Selvan Naidoo, indentured history author and director of the 1860 Heritage Centre in Durban, and Dr Mariagrazia Galimberti, a senior specialist of world heritage at the KwaZulu-Natal Amafa and Research Institute at the Workshop on Indenture in the Indian Ocean in Mauritius
Heritage experts and government officials gathered in Mauritius for a landmark workshop aimed at strengthening the preservation, documentation, and promotion of indentured labour heritage across the Indian Ocean region.
Organised by the Ministry of Arts and Culture of Mauritius in collaboration with the Aapravasi Ghat, the three-day event last week brought together representatives from UNESCO, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), and heritage professionals from across Africa, Asia, and the Indian Ocean islands under the theme "A Dialogue on the Heritage of Indentured Labour in the Indian Ocean."
The discussions focused on developing a regional roadmap to safeguard the legacy of indentured labour, enhance understanding of associated heritage sites, and strengthen connections between communities linked by shared histories of migration and labour during the colonial period.
Emphasis was also placed on enhancing understanding of heritage sites and reinforcing links between indenture experiences across the region.
