Speeches

Remarks of Ambassador John Price on the occasion of the Opening of the Oral History Documentation Unit at the National Archives, Port Louis

May 12, 2005, 10:30am

Honorable Mrs. Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun,
Minister of Arts and Culture,
Mr. Gheandut Suneechur, Director, National Archives,
Distinguished guests:

I am honored to be here today to officially open the Oral History Documentation Unit at the National Archives.  This facility was a project funded by the U.S. Embassy's Ambassador’s Cultural Preservation Fund and represents the commitment that the U.S. Government has made to supporting the preservation of the unique culture of Mauritius.  

Each year, since 2001, the U.S. Government has set aside money for the Ambassador’s Cultural Preservation Fund.  We believe that supporting cultural preservation offers an opportunity to show a different face to other countries, one that is non-commercial, non-political and non-military.  By taking a leading role in efforts to preserve cultural heritage, we demonstrate our respect for other cultures and societies.

The first Mauritian recipient of the Fund was the National Heritage Trust of Mauritius, which received a grant of Rs. 540,000 in 2002 for the Ile de la Passe Heritage Site Development Project.  That grant enabled the National Heritage Trust to begin the important process of preserving the site, and formulating an overall heritage management plan for Ile de la Passe.

In 2003, the Mauritian government expressed its interest in undertaking a wide-reaching program to preserve the oral history and traditions of your successful multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-lingual society.  Established under the auspices of the Ministry of Arts and Culture and the National Archives, this oral history documentation unit was a first step in initiating that program. 

Now, staff at the National Archives are able to gather, by means of audio and video recordings, the verbatim accounts and commentaries of those citizens who were present at events that are likely to be of interest to future generations.  Now, they can record the memories of those men and women who are the caretakers of this rich cultural heritage.  They are able to preserve the memories of Mauritius, told by those who remember stories of island life from their own youth and from tales their parents told; stories from an earlier time when the country moved through the transition to democracy which laid the foundations of modern-day Mauritius. 

I am pleased to officially open this facility and I know that the work that will be carried out here will help to record and preserve Mauritian history for all future generations.  I am glad that we at the U.S. Embassy have contributed to making that possible.  I wish you all the best of luck in your future projects.