Mauritian Londoner – Pilot Documentary Film

Mauritian Londoner gives us a glimpse of the pros and cons of living in London as a student and expatriate. It illustrates some of the problems many students face because of the lack of finance, and because their colleges/universities are not really providing adequate education. In the end, many students stop going to classes and have to do petty jobs in order to support themselves. Very often, the result is that UK immigration authorities find them and they are deported back to Mauritius. Many Mauritians already living in the UK sometimes use their friends/families, who have just arrived, to their own advantages. The sense of patriotism and the desire to help fellow islanders is something not all Mauritians share when they are in the UK. During the shooting, we were told by different contributors than many Mauritian girls studying in London, were gradually falling into prostitution, as they had no other means for supporting themselves. Many Mauritians who are deported find it hard to re-integrate Mauritian society because they feel embarrassed and unaccomplished.The issue is alarming, but because we are a small country, our issues are seldom heard. Even in Mauritius, it’s only now that the press is raising some concern in the situation, while this has been happening for decades. This problem does not only affect Mauritians in London, but also those in other parts of England, Scotland, Ireland and even other European countries. This is only a pilot documentary that shows possibilities to investigate this socio-political problem in more depth.We would like to take this to the next stage and create a proper documentary film that will grab the attention of the government, media, institutions, NGOs and other watchdogs, both in the UK and in Mauritius. We think this also has the potential to be an international documentary because the situation that many Mauritians face is the same as what students from other underdeveloped and developing countries face.Please e-mail Shaan if you want to share any thoughts privately or if you would like to contribute or collaborate on this documentary project.This entry is also published at:ThisIsMauritius