Distribution
The population of Rodrigues is around 44,900 and is growing by around 250 a year in real terms, if we take into account continued emigration to Mauritius. The population is young (57% under 20), with more women than men, and a density of 415 people per km². It is essentially made up of two very dissimilar types. The Reds, who are very much in the minority, are descended from a few French families who came here at the start of colonization. The Blacks are descended from Malagasy or African slaves. They are also known as Montagnards, because when they were emancipated, they moved inland. There are also a few Chinese who have come to set up businesses, and a few Indian civil servants from Mauritius.
Social fabric
Even if the territory seems tiny, 108 km², the population is relatively dispersed, which makes it difficult to install infrastructures and equipment. The social fabric is very strong, and revolves around two types of groupings: village committees, which focus on local development and the living environment; and cooperatives, for livestock breeding, agriculture and fishing. The role of the latter is threefold: as purchasing groups, they help to lower the cost of acquiring products and equipment; as marketing groups, they promote the mass export of Rodriguan production to the Mauritian market, at guaranteed prices; as training bodies, they play an information, awareness-raising and extension role among smallholders. Village committees and cooperatives reach almost all Rodriguans, who are thus very involved in the life of their region. Even if young people tend to abandon the traditional agricultural sector and dream of more Westernized shores, the inhabitants overall retain a very strong cultural identity, and community centers regularly serve as gathering places for traditional festivities.
Education
As in Mauritius, where it is an important development axis, education is not neglected on Rodrigues, even if it didn't begin until the 1950s... There are currently 34 pre-primary schools, 4 of which are public and the other 30 private. Recently, pre-primary teachers have been receiving compensation set by the government, an initiative instituted to give poorer families the chance to send their children to school. Parents pay a lump sum of Rs. 100 per month, which is used by the schools to cover administrative costs, repairs and refurbishments, and the purchase and/or renewal of school equipment. The first elementary school didn't open its doors until 1966, and owes its development to the Catholic Church, since as early as 1920, nuns were taking care of the education of young Rodriguans. 17 elementary school are operational today. Secondary education began under the direction of the Church of England. In 1961, following the arrival on the island of Father Cathan, the first secondary school, Saint-Barnabas, was established. To support this educational impetus, the Catholic Church in turn created the Collège Saint-Louis. In 1974, following lengthy negotiations, the two establishments merged to form Rodrigues Collège, based in Port Mathurin, which remains the island's only ecumenical establishment. The 6 other colleges created since then belong to REDCO (Rodrigues Educational Development Company). The island also boasts a technical college, the MITD (Mauritius Institution of Training and Development). The language of instruction is English, although teachers do not hesitate to use French and even Creole to explain the most difficult exercises. For higher education, places are reserved at the University of Mauritius for graduates of the Higher School Certificate. Only the children of wealthy parents can attend, which limits the number of applicants, even though state scholarships are available. The best students go on to study abroad, thanks to a few scholarships from France and India.
Religion
Catholicism is by far the dominant religion. The breakdown by denomination is as follows: Catholics: 95.27%; other Christians: 3.25%; Muslims: 0.42%; Hindus: 0.54%; other religions: 0.23%; not stated: 0.29%.
The Catholic Church has deep historical roots in Rodrigues and played a unifying role from the very beginning of French colonization. In 1736, Mahé de La Bourdonnais, governor of Isle de France, sent a few colonists to the island to capture turtles. They were able to assess the importance of the Christian religion for the population, despite the absence of a local priest. The first churchman, Father François Thévaux, sent from Mauritius by Father Jacques-Désiré Laval, arrived in Rodrigues in 1850. At the time, the island had a population of 400, and Catholicism flourished under the priest's leadership. Two chapels were built, one at Port-Mathurin, the other at Saint-Gabriel. In 1869, Rodrigues became a parish with a residential priest. And during the 20thcentury , the Church continued its development program with the creation of five parish schools. Today, Catholicism is still very present in Rodrigues, with five parishes, a parish priest for each, nuns helping with spiritual and social animation, and a parish council made up of lay people willing to get involved in Church affairs. Pope John Paul II came to Rodrigues on October 15, 1989 to celebrate mass at La Ferme, an event that left a strong impression on the local population. Saint-Gabriel Cathedral, built in 1933, remains the main church building, and Sunday mass is a must for many Rodriguans.
Women's role
On islands colonized by men - not in the anthropological sense, but in the most masculine sense of the term - women were long under-represented (sailors didn't take women on board), then "exploited" as wombs and arms to establish the colony on a long-term basis. Degrading living conditions for generations fostered the emergence of particularly active solidarity between women, who earned respect for their work, courage, skill and intelligence. In Rodrigues, there is a particularly respected "community" of women: that of the octopus spearfisherwomen. Even if this traditional form of fishing is decried for the damage it causes to the trampled coral reef, it's a difficult fishery that's carried out on foot, with only rubber boots and a hat for protection, and a scrap metal pick for a weapon. The hunt, whose periods are now regulated to preserve the species, can last for hours under a blazing sun in the lagoon's waters. It requires patience, concentration and know-how, qualities that the women of Rodrigues also use to bring up their children, look after the crops and livestock for which they are also responsible, cook... And if the unemployment figures show that women are half as employed as men, it's no doubt because they already have three or four small jobs to support their families. Today, young women in Rodrigues are succeeding at school, gaining diplomas and playing a different role in their island's development.
Dance and music
You only have to see the images of Rodrigues' leaders performing the traditional Ourite dance, octopus in arms, to understand the importance of music and dance in the island's culture. You'll never hear a Rodriguan complaining about his or her life or making fun of another person, but that's not the case with the lyrics of the improvised songs that cheerfully mock neighbors, friends and relatives!
Historically, the oldest musical form is drum sega. With its origins in the cultural practices of the first black slaves, this music has not been influenced by Indian culture, as was the case with Mauritian sega. Its rhythm is much faster, and the sounds and dances that accompany it are very similar to those heard and heard in Black Africa. Traditional instruments include the triangle, the drum (a wooden hoop covered with a stretched goatskin), the bobre (a wooden instrument consisting of a single string stretched by a bow and connected to a small resonance box), seed-filled objects producing a maracas-like sound, and metal objects (cans, for example) rubbed or struck. Although this traditional music has lost ground, it is still played by many local groups such as Cascavel, Racines, Cardinal Blanc, Mannyok..
The other traditional sung music is romance, whose lyrics tell the story of everyday life. It's a slow-paced form of sega drumming strongly influenced by 18th-century French folk music.
Indeed, the first European settlers left their mark on Rodriguan culture, as evidenced by the names and steps of the dances: mazok (mazurka), laval (waltz), kotis (scottish) and so on. For these dances, still surprisingly close to the original European models in their melodies, the Rodriguans added a diatonic accordion to their traditional instruments, hence the name segakordeon. This instrument is still so ubiquitous in today's local music that it enjoys its day of glory every August 15!
