so that i
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Sharing the making of Tangloon

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The New Chinatown Foundation is a non profit organisation with the main aim to revive Chinatown. In 2018, with the participation of a Chinese artist, Mr. Yan Jing, Tangloon, the biggest eco-friendly dragon in Africa made up of recycled plastic bottles was born in Chinatown. This year, we are renovating Tangloon with the help of Sov Lanatir and Nos Enfants de Demain. In line with our mission to promote our cultural heritage, we decided to share the making of Tangloon with our children, the leaders of tomorrow and thus visited the Villiers Rene Government school, one of the oldest and well known primary school located in the capital of Mauritius. What a warm welcome from both the staff and the students of this prestigious school. The kids were full of excitement and what wonderful moments were spent with the children. Our team members taught the children how to assemble and put together the cut plastic bottles to make the different part of the dragon.                                     
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Ene soleil ape lever!

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Today, we met with the scouts of Moka/St Pierre. A group of around 25 children came to Chinatown for a visit and only one kid had come to Chinatown before!  What a better way to start the visit with a first stop at the Chan Chak Pagoda.          After a taste of “gato gingelli”, their visit continued with a tour along the streets of Chinatown to see some of the murals, Tangloon and of course, a must stop in Chinatown - Manga Street where the Live Jam was in full swing. With excitement, selfies and pictures session followed.  But that was not the best moment! It was the sharing that followed, starting with Nathan who through his song, gave to the children a special message - do not be afraid to follow your dreams. Picking up the guitar, which is bigger than him and sitting behind the piano, two little ones started playing while the scouts sang “ene soleil ape lever lor Port Louis, ene soleil, ene soleil, ene lespwar ki met la joie dans lil maurice”, a song improvised on the spot! Awesom
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Choysin Pagoda

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  So colorful! On 8 September 2020, on my way home after work, I noticed the door of Choy Sin Pagoda in Chinatown, usually closed at this time, wide open and incense burning. This tickled my curiosity and I decided to make a detour and go in the pagoda. What a surprise!!  Two ladies and a gentleman were busy preparing and making sure the Pagoda is ready to welcome people coming to celebrate Choy Sin’s birthday. The sweets, the buns, the fruits, the cakes, the incense, the money for burning etc. were all prepared and ready and set up very nicely on the table.   I learned that Choy Sin is the Chinese God of wealth and prosperity. And today, people will still come and pray and give offerings as well as burn money papers. Let me share some pictures. Sep 9, 2020
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Le Chinatown d`aujourd`hui

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Imaginez une ville ou les rues et les places sont convenablement disposées, soit pour le transport, soit pour abriter contre le vent ou le soleil. Les édifices sont bâtis confortablement ; ils brillent d’élégance et de propreté, et forment deux rangs continus, suivant toute la longueur des rues, dont la largeur est minutieusement pensée. Derrière et entre les maisons se trouvent de vastes jardins, qui témoignent le mode de vie sain que les gens ont adoptées. Ceci est la description d’une ville idéale : Alors c’est bien évidemment un rêve qui ne vaut rien…Faux ! Aujourd’hui avec tous les  bouleversements sociaux, politiques et écologiques qu’il y a, il est naturel de rêver d’un endroit idéal dans lequel ces problèmes n’existent plus. Le rêve est l’un des plus grands outils que procède qu’un qui a la volonté de créer quelque chose, que ce soit une peinture extraordinaire, un architecture ingénieux ou même une ville meilleur. L’ironie c’est que tout le monde posséde cet outil et c’est ce
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Shades of Chinatown

PART ONE -"RED" “He who is to be happy and wise must constantly grow and change” - Confucius. I had an epiphany on a Friday afternoon as I walked around filming with Jade. The sun had just begun to set, painting the sky shades of red, rays mingling with the roaming clouds to form a picturesque anomaly. I looked at what resembled a blazing hot flame in the sky, feeling a strong hankering towards an enchanting dream that I still cannot put to words. I heard the cry of a phoenix in the distance. For a split second, the world around me glitched and reality began to swim. I seem to have been the only one who noticed the gigantic phoenix rise as it slowly spread it's crimson red wings across the entirety of Chinatown. Immense emotion filled my heart as I saw the future, one of prosperity and one filled with intensity. A future of evolution and positive radical change. The future of Chinatown, so bright and exciting. The round red lanterns hanging from buildings seemed to grow b
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Water Cube Cup 2020

