Dan Baboo: “Mauritius will have a state of the art National Archives”

After more than 30 years of hesitation on the need to construct a new building to house the National Archives, Mauritius will at last have a complex of international standard, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Dan Baboo told News on Sunday.

Last week, the Ambassador of China, Mr Li Li, handed over to the Mauritian authorities equipment for the restoration of historical documents damaged with the passage of time. On that occasion, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Dan Baboo, stated that Mauritius will have a state of the art national archives to be set-up with the help of Chinese authorities.

“The Archives comprise of more than three centuries of our history, we have to treasure all the housed documents. A Culture House project was announced since the 1990s but could not be pursued owing to several problems namely, identification of appropriate land and securing of funds for its construction,” stated Minister Baboo.

The Archives were originally stored at the Aapravasi Ghat, in Port Louis, then transferred to Sunray Hotel, in Coromandel, and then to the industrial zone of Coromandel, with each transfer impacting on the quality and condition of the documents. The need to relocate both the National Archives Department and the National Library in a purpose-built complex of international standard is now pressing in view of their present location, which poses a serious threat to the safeguard of our archival documents and health of the staff, the minister added.

The National Archives Department in particular is located in a high risk industrial zone at Coromandel and is subject to the various hazards and risks from activities carried by neighbouring industries. The Occupational Safety and Health Unit under the Ministry of Civil Service and Administrative Reforms, has recommended the relocation of the National Archives, under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2005. Furthermore the building is not fireproof.

“As for the National Library, it has a serious space and storage problem. Documents and records are not being kept as per the norms, with many even lying on the floor,” highlighted Dan Baboo.

The Minister led a delegation to China in July 2015 to discuss of the possibility to house a new Archives Department. A team of Chinese experts headed by Xu You, Director of the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, and comprising of engineers and architects, was in Mauritius for a feasibility study of the project. The feasibility study is ready and was sent to the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday 25 October. The Finance Minister Pravind Jugnauth undertook an official mission China last week where he held discussions with the Chinese authorities.

“An appropriate plot of land has been identified for the project and the Ministry of Housing and Lands is currently proceeding with the vesting of the land to the Ministry of Arts and Culture. The site is located at the Réduit Triangle, behind the Apollo Bramwell Hospital,” said Minister Baboo.

Our National Archives are one of the oldest of the southern hemisphere. Even though proclaimed in 1815, the department contains documents of the French colonisation up to 1721. The National Archives is the guardian of these documents and guarantees their authenticity. It is the depository of national files and documents, including manuscripts. Prints, maps, plans, acts concluded at the notary and documents from French and British administrations are stored at the archives.

The construction works will start as soon as the financing agreement is signed between Mauritius and China. The construction will take two years and the new Archives Department will be able to welcome the public as from June 2019 according to Dan Baboo.