Famous people from Mauritius
Here is a list of famous people from Mauritius. Curious if anybody from Mauritius made it our most famous people in the world list? Read the aformentioned article in order to find out.
Navin Ramgoolam
Politician
Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, FRCP, MP is the incumbent Prime Minister of Mauritius, Minister of Rodrigues, Outer Islands & Dependencies, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications and Leader of the National Assembly. He is a Mauritian politician who has been Prime Minister of Mauritius since 2005; previously he was Prime Minister from 1995 to 2000. Being the leader of the Mauritian Labour Party, he serves as Member of Parliament for constituency No. 5 Triolet & Pamplemousses since 1991.
Viveka Babajee
Actor
Viveka Babajee was a Mauritian model and actress. She held the titles of Miss Mauritius World 1993 and Miss Mauritius Universe 1994. She was best known for her KamaSutra condom advertisements of the 1990s, and for her involvement in the so-called Metro Manila Film Festival scam of 1994. Babajee was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her apartment on 25 June 2010 at her Bandra residence in Mumbai. The police reports stated that she committed suicide due to depression.
Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard
Physician
Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard FRS, also known as Charles Edward, was a Mauritian physiologist and neurologist who, in 1850, became the first to describe what is now called Brown-Séquard syndrome.
Anerood Jugnauth
Politician
Sir Anerood Jugnauth, KCMG, QC, GCSK, PC, LLB, GOLH, GOP, ORS is a Mauritian politician who was President of Mauritius from 2003 to 2012. Previously he was Prime Minister of Mauritius from 1982 to 1995 and again from 2000 to 2003. He is the patriarch of the Jugnauth Family of Mauritius. He served four consecutive terms as Prime Minister from 1982 to 1995 and was then voted out of office from 1995 to 2000. He was the prime minister who held the office for the longest run, one of 16 years, overtaking Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, who held the office for 14 years. As leader of the Militant Socialist Movement, he became Prime Minister again, for a fifth term, after the 2000 election. His alliance partner, Paul Bérenger of the Mauritian Militant Movement, succeeded him in 2003 after serving as Jugnauth's deputy for three years. Jugnauth was then elected President in 2003. He was a Member of Parliament for 35 years, from 1963 to 1995 and from 2000 to 2003. Often nicknamed as Rambo, in Mauritian politics, he is known as such for his personality as he is the only prime minister who won four general parliamentary elections in a row, those in 1982, 1983, 1987, 1991. He is also the only Mauritian who has served as Leader of the Opposition, Prime Minister and President of the country. He is the only prime minister to have had a sibling and his son in his own cabinet from 2000 to 2003.
Françoise Pascal
Actor
Françoise Pascal is an actress/model who was born to French Mauritian parents; Mauritius was then a colony of the United Kingdom. She is best known for her comedy role in the British sitcom Mind Your Language.
Paul Bérenger
Politician
Paul Raymond Bérenger GCSK, MP is a Mauritian politician who was Prime Minister of Mauritius from 2003 to 2005. He has been Leader of the Opposition from 2005 to 2006 and 2007 to January 2013. He came back in office on October 1, 2013 after his medical treatment following a cancer. Previously, he was Deputy Prime Minister from 1995 to 1997 and again from 2000 to 2003. He was also a cabinet minister in the government of Sir Anerood Jugnauth in 1982 and 1991. In 2003, Berenger took office as Prime Minister following the resignation of then Prime Minister Jugnauth after serving as his deputy for three years. He led the MSM/MMM coalition government for a period of one year and nine months before his alliance lost the elections to the Labour Party in 2005. He has also held the office of Leader of the Opposition from 1983 to 1987 and then Minister of External Affairs from 1991 to 1993 and has held the office of Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius twice from 1995 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2003. In 1982 he was Minister of Finance same as from 2000 to 2003. Berenger is of French descent and was born in Mauritius. He is one of the most prominent political figures in the island and is considered to be popular as much as grand personalities as Navin Ramgoolam, Pravind Jugnauth and Anerood Jugnauth. He is the leader and founder of the Mauritian Militant Movement which is one of the leading political parties which received 42.9% of votes in the last general elections of 2010.
Robert Nairac
Military Person
Captain Robert Laurence Nairac GC was a British Army officer who was abducted from a pub in Dromintee, south County Armagh, during an undercover operation and killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on his fourth tour of duty in Northern Ireland as a Military Intelligence Liaison Officer. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross in 1979. A number of claims have been made about both Nairac's involvement in the killing of an IRA member and his collusion with loyalist paramilitaries, however he was never charged. Whilst several men have been imprisoned for his death, the whereabouts of his body remains unknown.
Arnaud Casquette
Olympic athlete
Arnaud Casquette is a Mauritian long jumper. He finished seventh at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and fifth at the 2006 African Championships. He won the silver medal at the 2007 All-Africa Games. He also competed at the World Championships in 2001 and 2007 as well as the Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000. He was qualified for the 2008 Olympics, but did not compete because of injury. His personal best jump is 8.23 metres, achieved in July 2003 in Sestriere. The Mauritian record is currently held by Jonathan Chimier with 8.28 metres. At the 2005 Jeux de la Francophonie he tested positive for the banned substance cannabis and was suspended between December 2005 and June 2006.
Gustave de Kervern
Screenwriter
Gustave de Kervern is a French film actor, director and screenwriter. He is best known for his collaboration with Benoît Delépine. In 2004 he wrote, directed, and starred in Aaltra with Benoît Delépine. Also with Delépine, he has directed and starred in Avida, which was screened out of competition at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. The duos film Louise-Michel won a Special Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Their 2010 film Mammuth starred Gérard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani. It was nominated for the Golden Bear award at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. Their 2012 film Le grand soir competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Prize.
