Weekly Island Round-Up - 15 Feb 2021
Here are 3 things happening in Mauritius this week!
1) To help preserve his island paradise, this musician in Mauritius is turning trash into instruments
Kan Chan Kin, 35, is a musician, artist and activist. Or, as his social media handle implies, you can simply refer to him as an “artivist” whose eco-friendly work is motivated and inspired by trash – more specifically, how society can create less of it.
Mauritius is just 45 kilometers wide and 65 kilometers long, yet it’s home to more than 1.2 million people, making it the most densely populated African nation. According to the World Bank, the average Mauritian generates 2.3 kilograms of municipal solid waste per day, amounting to nearly one ton a year – almost double the global average per urban resident.
Kan tackles this by building musical instruments from discarded items through a process known as upcycling. He also visits schools to spread a message that everyday citizens can make a big difference and that no action is too small when it comes to preserving their island paradise.
2) Thousands of Mauritians protest in Port Louis against the current government and call for an end to corruption
Thousands of Mauritians marched in the capital of Port Louis on Saturday, calling for a general election and protesting against corruption.
It was the third major protest against the government in eight months. While those in August and September centered on a fuel spill from a Japanese-owned tanker off Mauritius’s coast, Saturday’s was the first with all the main opposition parties unifying to ask the government to step down.
3) Experts begin potential 3 month process of dismantling the stern of the Wakashio, which has been stranded near Mahebourg since August 2020
Experts from a rescue company (name unknown) are in the process of writing up a report to decide when the stern of the MV Wakashio will be dismantled. The process will last around 3 months, and the wreck will then be transported to the port for decontamination. It will subsequently be sold to the Mauritian firm Samlo, who specialise in metal manufacturing.
SOURCES
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/12/africa/mauritius-upcycling-music-kan-spc-intl/index.html
https://www.lexpress.mu/article/388890/marche-citoyenne-nous-ne-supportons-pas-lopposition-mais
https://defimedia.info/demantelement-de-la-poupe-du-mv-wakashio-des-experts-sont-sur-place
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