The Intercontinental Slavery Museum, a converted military hospital next door to Aapravasi Ghat, is still in its infancy and will officially open in the upcoming year. The enthusiastic guide, Gabriella, gave us a detailed exposition of the project, keen to share her vision of commemorating her heritage and how slavery impacted the Mauritian nation.

Arabs, Malays, Europeans, and Portuguese discovered uninhabited Mauritius in the 16th century. The Dutch claimed the island in 1598 and imported slaves to help with the ebony wood export business and later to establish sugar cane fields. During their colonial rule, they ravaged the ebony forests. In a quest for food, they decimated the dodo, a flightless bird endemic to the island, and wreaked havoc on the giant tortoise population. The dodo lives on in many forms on the island today, especially in touristy mementos, carvings, and ornaments in establishments.

The British abandoned the island in 1710 while the French took possession five years later. In 1735 the French Governor, Mahé de La Bourdonnais, established a flourishing spice plantation, the port, and a shipbuilding center. During the Napoleonic wars, the British overpowered the French on the island and ruled the island from 1810. The British abolished slavery on 1 February 1835. By then, there were about 60,000 slaves, brought in from Zanzibar, Mozambique, and Madagascar. It was then that the process of importing indentured Indians started. Mauritius gained independence on 12 March 1968 and has since developed a diversified, high-income economy, relying mainly on tourism, sugar, textiles, and financial services.