Fabrice Lapierre
Olympic athlete
Fabrice Lapierre is a Mauritian-born Australian long jumper. Lapierre placed 4th at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin, Germany, behind another Australian, Mitchell Watt, who took the bronze. At the 2010 World Indoor Championships in Doha, Qatar, Lapierre won the gold medal with a jump of 8.17 metres, beating both Watt and the defending champion Godfrey Mokoena of South Africa. His personal best jump is 8.40 metres, achieved on 14 July 2010 in Nuoro. Prior to this, his lifetime best was 8.35 metres, achieved on 4th July 2009 in Madrid. He jumped 8.57 metres at the same competition, but there was too much wind. On April 18, 2010, at the Australian Athletics Championship in Perth, Lapierre grabbed the national title with a last-round jump of 8.78, again with an illegal tailwind of +3.1 metres per second. This was the longest jump in the world under any conditions since Iván Pedroso's 8.96 in Sestriere in 1995. Lapierre competed for Texas A&M University in college, and was the NCAA long jump champion at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor National Track and Field Championships. In 2011, Lapierre competed in the third season of the Channel Seven television series Australia's Greatest Athlete.
Jean-Paul Maunick
Blues Artist
Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick is a British guitarist, bandleader, composer and record producer. He has led the British acid jazz band Incognito since its formation in 1979. With Incognito, he has released fourteen studio albums as well as a number of live albums, remix albums and compilation albums. Prior to forming Incognito, Bluey was a founding member of the group Light of the World. His record production credits include artists such as Paul Weller, George Benson, Maxi Priest and Terry Callier; he has also collaborated with Stevie Wonder.
Henri Le Sidaner
Painting Artist
Henri Eugène Augustin Le Sidaner was an intimist painter born to a French family in Port Louis, Mauritius. In 1870 he and his family settled in Dunkirk. Le Sidaner received most of his tutelage from the École des Beaux-Arts under the instruction of Alexandre Cabanel but later broke away due to artistic differences. Between 1885 and 1894 Le Sidaner lived the year round at the Etaples art colony and was joined there by his childhood friend Eugène Chigot, who shared his interest in atmospheric light. Later Le Sidaner traveled extensively throughout France. He also visited many cities around the globe, as well as villages throughout Europe. He exhibited at the Salon, the Galeries Georges Petit in Paris and the Goupil Gallery in London, and settled in Gerberoy. Marcel Proust's mention of Le Sidaner's work in his novel In Search of Lost Time confirms its later reputation. In Sodom and Gomorrah, the narrator mentions that an eminent barrister from Paris had devoted his income to collecting the paintings of the "highly distinguished" but "not great" Le Sidaner.
Bruno Julie
Boxer
Bruno Julie is a Mauritian bantamweight boxer who won a number of medals in international tournaments and competed in the 2008 Olympics when he won the first-ever Olympic medal for the island of Mauritius
Matthew Baillie Begbie
Judge
Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie was born on the island of Mauritius, thereafter raised and educated in the United Kingdom. In 1858, Begbie became the first Chief Justice of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in colonial times and in the first decades after confederation of Canada. Begbie served as the first Judge of the Supreme Court, Colony of British Columbia 1858 to 1866 and then, in the same capacity in the Supreme Court, the United Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia from 1866 to 1870. He was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Colonies from 1870 to 1871 and, following British Columbia joining confederation in 1871, he served as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the new Province of British Columbia until his death on June 11, 1894. In the years after his death, Begbie came to be known as the Hanging Judge.
Kailash Purryag
Politician
Rajkeswur Purryag GCSK, GOSK is the President of Mauritius having taken office in 2012. As such Purryag is the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Mauritius. He was elected as the fifth President of Mauritius by the National Assembly and took office on 21 July 2012. He succeeded Sir Anerood Jugnauth, who spent nine years as President from 2003 until resigning in March 2012. Kailash Purryag previously served as Member of Parliament, Minister and Speaker of the National Assembly; he made his debut in the political arena at an early age in 1976.
Malcolm de Chazal
Author
Malcolm de Chazal was a Mauritian writer, painter, and visionary, known especially for his Sens-Plastique, a work consisting of several thousand aphorisms and pensées. Chazal was born in Vacoas of a French family long established in Mauritius and wrote all his works in French. Except for six years at Louisiana State University, where he received an engineering degree, he spent most of his time in Mauritius where he worked as an agronomist on sugar plantations and later for the Office of Telecommunications. In 1940 he began to publish in Mauritius a series of volumes consisting of hundreds of numbered thoughts and ideas entitled Pensées. In 1945, a seventh volume of Pensées, bound with another collection of unnumbered aphorisms entitled Sens-Plastique appeared, and two years later a separate Sens-Plastique, Volume II, appeared. It was this latter volume on which the Gallimard edition of 1948 was based that brought Chazal into prominence in France. He was hailed as a surrealist by André Breton. The following examples may illustrate the novelty and variety of Sens-Plastique. Half-opened petals give the flower an adenoidal look. We know the halls of the eye like welcome visitors but we live in our mouth.
Pravind Jugnauth
Barrister
Pravind Kumar Jugnauth MP Esq. is a Mauritian politician who served in the government of Mauritius as Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance from 11 May 2010 to 26 July 2011. He is also Member of Parliament for the 8th constituency Quartier Militaire and Moka. He is the heir of the Jugnauth Family a prominent Indo-Mauritian family of Bihari descent settled in Vacoas-Phoenix, Mauritius. He served in Prime Minister Ramgoolam's Cabinet. He previously held the same position from 2003 to 2005. He is the leader of Militant Socialist Movement since 2003 and is the only son of Sir Anerood Jugnauth and Lady Sarojini Jugnauth. His candidacy for Parliamentary General Elections in Constituency No 9, Rose Belle and Vieux Grand Port in 2000 made him elected as Member of Parliament from there. He surprisingly defeated Arvin Boolell who was and outgoing Minister and also 1st member of parliament being elected from that constituency from 1987. He was appointed as Minister of Agriculture by President Uteem to serve in the cabinet. He served as Minister under the premiership of his father Anerood Jugnauth who became Prime Minister in 2000 after winning the elections with then MSM/MMM coalition.
Lise de Baissac
Military Person
Lise Marie Jeanette de Baissac MBE was born in Mauritius of French descent and British nationality. She was a heroine of the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War, a special agent who risked her life running her own operations; she was awarded several gallantry awards after the war.
