2024-01-20 09:45:00
The turn of the year marked the tenth anniversary of Mayotte’s admission to the EU: on January 1, 2014, the French overseas department, 8,000 kilometers from Paris, became an integral part of the European Union with the euro as a means of payment. EU citizens only need to show their ID card at Mayotte airport.
The easy entry, the European standards and, above all, the tropical nature make the French exclave off the east coast of Africa – it consists of the two inhabited islands Grande Terre and Petite Terre and small neighboring islands – actually the perfect destination for winter refugees.
All year round the temperatures are between 20 and 25 degrees, even at night. Nevertheless, Mayotte attracts significantly fewer tourists than La Réunion, France’s second overseas territory in the Indian Ocean. The reason for this is around 70 kilometers from Mayotte: Anjouan. Refugee boats have been trying to cross from the Comoros island to Mayotte for years, often with success. The migrant slums on Grande Terre now number in the hundreds.
Source: Infographic The World
Mayotte is geographically part of the Comoros, but otherwise does not feel part of the archipelago, as it has been politically and administratively separated from it since 1841. At that time, France bought the islands from the ruler of Mayotte, an Arab sultan, and soon after banned slave ownership, which greatly increased the popularity of the new French masters.
The neighboring Comoros Islands, on the other hand, were ruled by sultans for 70 years longer, and although the islands also fell to France in 1912, they “only” had the status of a colony. This also explains why in the 1960s the drive for independence was much stronger in the Comoros than in Mayotte.
The population there voted for France in two referendums. A decision that Paris had to accept, because the French constitution stipulates that no territory may be removed from the Grande Nation against the will of the affected population.
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The highlights for visitors include the species-rich nature with 50 species of orchids alone, the wide, untouched beaches and one of the largest lagoons on the planet. Intact coral banks beckon underwater.
Among whale sharks and sea turtles
What is also unusual about Mayotte is its geographical dimensions. At 1,200 square kilometers, the lagoon is three times larger than the island areas enclosed within it. An almost circular, partially double coral reef with a total length of 180 kilometers forms a barrier to the open sea.
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Like in an aquarium, clownfish glowing orange-red cavort in the lagoon alongside wildly patterned surgeonfish and grim-looking anglerfish. Between July and October they are joined by whale sharks and humpback whales, who use the shallow water as a nursery for their offspring.
Green sea turtles are also drawn to Mayotte during this time. Hunting of the armored animals has been banned for several years and the beaches they visit to lay their eggs are monitored. Snorkelers can watch the sea turtles grazing on the Posidonia seagrass meadows – the clear water offers visibility down to the bottom at a depth of 30 meters.
You don’t even need diving equipment to have great underwater experiences. Mask and snorkel are enough
Quelle: Getty Images/500px Prime/Serge MELESAN/500px
The lagoon, which has been part of the Mayotte Marine Natural Park since 2010, can also be dived. The “Passe en S” on the eastern reef is the most famous diving area. A dozen diving sites are lined up over a distance of four kilometers in this S-shaped passage from the sea into the lagoon.
The gecko is reminiscent of chicken breast
They are nocturnal, prefer to live in trees and eat insects – not much more is known about the fish scale geckos that live in Mayotte and the neighboring Comoros. Because of a special defense strategy, they are literally elusive: even at the slightest touch, they shed their scales – and escape.
Without their skin protection, the geckos are pale pink, a bizarre sight that is reminiscent of chicken breast fillets on four legs. This condition, which makes the animals easy prey, does not last long. Within a few weeks, the shed scales grow back without leaving any scars on the skin.
Source: Infographic WELT
To date, a dozen different species of fish scale geckos are known, but only four have been officially described. A species living on Mayotte was classified as endemic by German scientists in 2015 and given the name Geckolepis humbloti baptized.
On the way to the perfume plantation
The Mahora perfume was on the shelves of luxury department stores for two and a half years. Guerlain created the fragrance in 1999 as a homage to Mayotte – the islands are called Mahoré in the local language. The French cosmetics company operates jasmine and ylang-ylang plantations in Mayotte.
The oil from these plants gives Mahora its strong oriental note. It is the least Guerlain-typical fragrance – and proved to be a slow seller. In 2002 it was taken out of the range again. Guerlain re-released the perfume four years later with a changed recipe and under the new name Mayotte; Ylang-ylang plants still form the heart note.
At the Guerlain plantation you can admire the yellow flowers with their twisted leaves and visit the house of the famous perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain.
A steel skeleton of Gustave Eiffel was shipped
The close connection between Mayotte and France is nowhere more visible than on Petite Terre, an offshore island northwest of Grande Terre. That’s where the planes from Paris land, that’s where all the colonial buildings are – and that’s where Gustave Eiffel erected a monument to himself: the former governor’s palace was built based on designs by France’s well-known architect.
Currently being converted into a museum: the “Palais Eiffel”, former governor’s palace
It must have been quite a feat when the steel skeleton of the house was shipped from Europe to the Indian Ocean around 1881 and assembled on site. The listed “Palais Eiffel” with palm trees and historic cannons in front of the front door is currently being converted into a museum.
Women are the homeowners
The women of Mayotte enjoy a legendary reputation. This has historical but also religious reasons: Although Islam is the predominant religion in Mayotte, women traditionally have a central position in society because matrilocality (man moves in with woman) and matrilineality (inheritance goes through the female line). Family).
Women are traditionally the homeowners, and men are required to build a house or floor for their daughters and sisters. In the event of a divorce, the man always has to leave the shared apartment. This means that, unlike in other Muslim societies, the divorce rate is relatively high in Mayotte, but so is the remarriage rate.
Dressed in traditional costumes: the women of Mayotte enjoy a legendary reputation
The neighboring Comoros, on the other hand, maintain a strict Sunni interpretation of Islam – and the men are in charge there. In order to avoid this fate, the women of Mayotte in particular voted with a large majority in favor of remaining with France in the referendum at the end of 1974; in the end, 63 percent of all voters in Mayotte spoke out against a common state with the male-dominated Comoros.
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In the second referendum in 2009, 95 percent voted pro-French, i.e. in favor of Mayotte being transformed into a fully-fledged French department. The clear result suggests that the women did a good job of persuading their men.
The quote
“We will make Mayotte the most beautiful island in France.”
Gérald Darmanin promised this during a flying visit to the Mayotte archipelago in 2023. The French Interior Minister was informed on site about the police operation Wuambushu, which means recapture in the local language Mahore. A significant name, because the Mahorais fear the large influx of illegal refugees – they already make up 50 percent of the population.
Mayotte therefore asked Paris to send police forces. They should strengthen coastal protection and border controls and clear out the countless corrugated iron shacks built illegally on Grande Terre.
People without a right of residence who are found face expulsion, and criminals face imprisonment. According to the minister, the operation has been successful so far: violence against people has fallen by 22 percent and the number of break-ins, thefts and attacks on property have fallen by 28 percent.
Bizarre, record-breaking, typical: You can find further parts of our regional studies series here.
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