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You're certainly wondering what the Water Cube Cup is, right? Is this something related to water, a cube or a cup? If you thought so, you're completely in the wrong direction just like what I thought at first. The ‘Water Cube Cup’ is actually a Chinese song contest for overseas Chinese including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. There are over 60 million overseas Chinese in the world and more than 30 countries participating in this international contest. This tenth Water Cube Cup International contest is organised by Beijing Radio and Television Station, Beijing Gehua Culture Development Group Co., Ltd, Beijing National Swimming Center Co. Ltd and Beijing Performance Co. Ltd. It’s an event which is sponsored by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Beijing Municipal People’s Government, Information Office of Beijing Municipal People’s Government, Beijing State owned Assets Management Co. Ltd and Beijing Gehua Media Group Co., Ltd.  The aim of this wonderful competition is to promot
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Keep them alive

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Old is gold! As people get older and older, they are often put aside and forgotten. But we should remember that our elders are rich in stories and culture. Since the elders had a very long journey , they do have several stories to convey to their surrounding, especially to their offspring and grandchildren. For instance, narrating a funny story about oneself or even the history of one’s origin. Apart from these stories, the elders inculcate and guide the younger ones with the values of life and culture -How to overcome everyday life problems and the way to perform certain rituals and traditions. But what’s the point of getting knowledge of these? The answer is easy. Aren’t we curious by nature? And don’t we want to have an identity? The stories of their experience and of our culture narrated surely will create good memories, help us to identify our origin and clear our doubts. Added to that, once the old persons will be gone, we’ll be able to remember them with what they taught us and
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Location: Mauritius
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Who doesn’t like to eat ice-cream?

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Since Live Jam started at Venpin Street, Feroz is always present with his ice-cream bike at the corner of Emmanuel Anquetil Street and Venpin Street. Listening to the live jam and serving his ice cream as and when clients approached his “Florida Ice Cream” bike.          Feroz is 69 years old going on 70 next January. It’s been 11 years since he started to sell ice-cream. He learned to make ice-cream in Plaine Vertes and very soon after that, he had his bike and started to sell ice-cream in the streets of Chinatown. During the week, in the morning and during break times, he can be found in the school yard of Sir Edgar Laurent Govt School on Dr Sun Yat Sen Street, much to the joy of the kids.                              Talking to Feroz, he was all so smiley as he talks about his ice-cream which had pieces of prune today and topped with a special red dressing. So yummy, one just wasn’t enough!    When you are next in Chinatown, go meet Feroz for his ice-cream!
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The Memorial Roll Chinatown: A Journey through Time

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Time goes by; we often fail to realise how fast it does. The previous sentence you read is already in the past. Can you believe it? Take a time and reflect how many past events, memories or traditions are remembered. The fact is that engrossed in our daily life, we often overlook what endears us most...  This realisation pushed my usually under-explored creative prowess to think deep; I persistently desired about a memorial that conveys stories from the past that our present eyes cannot tell. This structure would focus our glance on the history that we overlook or are unaware of.   Pictures were the answer. Images, despite being still, release deep - sometimes vague - emotions. The interpreter is left to analyse for himself what the photographer wishes to tell. This uncertainty further sparked my interest: I wanted onlookers to understand for themselves the history that these pictures tell, rather than impose my perspective.  Yet, pictures need a structural base that holds them steady
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The future, our future!

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Hi there ! The youth is well-known to be a great element of a country. Youth are often seen as people without any ambition or even someone with no tomorrow but deep inside of them, they are the ones who can take the world to the path of success. Youth is our future! The youngsters are energetic and enthusiastic. They are able to learn and adapt to any environment. And in so doing, they can surely achieve their goals. In every project, the participation of the youths is called for. Many people think that youngsters don’t show any participation in the society. But have you asked yourself ‘why’? Is it because the youngsters feel there is no place for them? They are not understood or don’t have the platform or the opportunity to show their worth? Can it be due to the superiority of the elders? The state of always being stronger, having the best position and being right? Or the fear of being surpassed by someone younger?  It is very easy to judge people or to point fingers. Whatever the rea
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Magic in chinatown – the inspiration

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Warm greetings to all of you. Did you ever ask yourself  how the Manga Street got so attractive. It was not just the paintings and the hard work implemented. It was also the immense love of the comics shared by the people that  elevated the image of this street again. What if, there could be more? What if you could dream more?  What if you could in some way embrace magic in the streets of Chinatown. I, Mohammad Jalloud Abdool Cader Fakeermahamod, am going to tell you what made me feel that Chinatown could use some of the magic from the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Yes, you read that right. Harry Potter will not just be limited to the movies and books only. You will be able to physically touch the trolley entering the nine and three quarter platform. What a scene that was in the 2001 movie! Need a memory refresh of what I am talking about. No problem;                                                                           Unfortunately Daniel Radcliff will not be there but you wil
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