Fabrice Pithia
Soccer Midfielder
Fabrice Pithia is a Mauritian football player who currently plays for Curepipe Starlight SC in the Mauritian Premier League and for the Mauritius national football team as a midfielder.
Bruno Ravina
Soccer Defender
Bruno Ravina is a Mauritian football player who currently plays for AS Port-Louis 2000 in the Mauritian Premier League and for the Mauritius national football team as a defender. He is featured on the Mauritian national team in the official 2010 FIFA World Cup video game.
Khal Torabully
Author
Khal Torabully is a Mauritian and French poet, who has coined the concept of "coolitude." Born in Mauritius in 1956, in the capital city Port Louis, his father was a Trinidadian sailor and his mother was a descendant of migrants from India and Malaya.
Jerry Louis
Soccer Midfielder
Jerry Louis is a football player who currently plays for Trois Bassins FC in Réunion as a midfielder. He has also represented Mauritius internationally with the Mauritius national football team. He is featured on the Mauritian national team in the official 2010 FIFA World Cup video game.
Eric Milazar
Olympic athlete
Éric Milazar is a Mauritian athlete competing in the 200 metres and 400 metres. He was born in Rodrigues and currently resides in Coromandel, Mauritius. He is the national record holder in the 400m, the 300m, the 200m indoor and the 400m indoor. He also co-holds the Mauritian records in the 4x100m relay and the 4x400m relay. Milazar also competes in the 200 metres and is the second fastest 200 metres sprinter in Mauritius with a time of 20.66 behind Stephan Buckland's 20.06. Milazar is one of the best sportsman in Mauritius and he has represented his country in numerous international athletics events such as the Olympic Games and the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. Milazar is one of the best 400m sprinters in Africa since he has won three consecutive African champion titles at the African Championships in 2000, 2002, 2004 and is the first African athlete in history to achieve that. He eventually reached the final in the 400m at the World Championships, in Edmonton, Canada finishing fourth in a time of 45.13. Two years later, at the Paris World Championships, Milazar again reached the final finishing seventh in 45.17. However, the International Association of Athletics Federations promoted him to fifth place after the disqualification of Americans Jerome Young and Calvin Harrison due to doping offences. As such, Milazar won his semifinal race in a time of 44.75, the second best time of the semifinals behind Tyree Washington's 44.60.
Jacques-Désiré Périatambée
Soccer Midfielder
Jacques-Désiré Périatambée is a Mauritian footballer who plays as a midfielder for French Ligue 2 club SC Bastia. He has also represented Mauritius internationally with Club M. His previous clubs include Auxerre, Troyes, Grenoble, Le Mans, Niort, and Dijon, all in the French football league system.
Karen Foo Kune
Woman
Eileen Karen Lee Chin Foo Kune, born 29th May 1982 is a Mauritian amateur Badminton player, two times Mauritian Sportswoman of the Year, ranked first in the African continent on several occasions. She once participated at the Olympic Games and made the Commonwealth games more often.
Nathacha Appanah
Author
Nathacha Devi Pathareddy Appanah is a Mauritian-French author. She comes from a traditional Indian family, specifically Telegu. She spent most of her teenage years in Mauritius and also worked as a journalist/columnist at Le Mauricien and Week-End Scope before emigrating to France. Since 1998, Nathacha Appanah is well-known as an active writer. Her first book Les Rochers de Poudre d'Or received the " Prix du Livre RFO". The book was based on the arrival of Indian indentured workers in Mauritius. She also wrote two other books Blue Bay Palace and La Noce d'Anna which also received some prizes for best book in some regional festivals in France. The latter is set entirely in France. In 2007, she released her fourth book " Le Dernier Frère " Ed de L'Olivier. This book won the Prix FNAC. Her first language is Mauritian creole, like most people from Mauritius
Nando Bodha
Barrister
Nandcoomar Bodha MP is the former Minister of Tourism & Leisure of Mauritius. He has been holding the office since 11 May 2010 to 26 July 2011 . He held the same office from 2000 to 2003 in the MSM/MMM coalition government. When Pravind Jugnauth was sworn as Deputy Prime Minister, he took the office of Minister of Agriculture in 2003 up to 2005.He was appointed 8th position in the Cabinet of Navin Ramgoolam. He is the general secretary of the Militant Socialist Movement since 1996. He is a journalist by profession graduated from the University of Rennes in France. He has been educator at secondary level before moving to the national television network, the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation in 1980s. In 1991 he is appointed as Managing Director of the MBC, position which he held up to 1995 until Navin Ramgoolam became Prime Minister and appointed another person to the office . He was candidate of the MSM in 1995 but the massive victory of the Mauritian Labour Party & Mauritian Militant Movement alliance decided else. During the period he pursued his studies and graduated from an LLB from the University of Wolverhampton in 1999. He was called to the bar in 2000 and started practice from that period.
Arvin Boolell
Physician
Arvin Boolell GOSK, MP is the foreign minister of Mauritius. He was appointed by President Sir Anerood Jugnauth and took office in September 2008 in the cabinet of Navin Ramgoolam. He belongs to the Boolell dynasty and his father was former Foreign Minister Satcam Boolell and he is a cousin of former foreign minister Anil Gayan. Before serving as Foreign Minister, he was the minister of Agro-Industry and Fisheries of Mauritius, and was involved in negotiations with the European Union over economic issues.
Fabienne St Louis
Triathlete
Fabienne Aline St Louis is a Mauritian professional triathlete, the African U23 vice champion of the years 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010, Elite vice champion of the year 2010, and U23 African Champion of the year 2011. Thanks to a New Flag spot, for which she was the sole contender, St Louis is qualified for the London Olympics 2012 although she ranks only 80th in the 2012 ITU Point List / Women Standing as of 27 May 2012.
Simon Cross
Athlete
Simon Terriss Cross is a Scottish rugby union player. He currently plays in the back row as a flanker for Edinburgh Rugby, who compete in the Magners League and Heineken Cup. Cross was educated at Sedbergh School.
