L’Escalier International City of Peace

The Journey to Proclamation

The village of L’Escalier was proclaimed as an “International City of Peace” in Mauritius on 23 June 2020 with Mr Chelvin Ramsamy concurrently designated to serve as an official Peace Ambassador for mentoring L’Escalier as a fully engaged City of Peace.

The proclamation was received from the International Cities of Peace® organisation based in the United States with United Nations ECOSOC accreditation. International Cities of Peace® is a formal Association of communities that by history or proclamation, or by concerted community peace-building are doing just that - by self-defining their large or small city,

town, village, or neighborhood as an official City of Peace.The distinction was the first ever of its kind in Mauritius and became a pride for the village of L’Escalier, the district of Savanne and the whole of the island. L’Escalier recognises the importance of promoting peace, international security and harmonious global development.

In the year 1983, communal conflicts ensued between inhabitants of different faiths and religions of the village of L’Escalier and those of neighbouring villages. However, today the village has become a role model in terms of peace. L’Escalier clearly exemplifies Mauritius’ post-colonial and multicultural model of “unity in diversity” and “rainbow nation” of all religions living peacefully together as one big family: Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, Chinese, etc. The inhabitants are very welcoming to foreigners. Today, we therefore find Shivala, Mandiram, Kovils, Mosques, Marathi Sabha and a Catholic Church dating over 150 years in L’Escalier.

At La Baraque, L’Escalier, we have the fully integrated flexi-factory complex of Omnicane which is one of the biggest sugarcane complexes across the African continent. It produces refined sugar, ethanol, electricity and even hand sanitisers following the Covid-19 global pandemic. Therefore, Omnicane contributes considerably to the economy of Mauritius. The ENL Group, which is also one of the biggest companies in Mauritius, likewise has activities in L’Escalier.

The village of L’Escalier boasts the Chinmaya Spiritual Ayurvedic Park and many rivers, including Rivière Du Poste and Mare Tabac, which are used for many religious festivals including the annual Thaipoosam Cavadee and Visarjan during the annual Ganesh Chaturthi. Le Souffleur, Pont Naturel and Bassin Carangue are purely natural places where peace and harmony prevails.

Le Souffleur, Pont Naturel and Bassin Carangue have today become undeniable, strategic locations for all tourists who visit Mauritius. This creates liveliness in the village and the villagers welcome tourists with open arms. At Le Souffleur, the water enters through a hole creating a spurt of water like a whale’s blowhole, from where the name of “Le Souffleur” which means “The Blower” comes from. The name “Pont Naturel” means “Natural Bridge” and it is exactly that: a bridge which has been formed from the volcanic rocks be the force of the crashing waves. Bassin Carangue offers a unique attraction whereby the Rivière Du Poste river meets the sea.