Anil Bachoo
Politician
Anil Kumar Bachoo is the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Public Infrastructure, National Development Unit, Land Transport and Shipping of Mauritius. He has been in office since 13 September 2008 and has already held the office from 2000 to 2005 under the leadership of then MSM/MMM coalition government. From 12 July 2005 to 13 September 2008, he was the Minister of Environment. He is a prominent leader from the Mauritian Labour Party and also a member of parliament for the constituency no 9, Flaq & Bon Acceuil since September 2000. He had previously been MP from 1991 to 1995 until his party alliance MSM/MTD/RMM lost elections to the Mauritian Labour Party alliance .
Fabien Pithia
Soccer Midfielder
Fabien Pithia is a Mauritian footballer who plays for AS Port-Louis 2000 in the Mauritian League as a midfielder.
Cédric Permal
Soccer Defender
Cédric Permal is a Mauritian footballer who currently plays for AS de Vacoas-Phoenix in the Mauritian League as a defender.
Veena Ramgoolam
Woman
Veena Ramgoolam is a Mauritian, the wife of Navin Ramgoolam, the leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister of Mauritius. She held the same post while her husband was in office of Prime Minister twice, once from 1995 to 2000 and secondly from 2005 to 2010.
Alfred Malherbe
Magistrate
Alfred Malherbe was a French magistrate and amateur naturalist born in Mauritius to family originally from Metz. He was the administrator of the Museum of Metz. He devoted his spare time to botany and zoology. He conducted studies of birds of Algeria and Sicily. Malherbe was the author of Monographie des picidées. He identified Levaillant's Woodpecker, which was named for another French scientist, François Le Vaillant. In addition to Monographie des picidées, he was the author of several other ornithological works: ⁕Faune ornithologique de la Sicile : avec des observations sur l'habitat ou l'apparition des oiseaux de cetté ile, etc. - Ornithological fauna of Sicily. ⁕Description de dix espéces nouvelles du genre Picus, Linné., - Description of ten new species from the genus Picus. ⁕Faune ornithologique de l'Algérie - Ornithological fauna of Algeria.
Fabrice Coiffic
Olympic Track and field Athlete
Fabrice Coiffic is a Mauritian sprinter specializing in the 100 metres and 200 metres, who competed in the 2006 Commonwealth Games and 2006 African Championships in Athletics. Coiffic is the third fastest 200m sprinter in Mauritius with a time of 20.89 seconds behind Stephan Buckland's 20.06 seconds and Eric Milazar's 20.66 seconds achieved respectively in Paris, France and La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Fabrice Coiffic's rise to prominence in Mauritian athletics came in 2006 when he reached the final of the 200m at the 2006 African Championships in Athletics where he finished in fifth place. That same year, he participated at the 2006 Commonwealth Games where he reached the quarter final in the 200m race and achieving a new personal best of 20.99. In 2007, Coiffic became the second athlete after Stephan Buckland to win the 100m, the 200m and 4x100m relay events at the Indian Ocean Island Games also known as the Jeux des Iles de L'ocean Indien, held in Antananarivo, Madagascar. In 2008, Coiffic failed to reach the finals of the 100m and 200m at the African Athletics Championships held in Adds Ababa, Ethiopia. In 2009, Coiffic participated at the Francophone Games in Beirut, Lebanon where he came fourth the 200m final in a time of 20.99. He also won a silver medal with the Mauritian relay team in 39.60 seconds. Earlier that year, he achieved a personal best time 20.89 seconds at the Resisprint International Meeting in Switzerland thus making him the third fastest Mauritian sprinter in the half lap event. Furthermore, Coiffic achieved his personal best in the 100m event with a time of 10.45 which he ran on home soil at the Mauritian International Meeting. He ran 10.45 again at the Meeting National D2 Groupama Argentan in France.
Veerasamy Ringadoo
Politician
Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo, GCMG, GCSK, QC, was the Governor General of Mauritius from 17 January 1986 to 12 March 1992, when it became a republic. Ringadoo then served as President until later in 1992, when he was replaced by the democratically elected Cassam Uteem. He is a Tamil by origin and a Hindu. He was a founder of the League of Tamils in 1937. As Finance Minister of Mauritius, Ringadoo was knighted in the 1975 New Year Honours List, and following his appointment as Governor-General, appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George in June 1986.
Jean Margéot
Man
Jean Margéot was Mauritian Roman Catholic priest, bishop and cardinal. A native of Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius, Margéot was ordained as a priest on December 17, 1938. He was consecrated as Bishop of the Diocese of Port-Louis on May 4, 1969 and served until February 15, 1993. He was President of the Conférence Episcopale de l'Océan Indien from 1986-1989. Margéot was elevated to be a Cardinal by Pope John Paul II on June 28, 1988 becoming Cardinal-Priest of San Gabriele Arcangelo all′Acqua Traversa, the first Cardinal from Mauritius. Following his death in 2009 at the age of 93, Margéot was lauded by Pope Benedict XVI in a public statement. He was widely respected for evangelizing by public witness, and extremely active in the formation of the clergy. Along with his involvement in the formation of the young and catechists, he provided spiritual guidance for the Chinese and Indian communities within the diocese's territory.
Caleb Francis
Football player
Caleb Francis is a Mauritian-Norwegian retired football midfielder. He was born in Mauritius, and spent most of his career at Kongsvinger, Bryne and Ull/Kisa. After retiring as an active player he has worked as both football commentator and coach.
Edward Leigh
Cricket Player
Edward Buchanan Leigh was an English cricketer. Leigh was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off break. He was born at Vacoas, British Mauritius. Leigh played Minor Counties Championship cricket for Buckinghamshire, making three appearances against Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire. Later serving in the Raj, Leigh made two first-class appearances for Bihar. The first came in 1936 against Bengal, with Leigh being dismissed in Bihars' first-innings for 11 runs by Probodh Dutt. In their second-innings, he scored 13 runs before being dismissed by the same bowler. His second first-class appearance came the following year against the same opposition. In this second match, Leigh was dismissed for a single run in Bihars' first-innings by Jitendra Banerjee, while in their second-innings he was dismissed for 4 runs by Tom Longfield. He died at Petersfield, Hampshire on 15 August 1994.
Kaya
Musical Artist
Kaya was a Mauritian musician and the creator of "seggae", a fusion of sega and reggae, two of the most popular music genres in Mauritius. Kaya Joseph Reginald Topize was born in Roche-Bois on August 10, 1960, from a family of five children. His father fisherman not able to support his education, left him under the supervision of an uncle. Joseph did not have a very happy childhood. Being both mulatto and Indian, he is very young victim of racism and finds himself left on his own to find odd jobs at the age of 8 years. At 16, he decided to learn guitar, he played hits from Mike Brant, Santana, Deep Purple ... and hosts dances and weddings with his first band, "Wind and Fire" Joseph soon discovers reggae and Bob Marley who becames his idol, he will adopt the same nickname Kaya, in homage to the album of the same name. No more Mike Brant and other pop groups. He is dedicated to present to interpret the songs of Bob, with some imitation elsewhere. Spotted for his talents as a guitarist, he joined the group 'Lélou Menwar'. It's with him that Kaya will make his first real concert and her first studio to record the album 'Letan lenfer'. Back from tour, Kaya decided to gather some friends of Roche-Bois and create the group 'Racinetatan', named after a Malagasy prince exiled in Mauritius. Heavily influenced by reggae and its message, Kaya incorporated many of Marley hits and also performed his compositions. But he started to question himself about this concept of "Roots & Culture". Should he grab reggae and Jamaican culture? Does it fit his reality?
Monique Ohsan Bellepeau
Politician
Agnès Monique Ohsan Bellepeau GOSK is a Mauritian politician and Vice President of Mauritius since 2010. In that capacity she was also acting President of Mauritius from 31 March 2012 to 21 July 2012.
Natacha Rigobert
Beach Volleyball Player
Natacha Rigobert is a beach volleyball player.
Rajindraparsad Seechurn
Man
Rajindraparsad Seechurn is a Mauritian football referee. He started his career in 1996 and reached the first grade for referees in 2001. He has also taken charge of matches for the African Federation and since 2004 he has been an international referee. He referees at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. He has previously refereed in the 2010 and 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.
Rashid Beebeejaun
Politician
Ahmed Rashid Beebeejaun, GCSK is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Utilities of Mauritius and he has been in office since 2008. He is the Deputy leader of the Mauritian Labor Party since 2004 and is the first person to hold office of Prime Minister in the Mauritius line of Succession. Sir Anerood Jugnauth appointed Beebeejaun on 7 July 2005 as deputy prime minister after winning the 2005 general elections. He was born in Riviere du Rempart and was a doctor and practitioner in Mauritius before entering politics. In 2007 he was elevated to the rank of Grand Commander of the Star And Key of Indian Ocean by the President of the country Sir Anerood Jugnauth.
Marinne Giraud
Tennis Player
Marinne Giraud is a Mauritian professional tennis player. At the end of 2008, she was ranked 288th in the world making her the number 1 Mauritian female tennis player. Giraud first played for Mauritius in the Fed Cup in 2007. Her Year-End WTA Ranking are as follows: 817th, 618th, 591st, 293rd and 288th.
Gaëtan de Rosnay
Painting Artist
Gaëtan de Rosnay was a French painter born in Mauritius, He belonged to the art movement called "La Jeune Peinture" "young picture" of the School of Paris, with painters like Bernard Buffet, Yves Brayer, Louis Vuillermoz, Pierre-Henry, Daniel du Janerand, Maurice Boitel, Gaston Sébire, Paul Collomb, Jean Monneret, Maurice Verdier. From his Russian spouse Natalia, née Koltchine, he was the father of Louise-Marie-Zina, Joël, Arnaud-Louis.
Jean-Marc Ithier
Soccer Forward
Jean-Marc Ithier is a retired Mauritian footballer.
Francis Thomé
Composer
Francis Thomé, was a French pianist and composer. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Jules Laurent Duprato and Ambroise Thomas. After leaving the Conservatoire he became well known as a composer of salon pieces and was in demand as a pianist and teacher. His music was particularly successful in the French provinces, and two of his operas were first performed outside Paris. He became popular towards the end of the 19th Century as a composer of accompanied poems, but is also known for his stage works which encompassed various genres, including ballet, pantomime, incidental music, bleuettes, and operettas, such as Baron Fric.
Léon Carvalho
Deceased Person
Léon Carvalho was a French impresario and stage director.
Sheila Bappoo
Politician
The Hon Mrs. Sheilabai Bappoo, GOSK, MP, is the Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity and Senior Citizens Welfare & Reform Institutions in Mauritius and she held the same office from 2005 to 2010. She held the ministry of Gender Equality, Child Protection and Family Planning from 1983 to 1995 and from 2010 to 2011. She attended the most prestigious college on the island, The Queen Elizabeth College, and received a diploma in teaching. She was a teacher until 1977, when she became deputy mayor of Beau Bassin. She rapidly climbed the ladder and became minister in 1983 and remained one until 1995, when her party lost in the elections. She changed political views and became part of the Mauritian Labor Party in 2003. She stood for election and was elected and on 5 July 2005 was again elected as minister. She was thus promoted to senior minister. Mrs Bappoo is the only woman to stay in a Mauritian Cabinet of Ministers for such a long time . She has held office from 1983 to 1995 and from 2005 to now .A total 18 years as Minister. She has worked in many ministries such as Ministry of Women Right's, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Social Security among many others. She was a leader of the Mauritian Militant Movement and was President of the party until 1975. She decided for the sake of the political career of the party that she would step down in favor of a certain Anerood Jugnauth who became President just after .
Jonathan Chimier
Olympic athlete
Jonathan Chimier is a Mauritian long jumper who won the 2004 African Championships in Athletics. His personal best jump is 8.28 metres, achieved in August 2004 in Athens. This is the Mauritian record. He is also a sprinter and competes mainly in the 60 metres. He holds the Mauritian record in the event with a time of 6.68 seconds ahead of Stephan Buckland's 6.72.
Richarno Colin
Professional Boxer
Richarno Colin is a Mauritian boxer best known to be AllAfrica champ 2011. He qualified for the 2008 Olympics at junior welterweight at the 2nd AIBA African 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournament. At Beijing he upset Myke Carvalho but was defeated by Gennady Kovalev from Russia in the round of 16. He has competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games under the name of Louis Colin. He was the flag carrier for Mauritius in the opening ceremony. He won bronze in the Light Welterweight category in Boxing. At the 2012 African Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament he also qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.
Édouard Maunick
Poet
Édouard Joseph Marc Maunick is a Mauritian, African poet, critic, and translator. Maunick is a métis or mulatto, and as such was the subject of discrimination from both blacks and whites. He worked briefly as a librarian in Port-Louis before going to Paris in 1960, where he wrote, lectured, and directed for Coopération Radiophonique. He was also a frequent contributor to Présence Africaine and other journals. Maunick's work was based not in the more traditional search for roots to establish an individual identity. Instead, he lamented his own isolation and the persecution of his people in poetry collections such as Les Oiseaux du sang, Les Manèges de la mer, and Mascaret ou le livre de la mer et de la mort. His Fusillez-moi was written as a protest against blacks killing blacks in Nigeria. Later works include Africaines du temps jadis and En mémoire de mèmorable suivi de Jusqu'en terre Yoruba. On October 16, 2003, Edouard Maunick received the Grand Prix de la Francophonie, awarded by the Académie française. He won the 1977 Prix Guillaume Apollinaire for Ensoleillé vif.
Vasant Bunwaree
Politician
Vasant Kumar Bunwaree MP is the Minister of Education of Mauritius, having taken office since 13 September 2008 as minister in the Cabinet of Navin Ramgoolam. He has previously held the office of Minister of Finance from November 1996 to September 2000 and also Minister of Labour from 2005 to 2008. After completing his secondary education at the Royal College Port Louis, he took charge as Principal of a private secondary institution in Rivière du Rempart, and taught at the same institution for two years. He trained as a doctor at the University of Bordeaux II, FRANCE and was appointed "Docteur en Medicine" in 1977. He later specialised and obtained the "Certificat d'Edudes spéciales en maladies cardiovasculaires" in 1981. He also hold diplomas in Tropical Medicine as well as Human Cytogenetics. In 1982 he joined government service as the first Specialist Cardiology of the Ministry of Health and was posted to Victoria Hospital, Mauritius. As Cardiologist, Dr. Bunwaree was responsible for the setting up of a full-fledged ICU and Diagnostic Cardiac Unit at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital in view of starting permanent cardiac surgery centre in Mauritius.
Gaétan Siew
Architect
Gaétan Siew is a Mauritian architect.
Jean-Marie Dayot
Military Person
Jean Baptiste Marie Dayot was a French Navy officer and an adventurer who went into the service of Nguyễn Ánh, the future emperor Gia Long of Vietnam. Originally from a Britany family settled in Ile Bourbon, Jean-Marie Dayot was born in Port Louis, Ile Maurice. He became a Lieutenant de vaisseau auxiliaire in the French Royal Navy. He met with Pigneau de Béhaine either in the Ile Bourbon or Pondicherry, and is thought to have commanded one of the two commercial ships which accompanied the warship Méduse with Pigneau de Behaine to Vietnam. Entering the service of Nguyễn Ánh, by 1790 he was in command of a naval division composed of two European warships belonging to Nguyễn Ánh. In 1792, he fought in the naval battle against the Tây Sơn in front of Qui Nhơn, sinking 5 warships, 90 galleys and about 100 smaller boats. In 1793, against at Qui Nhơn, he captured 60 Tây Sơn galleys. Jean-Marie Dayot also did considerable hydrographic work, making numerous maps of the Vietnamese coast, which were drawn by his talented brother. In 1795, Jean-Marie Dayot stranded his ship, was condemned for negligence and put to the cangue. Disgusted, he left Cochinchina.
William J. McCormack
Politician
William J. McCormack was Chief of Police of the Metro Toronto Police from 1989 to 1995. He succeeded Jack Marks. McCormack was born in Mauritius. He went to sea and was a civilian crewmember on a ship that ferried troops to and from Korea during the Korean War. He is the son of a British Colonial Police colonel who was decorated with an MBE by the King for his work with prison reform and children's polio. The younger McCormack served as a Constable in Bermuda before coming to Canada and joining the Metropolitan Toronto Police. Before becoming chief of police, he spent a number of years as a homicide detective in Toronto. Following his retirement, he detailed his experiences and some of his notable cases in a co-authored book. He has five children, four of whom later became police officers. Michael is the current president of the Toronto Police Association, Kathy is an OPP sergeant, and Jamie is a Toronto police detective. William Jr resigned from the Toronto police in 2009 following an internal misconduct investigation. In 2007, he joined other former Toronto chiefs, including David Boothby, Jack Marks and Julian Fantino at a 50th anniversary celebration of the Toronto Police Service at the headquarters building.
Dev Virahsawmy
Politician
Dev Virahsawmy, is a politician, playwright, poet and advocate of the Mauritian Creole language.
Roxane LeBrasse
Musical Artist
Roxane LeBrasse is an Australian singer who was placed ninth place on the third season of Australian Idol. In 2009, Lebrasse reached #91 on the ARIA Singles Chart with "Sexy".
Alfred Cochrane
Cricket Player
Alfred Henry John Cochrane was an English cricketer who played first class cricket for Derbyshire between 1884 and 1886, and for Oxford University between 1885 and 1888. He subsequently made his name as a writer on sporting subjects and of light verse. Cochrane was the second son of Rev. David Crawford Cochrane, Master of Etwall Hospital and his wife Jane Tomlinson. He was born Moka, Mauritus where his father was at the time Chaplain to the Bishop. He was educated at Repton School and made his debut for Derbyshire in the 1884 season in August against Lancashire, when he took 6 for 51. He played two more matches for Derbyshire during the season. He also played football for Derby County in 1884 in its pre-league days. Cochrane went on to Hertford College, Oxford and played cricket more regularly for University over the next four years, taking part three times in the Varsity match. He played two matches for Derbyshire in the 1885 season, neither of which was against a first class side, and played only in the Derbyshire match against the Australians in the 1886 season. In 28 first class matches he took 103 wickets with his left arm medium pace, with a best performance of 7 for 66, at an average of just 18.99.
Chris Driver
Footballer
Chris Driver is an Australian-Mauritian footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Langwarrin SC in the Victorian State League Division 2.
Yannick Macoa
Football player
Yannick Macoa is a Mauritian international footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Pointe-aux-Sables Mates. As of May 2011, he has won 40 caps for the Mauritius national football team.
Kervin Godon
Football player
Kervin Godon is a Mauritian international footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saint-Denis FC in the Réunion Premier League and for the Mauritius national football team.
Miselaine Duval
Film Actor
Miselaine Duval Vurden is a Mauritian comedienne, stand-up comic, television producer and writer best known as a cast member of the television series Fami Pa Kontan and Kel Famille. She is the founder of the comedian group Komiko.
Ajay Daby
Politician
Ajay Chattradhari Daby, born 29 December 1955, is a political figure in Mauritius. He did his secondary schooling at the Royal College of Curepipe. Called to the Bar of England in 1978, Ajay Daby studied in the United Kingdom and is a member of The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, London. Daby started his legal career as a private legal practitioner before joining the State Law Office as State Prosecutor, but only for a very brief period. He soon resigned from his post in the Judiciary to join politics. Elected MP in 1982 in Flacq-Bon Acceuil, Constituency No 9 at the age of 26, he became the youngest MP in the country. He was further elected as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Mauritius. In 1983 he joined hands with Sir Aneerood Jugnauth as one of the founders of the Militant Socialist Movement, was re-elected MP of Flacq-Bon Acceuil under the banner of the newly created MSM and went on to become the youngest Speaker of the Commonwealth and Association des Parlementaires de Langue Francaise. He was re-elected MP a third time, in Constituency No 11 and was called upon to take the post of Speaker of the Legislative Assembly yet again.
Gurty Calambé
Soccer Forward
Gurty Calambé is a Mauritian footballer who currently plays as a forward for Petite Rivière Noire SC in the Mauritian League.
James Burty David
Politician
Hon James Burty David GCSK MP was a Mauritian politician. David received his Diploma in Education at the University of London and doctorate at the University of Bordeaux. He joined the Labour Party in 1964, which he served successively as president, secretary general and director of communication. David was minister of education from 1995 to 1997, Minister of Environment and local authorities from 1997 to 2000 and Minister of Local Government, Rodrigues and Outer Islands since 2005. He was a journalist of Freelance, teacher and afterwards rector at Eden College and an author of many school manuals in French. In 2010 he was awarded the Grand Commanders of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean for remarkable contribution in the political, social and educational fields.
Julien François Desjardins
Deceased Person
Julien François Desjardins was a French zoologist, the son of Julien Jouan Desjardins and Henriette Émilie Marcotte. He studied in Paris from 1822 to 1824 under Cuvier, and was influenced by Louis Jacques Thénard, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, Pierre André Latreille, René Desfontaines and others. He embarked on a career in civil engineering, but soon realised that he should return to his original passion of natural history and studied at the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. With Charles Telfair, Wenceslas Bojer, and Jacques Delisse, Desjardins took part in founding the Société d'Histoire Naturelle de l'Île Maurice on 11 August 1829. He was the first secretary of this Society and editor of the publication Rapport annuel sur les travaux de la Société d'histoire naturelle de l'Île Maurice until 1839, when he left for France to publish his observations. His premature death led to his manuscript's acquisition from his widow, Julie Renée Adélaïde Maréchal, by Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville, but was never published. An excerpt from the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London of a meeting held on 23 October 1838 reads:
Stéphane Badul
Soccer Midfielder
Stéphane Badul is a Mauritian footballer who currently plays for Petite Rivière Noire SC in the Mauritian League as a midfielder.
Orwin Castel
Football player
Orwin Castel is a Mauritian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Langwarrin SC in Australia. He won 16 caps for the Mauritius national football team, and had spells with clubs in South Africa and Mozambique during his career. In 2013, he came out of retirement and signed a 1 year deal with Langwarrin SC of the Victorian State League Division 2, in order to help them in their bid for promotion.
Olivia Carey
Award competitor
Marie-Anne Olivia Carey is a Mauritian beauty pageant contestant born in 1988 who won the title of Miss Mauritius 2007, and represented Mauritius in Miss World 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Previously, she had competed in Miss Tourism Queen International 2008 in Zhengzhou, China; and Miss Universe 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam. She did not place in any of them. She is actually studying management at the Charles Telfair Institute in Mauritius as she intends in opening her own restaurant afterwards.
Aurelie Halbwachs
Olympic athlete
Aurelie Halbwachs is a Mauritian road bicycle racer. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Women's road race, but failed to finish.
Sarojini Jugnauth
Teacher
Sarojini Jugnauth is the wife of the 3rd President of Mauritius, Sir Anerood Jugnauth. She was also the Spouse of the Prime Minister of Mauritius while her husband was in office of Prime Minister twice, once from 1982 to 1995 and secondly from 2000 to 2003.
Thomas Shadrach James
Deceased Person
Thomas Shadrach James was a school teacher, Methodist lay preacher, linguist and herbalist.
David Constantin
Film Director
David Constantin is a filmmaker from Mauritius.
Amédée Maingard
Deceased Person
Amédée Maingard was born in Mauritius, then a British colony. During World War II he served with distinction with the British special services supporting the French resistance, and was awarded medals by the British and French governments. After the war he returned to Mauritius and became a successful businessman.
Andy Sophie
Football player
Andy Sophie is a Mauritian football player who currently plays for AS Excelsior in the Réunion Premier League and for the Mauritius national football team as a forward. He is featured on the Mauritian national team in the official 2010 FIFA World Cup video game.
Jimmy Cundasamy
Football player
Jimmy Cundasamy is a football player who currently plays for US Stade Tamponnaise in the Réunion Premier League and for the Mauritius national football team as a midfielder. He is featured on the Mauritian national team in the official 2010 FIFA World Cup video game.
Ram Ruhee
Man
Ram Ruhee was a Mauritian former International Olympic Committee member and FIFA executive. Ruhee founded the Mauritius National Olympic Committee and remained it Secretary General until his death in 2008. Ruhee, born in Port Louis and former teacher, founded the first division soccer club Cadets Club in Mauritius in 1948. He continued to manage the team after its founding. He later founded the Mauritius National Olympic Committee in 1971 and remained its Secretary General until his death in 2008. Mauritius first competed in the Olympics during the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and has subsequently competed in every Summer OLympics Game since. The country's first Olympic Medal was won during the 2008 Beijing Olympics by Bruno Julie. The IOC would later commend Ruhee in statement following his death saying, " played a key role in promoting the values of sport to the youth in his country." Ruhee served as a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1988 until 2007. He was investigated in 1999 as part of the 2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal. However, Ruhee was completely exonerated and cleared of any wrongdoing in the scandal. He was awarded the Olympic Order of Merit at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Jean-Paul de Marigny
Soccer Defender
Jean-Paul de Marigny is a football coach. He was previously the assistant coach of Newcastle United Jets in the A-League, and he also represented Australia as a player. Jean-Paul is currently in charge of Marconi Stallions.
Kersley Appou
Football player
Kersley Appou is a football player who currently plays for Pamplemousses SC in the Mauritian Premier League as a forward. He has also represented Mauritius internationally with Club M, scoring 10 goals. That is the most goals scored in Mauritius national team history.
Sewram Gobin
Soccer Forward
Sewram Gobin is a Mauritian footballer who currently plays for AS Rivière du Rempart in the Mauritian League.
Ludovic Boi
Football player
Ludovic Boi is a Mauritian-Australian football player currently playing in Football West State League for Floreat Athena.
Maya Hanoomanjee
Politician
Santi Bai 'Maya' Hanoomanjee MP is a former Minister of Health of Mauritius who served from 11 May 2010 until the coalition government of Mauritian Labour Party & Militant Socialist Movement broke in July 2011. She served in Navin Ramgoolam's Cabinet. She serves as 2nd Member of Parliament elected in constituency no 14, Black River & La Savanne. She has been loyal to the Militant Socialist Movement party. Hanoomanjee is a former civil servant and retired in 2005 as a Permanent Secretary just before officially joining the MSM. She served as the Permanent Secretary for Finance and Health in that time. Maya Hanoomanjee has been married for 40 years and has three daughters.
Tony François
Football player
Tony François is a Mauritian international footballer who plays as a striker. He won five caps and scored one goal for the Mauritius national football team between 1998 and 2006.
Fernando Augustin
Olympic athlete
Fernando Augustin, full name Jean Fernando Augustin is a Mauritian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. In 2002 he finished fifth at the 2002 African Championships, and was selected to represent Africa in 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2002 IAAF World Cup. The African team, with Adem Hecini, Sofiane Labidi, Fernando Augustin and compatriot Eric Milazar, won the bronze medal. His personal best time is 46.04 seconds, achieved in March 2002 in Bamako. He also co-holds the Mauritian record in 4 x 100 m relay, 38.99 seconds from the 2001 World Championships with teammates Arnaud Casquette, Eric Milazar and Stéphan Buckland.
Anaïs Veerapatren
Woman
Anaïs Veerapatren is a Mauritian law-firm trainee who was crowned Miss Mauritius in 2008, and came third in the Miss East Africa competition the same year. Veerapatren represented Mauritius at the Miss Universe 2009 pageant on the Bahamas on August 23, 2009. She ended up among the 10 Best Top Models and Top 3 Interviews. She participated in Miss World 2009 pageant in South Africa and made it among the finalists of the Talent Competition for singing. Anais competed in Miss International 2010 in Chengdu, China where she received the award of Miss International Goodwill Ambassador.
Todd Langseth
Screenwriter
Todd Langseth is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actor.
Louis Guyand Chiffone
Soccer Midfielder
Louis Guyand Chiffone is a Mauritian football player who currently plays for Savanne SC in the Mauritian League. He has also played for the Mauritius national football team. He is featured on the Mauritian national team in the official 2010 FIFA World Cup video game.
Louis Joseph Coralie
Man
Louis Joseph Coralie was the first Afro-Mauritian to be involved in the Mauritian politics. He was born in 1912 in Mauritius. In 1954, Louis Joseph Coralie founded the political newspaper L'Epee. The newspaper bought its support to a prolonged anti-Hindu campaign in Mauritius between 1954 and 1962. Joseph Coralie has brought his contribution in the Mauritius politics and was an ally of the Mauritian Party led by Jules Koenig. On 25 April 1956, Coralie was found guilty of slander and was ordered to pay a considerable fine to Teeluckparsad Callychurn, director of the Mauritius Post Office. In 1958, Louis Joseph Coralie invented an 'electric' riding crop. Coralie, a member of the Mauritius Turf Club, was later arrested and imprisoned for using the electric riding crop in order to win races. Coralie was also wanted for conspiracy, but managed to evade prosecution. He was married to Marie Eliane Choyen with whom he had five children. Louis Joseph Coralie died in the United Kingdom in 1967.
Ashok Jugnauth
Barrister
Ashok Kumar Jugnauth is former Mauritian Member of Parliament and was the Minister of Health of Mauritius from 2000 to 2005 serving in the cabinet of Anerood Jugnauth from 2000 to 2003 and Paul Berenger from 2003 to 2005. He succeeded to pull off the Political career in Mauritius as he forms part of the Jugnauth Family. He is the younger brother of Sir Anerood Jugnauth. He was minister during his brother's term as Prime Minister.